# Religious fanatics protest science museum over human evolution exhibit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 16, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667 "2015-06-16T13:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/61 "2015-06-17T16:21:15Z")
> [@Haberdash](#): > > Yes, in the context of an enormous exhibit on human evolution, there is, among thousands of other pieces, an acknowledgement that “HUMANS EVOLVED IN RESPONSE TO A CHANGING WORLD.” This is, in fact, true, and has been a part of evolutionary theory since before you were instructed by Salon to start knowing who David Koch was. > > Is the left wing just full-on creationist now out of spite? Another vote for “Idiot”. ---
**Author:** ![Haberdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Haberdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haberdash)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/62 "2015-06-17T16:23:40Z")
The entire premise that the exhibit is about “evolution being driven by global warming” or that the content of the exhibit is dictated by David Koch is false. It was made up by ThinkProgress to justify the same sort of “destroy anything tainted by the Bad People” religious fervor that led left-wing groups to march against a hospital last year. What’s happening here is simple – fanatical left-wingers are protesting the people they’ve been told to hate, and the fact that cancer patients, kids looking to learn about evolution, or the dignity of the U.S. are collateral damage is providing no impediment. Instead of admitting the stupidity of calling for an exhibit on human evolution to be destroyed in order to spite its donor, you’re doubling down on “the exhibit says global warming is good!” even though this isn’t true. Remember when it was the _right_ wing that sent marches of Christians to demand the destruction of science museums in the name of “the Bad People might believe these things!” Remember when the left claimed to care about what was actually true, instead of repeating truthy talking points from echo-chamber websites? Those were the days. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/63 "2015-06-17T16:29:26Z")
Sorry-I already voted. ---
**Author:** ![Haberdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Haberdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haberdash)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/64 "2015-06-17T16:36:14Z")
There are many books and articles discussing the role of prehistoric climate in human evolution that the creationists in this thread may wish to consult. This is a good one: [http://www.amazon.com/Living-Dangerous-Climate-Change-Evolution/dp/1107694736](http://www.amazon.com/Living-Dangerous-Climate-Change-Evolution/dp/1107694736) . Every evolution textbook I’ve seen devotes a section to it, so pick up whatever is used to teach the subject to biology undergrads at your local university. You can also view a website produced in conjunction with the Smithsonian exhibit here: [Climate Effects on Human Evolution | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program](http://humanorigins.si.edu/research/climate-research/effects) I know that some people have decided that reputable, mainstream biologists working for the Smithsonian Institution are not credible scientists because “Interfaith Moral Action” has deemed them sinners against orthodoxy, but anyone looking to actually learn something about evolution instead of shriek creationist canards about how we should reject any science that may disturb our political values can use these links to do something that the left-wingers on this board swore off years ago, namely learn actual facts about the world. ---
**Author:** ![A\_isha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@A\_isha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_isha)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/65 "2015-06-17T16:54:15Z")
It’s good to know that **Haberdash** knows as little about Christianity, science, Greenpeace, and “the left” as he does about Islam. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/66 "2015-06-17T17:11:43Z")
> [@Haberdash](#): > > The entire premise that the exhibit is about “evolution being driven by global warming” … is false. [QUOTE=One of Haberdash’s cites from the OP] The exhibit centers on a relatively new hypothesis, based largely in speculation, that extreme climate change in the past made humans incredibly adaptable. It also claims that humans will continue to adapt to future extreme climate change, illustrating this idea with an interactive video that lets visitors create future humans that have adapted to warmer temperatures simply by growing taller or adding more sweat glands. [/QUOTE] Forgets that people can read his cites… I’m voting for ‘idiot’ as well, then. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/67 "2015-06-17T17:21:45Z")
> [@A\_isha](#): > > It’s good to know that **Haberdash** knows as little about Christianity, science, Greenpeace, and “the left” as he does about Islam. Know how there’s the phrase “Renaissance Man” for people who are experts in multiple fields? Maybe we could use the phrase “Dark Ages\* man” for people who spout off on multiple topics that they’re clueless about. (\*I know that it’s a bit unfair to the Dark Ages which weren’t a complete intellectual wasteland as depicted in pop culture. Anyone with a better metaphor, feel free to suggest it.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/68 "2015-06-17T17:40:08Z")
> [@42fish](#): > > Know how there’s the phrase “Renaissance Man” for people who are experts in multiple fields? Maybe we could use the phrase “Dark Ages\* man” for people who spout off on multiple topics that they’re clueless about. > > (\*I know that it’s a bit unfair to the Dark Ages which weren’t a complete intellectual wasteland as depicted in pop culture. Anyone with a better metaphor, feel free to suggest it.) “Black Hole Man”-Knowledge gets thrown in by the bucketloads, but nothing resembling knowledge escapes. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/69 "2015-06-17T18:40:46Z")
> [@Haberdash](#): > > What’s happening here is simple – fanatical left-wingers are protesting the people they’ve been told to hate, and the fact that cancer patients, kids looking to learn about evolution, or the dignity of the U.S. are collateral damage is providing no impediment. I also vote for you being an idiot. With reading comprehension problems besides the timeline syndrome. Read it again, evolution is not the problem, the problem is to use evolution to give the impression that AGW will not be much of a problem. There is also a big excluded middle fallacy in your argument, a change of the exhibit or a replacement with one that does not omit important items can be done, and it will be a demonstration of what they claim to be: that they are free from the ideology of the ones giving the money. (It was already pointed that the New Yorker found that some points used in the exhibit came from internal propaganda from Koch industries) ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/70 "2015-06-17T18:43:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > “Black Hole Man”-Knowledge gets thrown in by the bucketloads, but nothing resembling knowledge escapes. I think this should be a thing… if we could resurrect Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, we could even get him a theme song as an added bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/71 "2015-06-17T19:20:20Z")
I’m sure Soundgarden could use a few extra bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/72 "2015-06-17T19:26:38Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I’m sure Soundgarden could use a few extra bucks. Maybe Weird Al could do it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/73 "2015-06-17T19:39:42Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > I think this should be a thing… if we could resurrect Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, we could even get him a theme song as an added bonus. You do your science, know what the words mean I spew more drivel than any man ever seen I’m a black hole man I don’t know what five year olds understand ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/74 "2015-06-17T19:39:44Z")
> [@Haberdash](#): > > In a typical creationist tactic, these anti-science fanatics have a “[petition](http://kickkochofftheboard.com/?code=NHM)” which they claim is signed by “three dozen scientists.” Just like with all the creationist petitions, it turns out that the few identifiable scientists among the signers are not biologists, and are scientists in totally unrelated fields who happen to also have anti-evolution religious beliefs. Actually, most of them appear to be climatologists, which is appropriate considering the subject. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/75 "2015-06-17T19:47:45Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > You do your science, know what the words mean > I spew more drivel than any man ever seen > > I’m a black hole man > I don’t know what five year olds understand …and boom goes the dynamite. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/76 "2015-06-19T00:17:51Z")
> [@Haberdash](#): > > predictably ignorant attempt > strident Christian organization, > typical creationist tactic, > these anti-science fanatics > Just like with all the creationist petitions, > There is also an attempt by people with no scientific background to dispute the facts of the matter, > As usual, non-sequitur throwing, > In all, every typical creationist canard > these religious freaks Clearly, your solid science is going to convice every solid scientist that you are correct. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667/77 "2015-06-19T00:45:42Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Clearly, your solid science is going to convice every solid scientist that you are correct. If it weren’t for those pesky honking clown shoes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-fanatics-protest-science-museum-over-human-evolution-exhibit/722667.md?page=3)