Antievolutionists and the PBS "Evolution" series
This page gives links to the official web site, the antievolutionist
response sites, and other relevant web sites and commentary. The
reader is invited to explore all the information and form a
conclusion based upon more complete knowledge.
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PBS, WGBH, and Clear Blue Sky Productions "Evolution"
The official
site of the "Evolution" series has web-based explorations and
multimedia presentations related to the topics of the seven-part
series. See also the page on Evolution
at Clear Blue Sky Productions.
Buy the companion book, Carl Zimmer's 
Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea.
The
National Center for Science Education
has several resources online related to the PBS "Evolution" series.
The National Science Teachers Association is having an online
Evolution
Questions and Answers session, September 24-27, 2001.
Published Reviews
News stories related to the series
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Antievolutionist Responses to the "Evolution" Series
- The Discovery Institute's anti-"Evolution" page
- For all that the Discovery Institute likes to preach the
phrase "teach the controversy", they certainly don't put the concept
into practice. The only links to websites with opposing views are to
PBS itself and the Clear Blue Sky Productions web page. While their
"executive summary" charges the "Evolution" production with a mote of
"systematic omission", they seem to have missed the log of their own
omission of links to such websites as the National Center for Science
Education and the Talk.Origins Archive, which give specific and detailed
responses to many an antievolutionist claim. Note also that their
page linked as "Books on the Subject" lists only books written by
people associated with the Discovery Institute.
Interestingly enough, the first response website that the Discovery
Institute hosted had the bait-and-switch name of "pbsevolution.org".
That one disappeared by 2001/09/25.
- Answers
In Genesis Responds to "Evolution" Series
- Answers In Genesis, a classic "young-earth creationist"
advocacy group, obviously does not like the content of the
"Evolution" series. They plan responses to appear shortly
after each episode is aired.
- Charles Colson's Breakpoint Ministry
- Multiple essays critiquing the PBS Evolution series have
appeared on the site.
- Focus on the Family
- Mark Hartwig has an essay titled PBS's 'Evolution': More of the Same.
- WoldNetDaily
- Multiple antievolutionary critiques have appeared here.
- Concerned Women of America
- Biased PBS Series 'Evolution' Hits Airwavesand Classrooms, article by Martha Kleder.
- Human Events
- Critics Want More Facts, While Darwinists Push Their
Faith, article by Discovery Institute Senior Fellow John Corrigan
"Jonathan" Wells.
Responses to Antievolutionary Criticism of the "Evolution" Series
- 2001/10/01: Critics Wrongly Accuse PBS of Ignoring Controversy
- NCSE Press
Release: Creationists Wrong Again
- This press release discusses the Discovery
Institute's comments on the genetic code.
- Statement of Bruce Alberts,
President of the National Academy of Sciences
- Bruce Alberts disputes the Discovery Institute's characterization
of the PBS "Evolution" series.
- Discovery Institute Quotes Scientist Out of Context
- This press release documents Arizona State University
anthropologist Geoffrey Clark taking issue with the Discovery
Institute's glib misrepresentation of his views on human evolution.
When an organization can't even quote correctly, how can we trust that
they might somehow be "Getting the Facts Straight"?
- "0 for 3", The Discovery Institute Strikes Out
- Biologist Kenneth Miller explains why the Discovery Institute's
arguments are ill-founded.
- Discovery Institute "Don't know much about history",
historian James Moore responds to the Discovery Institute's claims
that the PBS "Evolution" series distorted historical facts in
furtherance of a stereotype.
- Kenneth Miller's "A 'Dying Theory'
Fails Again"
- This essay details how the canonical genetic code provides
strong support for the theory of common descent. It further
shows that the Discovery Institute engaged in their own
"systematic omission" of relevant information, as one of the
papers that the DI cited is shown to very strongly argue against
the DI stance.
- Counting Nobel Laureates?
- The Discovery Institute viewer's guide says that the integrity
of the series is jeopardized by a claim about the state of science
education in the 1950's. Get the real scoop on the aftermath of
Scopes...
