Letters

Attack on Darwin

Our report on the growing controversy over teaching "intelligent design"--a faith-based alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution--in public-school classrooms drew hundreds of impassioned letters from scientists, clergy, educators and students on both sides of the debate, all arguing for freedom of thought

The implications of the "Evolution Wars" over teaching intelligent design along with Darwinian theory are primarily philosophical, not scientific [Aug. 15]. To suggest that stimulating debate about evolution would hamper U.S. leadership in science and technology is ridiculous. Teaching the controversy can challenge students like me to think analytically about what we are learning.

GABE JOHNSON

Dallas Center, Iowa

The headline for the TIME forum of experts' views on the intelligent-design debate, "Can You Believe in God and Evolution?", posed a misleading question. Belief has nothing to do with acceptance of the theory of evolution or any other scientific theory; observations and data have everything to do with acceptance. Science accepts evolution as the logical conclusion of multiple lines of evidence, countless experiments and observations stretching back more than 150 years. Because beliefs cannot be validated or disproved in the world of science, they have no place in scientific debate.

FRED SPILHAUS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION

Washington

Evolutionists are trying to maintain a kind of dictatorship in our schools that allows for nothing but one theory and denies students the right to think for themselves. Evolutionists are un-American and are afraid that if intelligent design is discussed, students might take more interest in God than in science.

LEILA MCGRATH

Holtsville, N.Y.

In my medical practice, evolution is not just a theory espoused by a long-dead naturalist. I see evolution at work when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics or when cancer cells grow despite chemotherapeutic regimens. Without Darwin's theory of evolution as a framework, medical science would still be in the days of bloodletting and demons.

YEE CHANG, M.D.

Portland, Ore.

Evolution is being taught as unquestionable scientific dogma. As a high school student, I have repeatedly observed that any attempt to debate Darwin's theory is immediately shot down by the teacher and quickly followed with the accusation, direct or implied, that the student who dares to think outside the evolutionary box is an anti-intellectual idiot. That approach hampers science, for it is a field that thrives on the testing of theories and on the questioning and seeking of more accurate knowledge. How will science ever be able to progress if students are told there is only one way to think?

BRITTANY KEETON

Olathe, Kans.

The debate over Darwinian evolution vs. intelligent design is not one of science vs. religion or of two competing theories. It is a debate of science vs. nonscience. Evolution is a scientific theory supported by scientific evidence. There is no evidence for intelligent design. It is an idea, not a theory. It cannot even be called a hypothesis since it is untestable. As such, intelligent design is better taught in a theology or social-studies class than in a science class.

ERIC M. SANDBERG

Atlanta

Intelligent design is just another chapter in the "God of the gaps" saga--if we do not yet fully understand a natural process, then it must be God's work. The church and religious fundamentalists have been at war with science for centuries. They have lost every battle along the way, and they are certain to lose the fight challenging evolution because they cannot stop the accumulation of knowledge or the search for truth.

JON PETERSON

Albuquerque, N.M.

It's often tempting to refuse to debate an opponent on the grounds that debate suggests parity. But in the free marketplace of ideas, you have to take on all comers--the good, the bad and the ugly. If you cannot believe that the truth will win out in a fair competition for support by regular, well-educated folk, then you are no scientist.

TOM HARTMAN

Richmond, Va.

Those who promote the theory of intelligent design should take a close look at the sad state of the earth.

HENRY MANGER

Midlothian, Va.

Numerous scientific theories are still being tested and refined by applying them and seeing how they hold up under any newly discovered evidence. Theories are not facts. Theories are attempts to understand and explain, in a consistent and coherent way, what happens. The theory of evolution bears the same relation to the fossil record of life on earth as the theory of gravity does to jumping off a roof. If you have what you think is a better theory, feel free to submit it to the tests of observation and experiment. Just be sure your theory is testable.

MARTIN FULLER

Albuquerque, N.M.

