Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children

Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. According to Bill Nye, aka "the science guy," if grownups want to "deny evolution and live in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them."

-- Transcript:
Denial of evolution is unique to the United States. I mean, we're the world's most advanced technological—I mean, you could say Japan—but generally, the United States is where most of the innovations still happens. People still move to the United States. And that's largely because of the intellectual capital we have, the general understanding of science. When you have a portion of the population that doesn't believe in that, it holds everybody back, really.

Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's like, it's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates. You're just not going to get the right answer. Your whole world is just going to be a mystery instead of an exciting place.

As my old professor, Carl Sagan, said, "When you're in love you want to tell the world." So, once in a while I get people that really—or that claim—they don't believe in evolution. And my response generally is "Well, why not? Really, why not?" Your world just becomes fantastically complicated when you don't believe in evolution. I mean, here are these ancient dinosaur bones or fossils, here is radioactivity, here are distant stars that are just like our star but they're at a different point in their lifecycle. The idea of deep time, of this billions of years, explains so much of the world around us. If you try to ignore that, your world view just becomes crazy, just untenable, itself inconsistent.

And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need people that can—we need engineers that can build stuff, solve problems.

It's just really hard a thing, it's really a hard thing. You know, in another couple of centuries that world view, I'm sure, will be, it just won't exist. There's no evidence for it.

Directed / Produced by
Jonathan Fowler and Elizabeth Rodd

• Category

  Science & Technology

[XiAlleniXHi]

How about we put it like this. "If" a god exists, IF, he doesn't give a FUCK about us. Praying is not going to do shit, it's not going to cure cancer, it's not going to help you win you're football game, it's not going to send you to heaven. This guy "if" he was real, made over 125 BILLION GALAXIES, over 10 SEXTILLION STARS. This guy "if" he was real has much more important business keeping the fucking universe in check then helping you win your stupid ass football game. Have a good fucking day.

[XGralgrathor]

"How did these plants exist without the bees"

You're not thinking. Pollination does not even require insects; just wind carrying seeds and pollen is enough. Insects just improve the process, from the point of view of the plant. Likewise, insects don't need to depend on a single type of plant; they will have started out depending on a variety of sources, and gradually adapted to depending on a single type of plant.

[TheFallibleFiend]

Oh, the irony.

[matchlockfun]

I wonder if your god is as careless with his biological molecules as he is with his sand grains?

To be sure, the god you've constructed for your universe doesn't sound much more qualified to build things than Luigi next door.

[matchlockfun]

Shouldn't you put aside your partisan opinions on who deserves your valuable teachings, and correct your new buddy 65383737 on his rejection of a finely-tuned lake in a finely-tuned universe?

[matchlockfun]

Or, alternatively, there is no sleight of hand involved, just a reluctance of the audience to abandon their teleological assertions.

If they want to claim their merciless magician exists, they might do better than simply assert it does.

[Alan Clarke]

[Re: sand dunes vs. specified complexity]

The difference between matchlockfun and Harry Houdini is this: one doesn't understand his own sleight of hand.

[syndicateofsownd]

Bill Nye is BOSS. Thanks for inspiring the future of mankind. How many of us can say we inspired others to be great at anything? Help others to be great!