A ridiculous argument, but one, admittedly, used by myself when I was a young believer: "if we evolved from monkeys, then why are there still monkeys?" I remember the feeling of having a piece of information that seemed to slip by my teachers, and that I was happy to have it, but even happier to share it with them. And dumbfounded when they would disagree.
To recognize a ridiculous argument, one should prepare by learning what some of them are, but more importantly, how to spot them. An excellent resource I have leaned on in the past, and would strongly recommend to people who haven't already, is watch the YouTube video by QualiaSoup entitled, "The Burden Of Proof." I've added the movie below. Take a moment to watch it if you wish to see some examples of what I'm talking about in regards to logical fallacies.
There was one particular event in my life that I can recall when I did my "good son" duty, and informed my mother of the grade five lesson of the day that involved a look at Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Keep in mind my mother is a devout evangelical christian, so her response was that of a mother whose child was perhaps denied medical treatment for a broken arm. She called the school immediately, and sat with me in the principal's office, visibly upset, and arguing against the merits of evolution, seeming the intellectual superior in the discussion. It was here that I first heard the monkey question gem. It made complete sense to a 10-year-old. How could we possibly come from monkeys if I see them at the zoo? Wouldn't they be humans too? It seemed ridiculous to me at the time that something, that was against such simple logic, would be taught to students in school. So lucky for me, and my education, that I had a mother to fight tooth and nail to protect her child. Right? No?
While, alone, my mother's logic (borrowed as I now know it to be), was seemingly unassailable, if I had the curiosity and drive to, I could have easily asked my teacher what he was talking about, read about the subject - researched! But I was content with my witty argument against the notion that my species' history somehow shared the daily activities of a monkey.
When I reached high school, I had a history teacher who was teaching us about Charles Darwin, and his brilliant theory. This, again, was divulged to my mother. Her reaction this time was much more calm, and reserved. Instead of lighting the torch and sharpening the pitchfork, she bought me some (christian) literature focused on the 'evolution vs. creation' debate, with a somewhat lengthy section on Darwin. It was through this booklet that I placed into my 'quiver of refutes' another of the famous and failed arguments. By now, I hope, most of us have heard the common argument that Charles Darwin recanted his position on natural selection on his death-bed, and the quote mine with the human eye used as an example and that evolution by natural selection would be, "absurd in the highest degree." The proverbial 'head-shot.' Or so I thought.
Again, had I dared to actually examine the claims made by my mother, and the source she provided me with, I would have discovered the fallacy of the argument she would have had me arm myself with. I, instead, took it at face value and marveled at the rest of the world's level of stupidity at rejecting the evidence right in front of them. We didn't evolve from monkeys; we share a common ancestor with the great apes, and our evolution was a slow, gradual process. The Charles Darwin deathbed confession needs to find a deathbed of its own.
I had a relatively recent experience I would like to share that highlights another ridiculous argument some of you may be familiar with, or have had to endure yourselves. I was invited to my sister's house for Easter this year, and when I arrived, there were tablecloths hanging from the ceiling in the dining room. My first hunch was that the kids were involved, and I said, "oh cool, who's playing fort? I'm in!" She told me it was part of the Jewish Sadr (?) tradition that we would be observing this year. Our family is not Jewish. This was odd, I thought to myself. Their kids all gathered around to hear about the meaning of the traditions and rituals they were being introduced to. For example, the bits of horseradish they ate to represent the bitterness of slavery, or binding my niece's feet, and placing her under the table behind chairs to represent the death and burial of Jesus. This, of course, the kids loved, because they got to do the binding of her feet. The kind of fun that is rarely accompanied by parental consent.
After dinner, I had questions, as any rational person might. Why the ritual, why now, what does it really mean, etc. During the conversation, my oldest brother (an intellectual hero of mine) caught something I had said to my sister in response to one of her questions (I unfortunately do not recall the question, or my answer) that betrayed my position on the subject of evolution. If you haven't guessed by now, we don't believe in evolution in my family! So he stopped the conversation to ask me directly about my position on evolution. My immediate reaction betrayed me, so I told the truth, and said that I subscribe to the theory of evolution.
I was alone, debating and defending, against four of my siblings, the theory of evolution. I answered their arguments of,"you can't believe in God and in evolution," with, "tell that to the Pope," or "the Bible is very clearly against evolution," with, "don't you think it's arrogant to say your understanding of the bible is greater than the Catholic church?" But, the silliest argument came in the form of, "if it's a fact, why is it still called a theory?" This is the argument I spoke of. The use of such an argument is either ignorant, or dishonest, and I'll explain why.
Let's consult a dictionary for help on this matter. A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Not to be confused with the common use of the word theory which would be a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation. Much of what we know about the universe and reality is under the umbrella of a theory; theory of gravity; germ theory; theory of relativity, etc. Should we also stop teaching these in our schools? Now that would be ridiculous. What needs to change is the understanding of what a scientific theory means.
**UPDATE: I've removed a quote picture that appeared here because I recently found out that it was falsely attributed to Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I bring attention to it because I value honesty.
If something fits your world view (as these ridiculous arguments might be described as doing for fundamentalist Christians), don't take it for granted, and accept it outright. That would be intellectually lazy. Research what you hear, or read, or any other pathway information comes to you. Question everything (within reason - your sister telling you she ate a tuna sandwich is unlikely to be of any consequence, and doesn't require substantiation). Can the subject matter be demonstrated? More importantly, if you investigate something that highlights a disconnect with your current position on a subject, be bold and wise enough to change your position accordingly, and to do so again in the future if other evidence is discovered.
Obviously my tune has since changed, and I have adopted the practice of being a skeptic, and questioning everything. Sitting here, I simply cannot pinpoint the exact time or moment things changed for me in that regard. Realistically, I would have to say that it was a slow process. Years, maybe. But however I got here (or how any of us got here), the point is I am here. Not because I have traded in one movement to blindly follow for another; that's absurd. I'm here because I have opened my mind to the beauty and, in my opinion, necessity of critical thinking.
It is my sincere hope that the days of the ridiculous arguments that are thrown about so casually will soon come to an end. Our generation has the most powerful information distribution apparatus at our disposal; the internet! Use YouTube to search for informed discussions or debates by people who are not only educated and leaders in their respective fields, but who are actively shining the light on the archaic and misinformed (and dishonest, really) arguments that hold up progress in letting the correct information permeate society.
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