Project Steve

{{evolution}}
{{Sources needed}}
{{cquote|Evolution is a vital, well-supported, unifying principle of the biological sciences, and the scientific evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the idea that all living things share a common ancestry. Although there are legitimate ''scientific debates'' about the patterns and processes of evolution, there is no serious scientific doubt about whether or not evolution ''occurred'' (or that natural selection is a major mechanism in its occurrence). It is scientifically inappropriate and pedagogically irresponsible for [[creationist]] [[pseudoscience]], including but not limited to "[[intelligent design]]", to be introduced into the science curricula of our nation's public schools.|||The project statement<ref>[https://ncse.ngo/project-steve Project Steve]. National Center for Science Education.</ref>}}

'''Project Steve''' is a "tongue-in-cheek parody" created by the [[United States]] [[National Center for Science Education]], intended to place the "[[Origins debate|scientific debate]]" over [[evolution]] into proportion.

It is in response to [[Argumentum_ad_populum|various lists]], put out by the likes of the [[Discovery Institute]], of scientists who supposedly reject evolution. Usually such lists number anywhere between a dozen and a hundred.

Creationists [[Atheist_professor_myth|love to claim that famous scientists]] like [[Isaac Newton]] "didn't believe" in evolution — and more importantly, he was a [[Christian]]! Of course, it's incorrect to say that Newton didn't "believe" in evolution; he probably had no knowledge about it, as he died 82 years before [[Charles Darwin]] was even born.

Project Steve, on the other hand, is an attempt to show that these [[creation science|creation scientists]] are outnumbered by pro-evolution [[Science|scientists]] — named Stephen and ''alive''. 

==Naming and purpose==
Stephen was chosen in honour of [[Stephen Jay Gould]], who died about a year before the list began.

Some slight variations of that name are also included, such as Steven, Steve, Stefan, or Stephanie, or the same name in languages other than English, including three Etiennes, three Estebans, one Istvan, and one Tapani, which is the [[Finland|Finnish]] equivalent. 

The list was invented entirely for the lulz and was not intended to be an ''[[argumentum ad populum#Scientific Consensus|argumentum ad populum]]'', or any other ''argumentum'' — as evolutionary theory is already proven ''scientifically'', the only remaining use for lists like these is really [[troll]]ing creationists.

==Signatories==
As of 16 December 2025, the Steve-o-meter numbers 1,509 scientists on its list.<ref>[https://ncse.ngo/list-steves "List of Steves"], ''NCSE''</ref> The NCSE notes that "'Steves' are only about 1% of scientists", making the point that "tens of thousands of scientists support evolution".

It has been noted that the Steve list has proportionately more [[Biology|biologists]] (about two thirds are qualified biologists) than the [[Creationism|creationists]]' list. [[Salem hypothesis|So there]].

The [[Discovery Institute]]'s ''[[A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism]]'' had, by comparison, 12 signatories whose names would have qualified them for the Steve list per 2012.

The twelve constitute a motley crew that contains at least some non-scientists (Meyer, Cheesman), certified [[Crank|crackpots]] (Gift), and [[Inverse_stopped_clock|one single biologist]], C. Steven Murphree, who — to add insult to injury — later repudiated his involvement with the creationist movement and signed Project Steve instead.<ref>[http://stonesnbones.blogspot.ca/2012/01/another-steve-leaves-dark-side.html "Another Steve leaves the Dark Side"], ''Stones and Bones''</ref>

==See also==
*[[CMI list of scientists alive today who accept the biblical account of creation]] — the sort of thing this responds to

==External links==
*[http://ncseweb.org/taking-action/project-steve The NCSE's Project Steve page] - featuring the Steve-o-meter!
*[http://ncse.com/files/pub/action/stevesong.wma The Steve Song]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{crebox}}

[[Category:Evolution]]
[[Category:Discovery Institute]]

Categories: Evolution, Discovery Institute