Bullying with Evolution-Vol 1 No 15

The professors eyes narrowed. "Well evolution is the reality that we are going to work with if you want to be involved with this class..."

Biblical Dialog With Professors Through His Papers

COVID brought earthshaking changes to the college scene, literally removing the "scene" completely.  There is no "college scene" anymore, since we were all sent to our rooms and did not get any supper. Interactions between students became non-existent and reducing them to a 1:1 student teacher ratio. Undaunted, Mike has continued his consistent biblical dialogues with his professors through his papers, championing a Biblical worldview. He finished last semester with a hard earned 4.0.

Mike's New Class

Mike's newest class is in the Psychology Department. The overall goal of the class seems to be to establish psychology as science not humanities.  The teacher is adamant that the class be addressed as Psychological Science and the ($300) textbook is all about this theme. It is based substantially in the idea of "evolutionary science" and that "natural selection shapes behaviors as well as bodies." (Charles Darwin)

Science vs. Humanities

There has been a long standing distinction between an education founded in the sciences and those based in liberal arts, the humanities.  These are represented in the type of degree one receives, for instance, a bachelors of science (B.S.) or a Bachelors of Arts (B.A.). Each has its place, but of late, there has been a big push to move psychology and philosophy out of the realm of humanities and into the realm of science to improve its credibility and influence. Psychology is a science they now say, based in the "science" of evolution, and its tenets must be treated as fact, a distinction that true science enjoys. Not so fast.

Why not?

Science earns the distinction of being able to reasonably induce probability and deduce fact.  Through use of the scientific method we use empirical (testable and observable) evidence to support hypotheses. The most important requirement of empirical science is that any object or phenomenon we wish to study must first be observable, secondly, repeatable, and finally, it must be testable.  We have to be able to come up with an experiment to refute the hypothesis or theory if it were wrong. Philosophy and psychology simply do not lend themselves to this kind of objective, empirical analysis.  In addition, the tenets of evolution are not observable, repeatable or testable, therefore, it doesn't qualify as either scientific fact or theory. 

Bullies

Those of us willing to think along these lines are not appreciated in the college classroom to put it mildly.  Last semester in Mike's Contemporary Philosophy class the Professor said, "In this class we are going to identify the core properties of genetic evolution with the intention of providing a unified definition of evolving systems that apply unevoquivocally in the natural and social sciences.  Our definition of evolution is that which  sustains organized systems through high fidelity replication of information."

Mike raised his hand. "Are there no other systems we are going to consider besides evolution?"

"We cannot work unless we understand that evolution produces everything and that is the only reality that we are going to work with," his professor replied firmly.  

Unruffled Mike continued, “Are you saying that matter has existed forever or that it spontaneously generated?"  

"Matter has existed forever but in a different form.  There were transitions back and forth between energy and matter."

"Would you say the definition of scientific method that has been used for centuries would apply that definition?"

"What do you mean by "scientific method?"

"Scientific method is where you come up with a testable hypothesis, work it out, observe it, and it is repeatable and reproducible. You learn what’s true by seeing the same thing happen over and over as you test it the same way.  It moves from  the category of hypothesis to the category of fact."  

"No, we have to do away with those contructs." 

"Do you have to do away with them because no one was at the Big Bang to observe it?"

"That’s one reason." 

"Do you have to do away with scientific method because it demonstrates that the Big Bang is not repeatable?"

"We don't know that it won't happen again."

"So you're saying matter that has been here forever and has been acted on by chance and has been allowed billions of years to go through its processes, has produced all we see like this book, and this chair and these people?" Mike motioned to the class.

"That is the best we can do with what we know today."

"I must say this sounds more like magic than science.  I don’t have enough faith to believe in evolution."

The professors eyes narrowed. "Well evolution is the reality that we are going to work with if you want to be involved with this class," he persisted. He glared at Mike for a moment, turned away and changed the topic.

The students were quiet.  Not a word. They had been told what to think, and it was made very clear that to challenge or go against the evolutionary model was to be at odds with the authoritative  Grade-giver.  In essence, there is no openness to other points of view. You are bullied into adhering to the tenets of evolution.

Unless you're Mike Chastain.  He's not easily bullied.

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