Faith in Evolution rather than in Creationism

Dear Editor,

Most of those who say they "believe" in evolution do so as an act of faith in the authority of scientific consensus. To do so on the strength of one's own knowledge and understanding of the scientific data requires a good deal of study and thought, as well as an intellegent and inquisitive mind.

In the Middle Ages many uneducated people still believed in a flat Earth, despite most educated people accepting since ancient times that it was in fact a sphere - located motionless at the centre of the universe, of course. European mariners provided more tangiable proof of the Earth's shape by sailing around it, and nowadays we can fly around it ourselves and even have photographs of it taken from space. Whether anyone will ever come up with such tangiable evidence for evolution is doubtful.

Doubt and uncertainty are part of the scientific spirit. For most of us (including scientists outside their own sphere of competence) it is, to some extent and necessarily, a question of whom we choose to put our faith in: those who claim to know truth as revealed in or suggested by holy scripture (or a pet scientific theory), or those who seek to approach it by studying nature with an open and sceptical mind, knowing that absolute truth and certainty are not for mortals to possess.

The articles that prompted the above response: "Teaching of Creationism Is Endorsed in New Survey"; "Show Me the Science".

To: letters@nytimes.com Re: Faith in Evolution rather than in Creationism Date: Wednesday 31 August 05

Dear Editor, Most of those who say they "believe" in evolution do so as an act of faith in the authority of scientific consensus. To do so on the strength of one's own knowledge and understanding of the scientific data requires a good deal of study and thought, as well as an intellegent and inquisitive mind. In the Middle Ages many uneducated people still believed in a flat Earth, despite most educated people accepting since ancient times that it was in fact a sphere - located motionless at the centre of the universe, of course. European mariners provided more tangiable proof of the Earth's shape by sailing around it, and nowadays we can fly around it ourselves and even have photographs of it taken from space. Whether anyone will ever come up with such tangiable evidence for evolution is doubtful. Doubt and uncertainty are part of the scientific spirit. For most of us (including scientists outside their own sphere of competence) it is, to some extent and necessarily, a question of whom we choose to put our faith in: those who claim to know truth as revealed in or suggested by holy scripture (or a pet scientific theory), or those who seek to approach it by studying nature with an open and sceptical mind, knowing that absolute truth and certainty are not for mortals to possess. The articles that prompted the above response: "Teaching of Creationism Is Endorsed in New Survey"; "Show Me the Science". www.spaceship-earth.org.