Bill Nye is Going to Hell

You know Bill Nye. Bill Nye is the “Science Guy”. For a period during the late 1990’s Bill Nye had a children’s television show that both explained and exposed science in a way children could easily relate to. Bill Nye is a scientist, but he is also an entertainer, a mechanical engineer, author, and TV personality. His show was very popular because he could relate so well to children, and because he had an uncanny way of making complicated material easier to understand. He has the manner and affect of Mr. Rogers while possessing a keen, scientific mind. “Bill Nye the Science Guy” became a household name.

Recently, The Science Guy made some news by putting out a video asking parents not to teach creationism to their children. This, of course, caught the eye of major news organizations who promptly replayed the video and followed-up with Mr. Nye for interviews. The Science Guy was making the point that teaching creationism to children will harm them in the long run, saying point blank this kind of thinking was “not appropriate” for children. Considering a recent Gallup Poll indicating that 46% of Americans believe some version of  biblical creation, with 31% of Americans believing the literal truth of Genesis in the Bible, I’m almost sure a lot ofpeple think Bill Nye is going to hell.

At this point I’m asking you to stop reading this blog, and go watch the video Bill Nye released. You can find it at Bigthink.com or at CNN.com or by just going to YouTube.com and putting in “Bill Nye”.  You’ll find it in just seconds- then give it a listen. It only lasts two minutes. If you only have a few minutes, listen to him-not me. I’ll welcome you back when you’re done.

Welcome back! I hope you watched Bill Nye’s statement on how and what we teach our children. He clearly made the point that teaching children that which science tells us just isn’t true, creates a very complicated and difficult world for our kids. Bill is saying there are certain truths about the world we live in, and I interpret that to mean we have a duty to impart the world to our children the way it is. Denying the facts of science and the clear evidence about our world can only lead to two things: one, it reinforces neglect of future inquiry needed for our survival as a species; and two, it endangers the human spirit by stunting the growth of our intellects and our need to explore and understand. Bill Nye is careful to point out that he is not asking anyone to forgo their religious faith or beliefs about how the world came to be. He is, however, pointing out that we have an obligation to tell our children about the scientific facts concerning our world.

The conflict between faith and science is nothing new. In one of the earliest examples from our European/Christian heritage, we remember that Galileo was tried by the Church in the 17^th Century for being a heretic. The alleged crime against God was to note, from scientific observation, that planet Earth was not the center of the Universe. Galileo was found guilty in spite of the fact that his astrological observations and charting clearly proved his claims. Examples of this denial process in the face of religious dogma are many. In this country the most famous of these conflicts took place in what is called the Scopes Monkey Trial. In 1925 a teacher names Scopes was criminally tried for violation of the Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in public schools in Tennessee. The case was famously tied by the country’s two preeminent attorneys, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryant. The case pitted Darwinian Evolution against the creation story in the Book of Genesis. It was primarily a “show trial” but Scopes was convicted. (later reversed on a technical error at trial). Think about all the ideas that have their roots in religion or superstition, and how those ideas have simply melted away with the advancement of science and human knowledge.

Our most sensitive area is the religious conflict between the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection concerning human evolution and religion inspired creation, most particularly for Judeo/Christians. I suppose this area is so rife for conflict because it goes to the heart of who, and what we are as a species- it’s about our humanness. Just about every religion has a creation story. Most religions differ from one another on the details, but the common theme is that there was a moment of human creation, while Darwin’s theory says that our humanness (as we are today) came from millions of years of the evolutionary process. Judeo/Christian beliefs hold that humans are made in the image of God, therefore any notion that our humanness came from another source is antithetical to this basic belief.  

As Bill Nye reminded us, the evolutionary process is “the fundamental idea of all life sciences”. Of course he was not only referring to human evolution, but to the evolution of all life on the planet. I think we’ve all heard the zealots make the argument that evolution is only a “theory”- and therefore has no more claim to truth than any other idea or teaching. I think those folks must have skipped 8^th grade science class where the Scientific Method was explained. The scientific method holds that inquiry starts with the question, from which we form a hypothesis (which is vigorously tested), then formulate a “theory”. Some theoretical truths can become laws of science. The test for a “Law” is usually confined to theoretical events that can be reproduced over and over without fail. The definition of a scientific theory is: a well substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation or experiment. So theories aren’t some random notions that might be true- on equal footing with any other explanation. They are well tested and established facts about the world that have not been disproved by other hypothesis or other theories. It’s very likely that the Evolution will remain a “theory” (in scientific terms) because it is impossible to reproduce the time factor (billions or millions of years) necessary to reproduce it.

Evolution is a well-established fact. We have evidence about the age of the earth and we can retrace the beginnings of life here. We have the evidence of human evolution. We have the fossil record that shows a clear lineage to a common ancestor and the various species that sprang forth. Our ancestors have existed for (between) 85 and 55 million years. Our species, Homo Sapiens have existed for (between) 200,000 -150,000 years with other hominids existing for millions of years before we developed. I am so concerned to know that 3 of every 10 American adults believe the earth is only 8,000-10,000 years old, for no other reason than the Bible says so- and nearly half of all Americans believe (some less literal) version of Genesis.    

I have to agree with Bill Nye’s point about our children. I have to believe that it’s possible to instill religious values (if we as parents view them as important) while at the same time representing the world to our children as science and our intellects tells us it is. I see a grave danger in allowing dogma and religious absolutism to prevent us accepting what our senses and our reason tell us about reality. The implications for the future are incredibly important. Too often we (and our government) make decisions based on what we believe instead of what we know. A good recent example is climate change. Every legitimate climate scientist (i.e. not working for oil or coal companies) has verified the phenomenon of man-caused climate change that is threatening our future on the planet. For political or religious reasons, or pure greed, deniers say it isn’t so. The evidence is so overwhelming, and the consequences of denying it are deadly. Yet we see it every day. Consider the notion of renewable energy development vs. “drill baby drill”. Which is smarter for our survival?

 The problems of the future will be enormous and our children will have to solve them- so let’s at least help them realistically recognize the challenges that await them. We need scientists and engineers and mathematicians, and a well-educated populace to survive as a species. If we are to lead the way, we need a culture that values and accepts the truths of science over the dogma of faith when dealing with real world issues. There has been a trend away from this I fear. The fact that the US ranks 25^th out of the 34 most advanced countries in the education of our youth, may be an outgrowth of this trend. We have already dropped to 16^th world wide in the percentage of our people with a college education. Our politics reflect entrenched belief systems rather than well-reasoned argument when determining public policy. I hope this cultural trend does not continue. For us to remain an exceptional people we must produce exceptionally well educated children. That starts with rekindling the need to use science and real knowledge to educate, not belief systems rooted in dogma or antiquated beliefs. Thanks to Bill Nye for helping make that point.

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