What bothers me about this NY Times article on evolution

[edhopper]

I find it extremely disturbing that in the NY Times article on this new molecular discovery that further shows the truth of evolution;

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/07/science/07evolve.html?_r=1&oref=login

that they find it necessary to get a quote from Dr. Michael Behe.

"Dr. Thornton said the experiment refutes the notion of "irreducible complexity" put forward by Michael J. Behe, a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University.

Dr. Behe, a main advocate of intelligent design, the theory that life is so complicated that the best explanation is that it was designed by an intelligent being, has compared an irreducibly complex system to a mousetrap. Take away any piece, and the mousetrap fails to catch mice. Such all-or-none systems could not have arisen with incremental changes, Dr. Behe has argued."


To me this is the same as printing an article about the a new measurement of the earth's shape and getting a quote from a Flat-earther for balance.
Pseudoscience is not science and does not belong in a science article.

[bowens43]

1. Behe is a leading proponent of ID

and IC is all that he had to base his 'theory' on. This is just another nail in the coffin of he Trojan horse the creationists were trying to use to get creationism into science class. I don't think that this was done for balance, I think it was done to highlight the fact that ID is not science.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. I agree with the OP

The phrase "intelligent design, the theory" implies that Behe is putting forward a scientific theory, one based on evidence that can be validated or refuted, rather than a philosophical theory. In doing so the author equates religious philosophy to science and treats both equally.

[lolly]

3. Yes, they need to rephrase it

It should read

"Intelligent design, the attempt by anti-science religious radicals to offer an alternative to evolution . . ."

[DanCa]

4. More like Intelligent Design the fundie trojan horse

that will be the stepping stone to get pro life dogma into our schools.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. He says..

"Dr. Behe has argued" and to me that just describes his point of view; it doesn't agree with it. On an issue like this a news outlet should cover anything that is likely to become controversial. And before folks jump in and say it isn't science, I know that. The NY Times is not a science periodical. They cover news, and with half the country believing ID, this man's opinion is newsworthy.

[lolly]

6. If you call a tail a leg . . .

How many legs does a horse have?

Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it one.

Calling a deceptive religious fantasy a "theory" doesn't make it one.

There are specific scientific criteria for a "theory" (as opposed to say, a "hypothesis" or "fact."

"Intelligent design," however much 1/2 the American populace wants to believe it, is not a "theory," and calling it one misleads the readers of the article.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

7. I think your knee might be jerking here.

I am not trying to defend ID but the fact that half the population believes in it makes it newsworthy. I don't believe that the New York Times has to use the scientific meaning of the word, but the more common usage by non-scientists. Because most of us are not scientists. As much as we might want to deny that half the population believes in ID, it is, according to polls I've read, a fact. And therefore this man's comments should be reported. The NYT is not a scientific journal and not obligated to put its news through that level of rigor.

*****
the·o·ry Audio pronunciation of "theory" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (th-r, thîr)
n. pl. the·o·ries

1. A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
2. The branch of a science or art consisting of its explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis, as opposed to practice: a fine musician who had never studied theory.
3. A set of theorems that constitute a systematic view of a branch of mathematics.
4. Abstract reasoning; speculation: a decision based on experience rather than theory.
5. A belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgment: staked out the house on the theory that criminals usually return to the scene of the crime.
6. An assumption based on limited information or knowledge; a conjecture.
*****

I think 5 and 6 would work.

[edhopper]

8. No, the NYT is not a Science publication,

but it does have an obligation to report the facts. This was a "science" article reporting a new discovery in evolution biology. NOT a political article about the "controversy". I.D. had no place in this article.
Here is a question, if they were reporting on a discovery that placed the origin of the earth back half a billion years, should the include a quote by those who think the earth is less that ten thousand? Because, you know, lots of Americans believe that.

And to make this more current, should they still quote people who think Saddam was involved in 9/11?

[roseBudd]

9. Every example they use as something that obviously needs a creator

requires the production of a metal. The watch and the mousetrap. Perhaps the stone age was too long ago for creationists.


Also these examples of something created by a creator, are not living organisms that reproduce. My mom and dad did not need a designer to produce me, they didn't even need intent. Estrus (think dogs and cats in heat) human sexuality in which the female is always available is proof of evolution. If god in his non marital non procraetional sex hating ways had designed sex, it would only happen for procreation and humans would have estrus.

[yellowcanine]

10. The Behe quote was needed to provide context. The article does

not present Behe or his ideas in a favorable light so I don't see the problem. The writer would have been sloppy not to have included the Behe quote when reporting on research that refutes Behe's ideas. It is not the same as getting a quote for "balance".