Bill Nye Says Creationism Is ‘Unreasonable’
Bill Nye, science communicator and bow-tie fanatic, has been one of the most vocal opponents of creationism in recent years. The Cornell-educated engineer-turned-science guy has joined numerous forums all across America joining the undying political catfight between evolution and creationism.
This includes February’s Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham debate, hosted right at the heart of the creationist movement in Petersburg, Kentucky. Many people — mostly from the scientific end of the spectrum — have criticized Nye’s acceptance of Answers in Genesis’ Ham’s debate invitation, especially because part of ticket sales from the event were reportedly spent by the creationist group to build the $150 million Ark Encounter theme park, a full-scale interpretation of Noah’s ark set to open in 2016. However, some were more than enthused by Nye’s appearance on the event, including prominent biologist Jerry Coyne, who unofficially announced Bill as the true debate winner.
In the more recent weeks, Bill has been busy touring the country promoting his latest book, Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, which endorses the scientific theory of evolution and debunks the idea of creationism. In an interview with U.S. News writer Michael Morella, Bill Nye illustrates the ideas behind his book — the overwhelming support for the theory of evolution and the absurdity of creationist explanations for the origins of life.
One question Morella gave Bill Nye has been asked dozens of times in the past. However, Nye’s response to the question has never been more straight-forward and clear. When Morella asked, “What is your main argument against creationism?”, Bill answered, “It’s just unreasonable.”
“It’s just unreasonable. How can you have all these things we observe in nature and then conclude that the Earth is somehow 6,000 years old?”
Bill Nye further pointed out the “irony” behind creationist groups’ continued use of technological innovations like social media and digital devices — inventions made possible through science — despite continuing to propagate anti-scientific ideas.
“But the Earth is not 6,000 years old. And there’s a deep irony that [creationists] exploit or take advantage of all that science brings them – Facebook, cellphones, the food system that we have here in the United States, which is extraordinarily safe – but then promote the idea that the way we came to have all this is somehow wrong.”
Nye isn’t alone on his fence of the debate. There is overwhelming scientific support for evolution and almost none for creationism. A 2009 Pew Research Center poll revealed that behind Bill are a massive number of scientists in the United States — at least 97 percent of all professional American scientists — approve of the scientific theory, with 87 percent attributing the long-term process mainly to natural selection.
Nye’s campaign for evolution has been promoted — surprisingly — by Pope Francis earlier this year. The Pope recently stated before Vatican scientists his personal belief in a God-guided process of evolution, according to a report by the TheInquisitr.
Bill Nye’s book has so far received positive reviews from colleagues, including Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson, who described the science guy’s narrative style as “charming” and “breezy.”
[Image from Wikimedia]
