From: jem26@cas.org (Jay E. Martin)
Subject: Re: Evolution
Organization: Chemical Abstracts Service, Columbus, Ohio
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 17:48:23 GMT

Disclaimer:  Before I get started...these opinions are entirely my
own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer, friends,
aquaintances, etc...

I really didn't want to get involved in this discussion, but there are a few
points I really think are important.  First, most people are posting
information without giving clear definitions of the terms being thrown
around.  I saw a few definitions last week, but they were definitely not
appropriate for high school students.  Second, most of the people posting
seem to have only a limited knowledge of the subject, but speak as if
they were authorities.  Please let us know your background so
we can judge your credibility.  Third, it seems that virtually no
one in this groups understands the "scientific method".  Any researcher
worth his/her salt will always tell you that no theory can ever be
proven to be correct, only disproven.  If you ask an organic chemist
if Iodide ions react with Methyl Chloride via an Sn2 mechanism they
will say yes because they haven't been able to disprove the theory, but
they will also tell you that it has not been proven and that some
scientist MAY find a better answer some day (at which time that scientist
will receive a Nobel Prize).  My point is that we can't go on pointing
at all these theories as facts.  This was pointed out by a previous
poster, who followed it with the same mistake:


>  Science is in the business of finding facts, not truth.  If you want
>to know something about the truth, go to Doug Arner's philosophy
>course down the hall. (The names have been changed to protect the
>innocent :-)  It is a fact that we share common ancestry with all
>other known species on this planet.  That's the best a scientist can
>say about the subject.  
>

I disagree with with your statement.  It is not a "fact" that we share
a common ancestry with all other known species on this planet.  It is
a fact with we share DNA sequences , and in many cases similiar (to
varying degrees) DNA with all other known species, but that doesn't 
"prove" that we have a common ancestry (although is does imply it).

A couple last points and then I'll get off my soap box.  I find it
upsetting that in a news group directed toward young (<18) students
we have done such a poor job in illustrating what science has done
and is meant to do.  We must stop making these arguements "personal".
There is a lot we can learn from each other, and these repeated
attacks from both sides are getting us nowhere.  Either drop the
subject, or put your flame throwers away.  This is an opportunity
for many of us to learn, not a chance to defeat the enemy.  Finally,
a comment about how scientist are supposed to work.  We are stuck
with limited information and tools but we are supposed to discover
the unknown.  This can only be done by questioning.  A good researcher
will question everything (creationism, evolution, ...).  As we learn
more we change our theories to fit our knowledge (consider the changes
in atomic theory over the last 100 years).  In time all the things
duscussed in this thread will seem obsolete, so stop being so
belligerent about what you "know".

Thank you for your attention.  I sincerely hope that somebody reading
this news group learns something from all this discussion.

- Jay E. Martin
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