Letter to a theistic evolutionist

  1. Your CV shows some great skills that could benefit mankind. Presumably you also want to have a positive impact in this world and eventually be remembered for something good you did. If so, it is very puzzling why you would start and run a blog like peacefulscience.org that takes time and effort detracting from your mission.
  2. Think of your colleagues and companies you work with. Does a Pfizer or GSK invest any serious money in “evolution”? Sure they may pay lip service to the dogma, but no real money. “Evolution” contributes nothing to the bottom line. On the other hand, people like Darwin, Coyne, and Dawkins never had any useful skills whatsoever and, without their snake oil, would be deservedly nobodies. Even your favorites, Haldane and Kimura, have not produced one valuable thing for mankind in all the time spent on “evolution”. Have they ever advanced one bit the fields of medicine, agriculture, transportation, mining, and so on? Not through their “evolution” work for sure. “Basic research” claim won’t work as – however removed – even that must show experimental evidence and eventual practicality.
  3. But you are not these people. Your snake oil salesmanship is not good, the field is crowded as just about anyone can philosophize, and you have a real job that requires real, measurable skills – that’s where you should seek a lasting impact.
  4. The other problem is that your area of expertise is narrow by necessity (as your CV confirms). Once you venture outside your bubble, your competence drops precipitously, you become a mere mortal, and are liable to be opposed with [to you] surprising vigor. Can you claim with a straight face that your knowledge of fluid dynamics, particle physics, ceramics, etc. rises to at least the level of an undergrad in those fields? “Evolution” is not on your CV and for a good reason: your skills don’t set you apart, and you can’t design an experiment (as required for any scientific research) that would prove naysayers wrong. Instead, you rely on philosophical argumentation way outside your competence. Even when wrong, good snake oil salesmen are persuasive. You are not.
  5. Let’s say “evolution” is your hobby, so what’s wrong with that? For once, you’re losing focus on valuable work. In addition, not all hobbies are created equal. You are much better off watching cable news all day long than selling drugs to the addicted or snake oil to an army of naïve followers. Yes, it feels good to be admired in your lifetime, but have you considered the consequences if wrong?
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