Other Critical Notice
- Article on the talk.origins newsgroup by Wade Hines.
- Wade expresses his disappointment in the "Evolution" series.
- Article on the talk.origins newsgroup
by Paul Z. Myers.
- Paul extends the critical commentary begun by Wade Hines.
Relevant Links
The following links point to online resources
related to evolution and antievolution.
- The National Center for Science
Education
- The NCSE promotes good science education and is especially
interested in promoting effective education of the concepts of
evolutionary biology.
- The Talk.Origins Archive
- This website was constructed by the volunteer effort of
Brett Vickers and other regular participants of the Usenet
talk.origins newsgroup, and gives the mainstream science response
to many a antievolutionary claim. Be sure to check out the
fossil hominids
page, which is linked from many a university biology department
site.
- The
Talk.Origins Archive Links List
- An extensive and exhausting (if not exhaustive) list of links
to sites on all sides of this topic.
- Geoscience Research Institute
Recent Site Additions and News
- An extensive list of links to recent news articles, many dealing
with the PBS 'Evolution' series.
- The American Institute of Biological
Sciences
- "In 1947, the American Institute of Biological Sciences was federally chartered as a non-profit scientific organization to advance research and education in the biological sciences. Today, more than 50 years later, AIBS continues to follow its
mission statement."
"AIBS conducts a number of activities to support the
teaching of evolution in schools and to ward off efforts to
teach creationism in science classes or distort the teaching
of evolution. One of these AIBS activities is a joint project
with the National Center for Science Education
(www.natcenscied.org) to establish and maintain an email list
server for each U.S. state, for Canada, and for other select
areas.
The email list
servers allow scientists, teachers, and other interested
parties to be in touch with each other locally, nationally,
and internationally. They can facilitate support groups for
teachers trying to teach evolution in a difficult
atmosphere. They can also permit rapid communications and
grass-roots activity when school boards or legislatures are
considering policies that will promote the teaching of
anti-evolutionary ideas in science classes."
- Antievolution: The Phenomenon, Its Proponents, and Its Critics
- A critical look at the phenomenon of antievolution.
- No Answers In Genesis!
-
NAiG supports science and refutes the pseudoscience of creationists.
The site contains articles by Australian scientists (and others) that expose
the fallacies of creationism. NAiG has an extensive list of links to
material supporting biological evolution as well as links to major
creationist organizations.
- World of Richard
Dawkins
- This is a page devoted to the topic of a man whom
antievolutionists love to hate, Richard Dawkins.
- Behe's
Empty Box
- Michael Behe argues that the property of "irreducible
complexity" means that certain biochemical systems cannot
have been produced via evolution by Darwinian mechanisms.
A number of critics explain why Behe's arguments do not hold
water.
- The Anti-Evolutionists: William A. Dembski
- Theologian, mathematician, and philosopher William A. Dembski
has staked a claim as the person who can philosophically justify
the "Intelligent Design" movement. But the critics do not seem to
agree with his arguments and conclusions.
- The
Discovery Institute's Center for Renewal of Science and Culture's
"Wedge" document
- This document reads as a manifesto of the "Intelligent Design"
movement, and provides the five-year working plan that one can see
reflected in the recent history of the Discovery Institute. The
Discovery Institute site talks about PBS promoting a political agenda,
but here we see that they can plan and execute a political agenda of
their own.
- The Discovery
Institute's Center for Renewal of Science and Culture
- Seattle's own brand of antievolution is practiced by the
Fellows of the CRSC.
- Access Research Network
- This website grew out of the old "Students for Origins
Research" organization, and now features many online essays
by "Intelligent Design" antievolutionists.
- Creationism and Pseudo Science
- A page which has a variety of essays and links rebutting
antievolutionary claims.
- Icons of
Anti-Evolution
- A critical response to "Icons of Evolution" by Jonathan
Wells.
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This page by Wesley R. Elsberry