Darwin and Hitler
The Expelled movie has roused evolutionists to fury because it links Darwinism with Nazism. Put this down as another reservation I have about this film. Not that there wasn't a link. It's really funny to watch the materialists tie themselves into knots trying to deny and explain away the obvious. I was just at the National Holocaust Museum's traveling exhibit titled "Nazi Medicine." One of the first pictures you see when you enter is a big picture of Darwin. One of the last things you read as you leave is about Dr. Mengele's later writings while in Brazilian exile. They concerned Darwinism. It's not a great leap to connect the stuff in between with Darwinism.
That said, I question the strategy here. No Darwinist today advocates genocide (euthanasia is a trickier question). More importantly neither of the following are true:
* Without Darwinism, the Holocaust would not have happened.
* Given Darwinism, the Holocaust was inevitable.
So what's the point? It's a variety of the genetic fallacy (the cousin of your theory undergirded Nazism!). Again, I wish a high profile vehicle for education and communication like this one would stick to more straightforward arguments in favor of design in science.
That said, I question the strategy here. No Darwinist today advocates genocide (euthanasia is a trickier question). More importantly neither of the following are true:
* Without Darwinism, the Holocaust would not have happened.
* Given Darwinism, the Holocaust was inevitable.
So what's the point? It's a variety of the genetic fallacy (the cousin of your theory undergirded Nazism!). Again, I wish a high profile vehicle for education and communication like this one would stick to more straightforward arguments in favor of design in science.
posted by Jeff Burton at
5:45 AM
5 Comments:
hmm, I'm going to have to look at my assumptions about this more carefully. I have never even heard of the movie you are referring to, but I have always just accepted - while never thinking very carefully about - the connection between Darwinism and Nazism.
Seeing your 2 statements laid out like that turns on a light for me. You are right, they are not true. And yet I still believe that the natural conclusion of survival of the fittest is a foundation of genocide. hmm...
By
Brandy Dopkins, At
April 17, 2008 8:03 AM
The first four sentences sound like you equate evolutionists and materialists.
I'm not sure how crazy peoples' (Hitler, Mengele) misinterpretation and misuse of evolution says much about the actual truth or falsehood of the theory, any more than crazy peoples' (Hitler, KKK, Fred Phelps) misinterpretation and misuse of Christianity has anything to say about whether it is actually true or false. I guess this is pretty much what you're saying.
From what I understand, the issue mentioned in this post, and the whining you mention in a previous post, make up a substantial portion of the body of the film. Together with lack of definition of terms, mischaracterization of evolution, deceptive tactics on the part of the producers, and other misinformation, I am honestly mostly not looking forward to it, especially not as something that reflects on Christians and other people that believe that God created life and it was designed by him. But I know I will see it regardless.
Brandy - !!!
By
swirlingeddy, At
April 18, 2008 6:45 AM
Ed - the term evolution is a very slippery one. It ranges from the banal ("Change happens") to the hubristic ("Unguided, random processes produce all biological complexity"). Those who tend toward the latter are materialists, and since they are the ones protesting loudest, I think it's fair to conflate them.
By
Jeff Burton, At
April 18, 2008 7:06 AM
Yep - slippery indeed. So much of it is defining terms. To me, evolution is just the scientific theory, which can't speak to whether there is supernatural guidance or not. Materialism is the philosophical worldview that science can discover and describe all of reality. Many people are both, but I get little red flags about them being confused.
By
swirlingeddy, At
April 18, 2008 10:53 AM
Ha - Hitler and Newtonism
By
swirlingeddy, At
April 19, 2008 3:18 PM
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