As an evangelical Christian, I reject intelligent design because it is not science but bad theology. Within science, it is no crime to admit that we don't have all the answers. Within theology, however, it is a crime to use God as an excuse for our ignorance. If we don't understand how something came about in nature, then we ought to use the brains that God gave us to think about and work on the problem. Otherwise we turn God into a magic word to use whenever we can't figure things out.

DAVID P. GRAF

Chicago

No person of faith should be threatened by science, nor should science be subverted to serve one particular religious belief. Let's keep science free of the religious and political battles that have raged for centuries and allow those of faith to decide on their own how to interpret what science reveals.

BEVERLY FRIEDENBERG

Huntington Woods, Mich.

Another Soldier's Story

As a recent Iraq-war veteran and soon-to-be-deployed-again soldier, I was appalled that you interviewed former soldier Jessica Lynch [Aug. 15], who was rescued after being held by Iraqis in 2003. Lynch said she has been used as a symbol. But if anyone is using anything, it is Lynch who is using the uniform and the memories of the dead and injured men and women of our military to further her life and career. Lynch has been given everything on a silver platter. Why not do a story on the real heroes who fired back when they were attacked, did their jobs and came home to nothing? What about the families who have seen their loved ones depart for a second tour of Iraq or Afghanistan in less than two years? That would be a best seller--the story of the sacrifices of the families of fallen and injured soldiers.

PAUL D. WELLER

Fort Lewis, Wash.

As the War Grinds On

The subhead of your report on the "ever more brutal" Iraq war stated, "Here's why American soldiers keep dying" [Aug. 15]. U.S. troops are dying for the same reason that so many were killed in Vietnam: they are where they have no reason to be. After the U.S. left Vietnam to the North Vietnamese, what happened? Is Vietnam in dire straits today without America to back it? No, it's expanding economically. Leave Iraq to the Iraqis, and get out.

ARUNACHALAM ASHOKAN

Quilon, India

As a former French paratrooper and commando during the Algerian war, I was surprised by the way U.S. forces respond to attacks by Iraqi insurgents and tactical errors U.S. soldiers are making. The lone soldier on patrol in the photo captioned "Carrying On" should have been taught that when patrolling in a hostile environment, you hold your gun with both arms at the ready, since seconds count. And you don't look at the ground; you keep your eyes level and pivot right and left to search for movement. I fear that the allied forces are not really prepared for this type of war.

JEAN-PIERRE GUMPRICH

Retournac, France

Condi Under Pressure

"The Condi Doctrine" compared U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with George Marshall, the U.S. Secretary of State responsible for the Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild Europe in the aftermath of World War II [Aug. 15]. To compare Rice with Marshall is like comparing a bad apple with a good one. The Marshall Plan helped restore Europe after a devastating war by relieving, as Marshall put it, "hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos." The Condi (and Bush) doctrine attempts to restore Iraq by forcing democracy down Iraqis' throats, using coercion and military occupation. Notwithstanding Rice's and the Administration's claim that the insurgency is coming under control, the body count keeps rising daily, with no end in sight for the quagmire in Iraq.

RALPH KRESS

La Mesa, Calif.

Rice seems to disregard the terrible, increasing death toll in Iraq and believe that the U.S. is actually winning. That kind of thinking reminds me of the surgeon who announces, "The operation was a success, but the patient died." I suppose Rice will declare total victory when Iraq has become the world's largest graveyard.

RONALD RUBIN

Topanga, Calif.

Investor Alert

Your article about hyperactive stock-market analyst Jim Cramer and his TV show is a sad commentary on the lack of investor savvy in this country [Aug. 15]. People who follow his advice could lose their shirts. Investors would be wise to avoid that kind of infotainment show. If you want entertainment, take in a movie. Instead of trying to outguess other stock pickers, with or without the help of self-styled gurus like Cramer, investors should learn the basics by going online or reading books on financial strategies. Subjecting oneself to the investment hype used to boost network ratings is not part of being a successful investor. When it comes to the likes of Cramer, it's caveat emptor.

GEORGE VRHEL

Sterling, Ill.