Israeli Scientist Doubts Evolution

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/the_don_mcleroy_of_israel.php

“Gavriel Avital, the chief scientist in the education ministry, has made a few statements that show he is a lunatic.

"If textbooks state explicitly that human beings' origins are to be found with monkeys, I would want students to pursue and grapple with other opinions. There are many people who don't believe the evolutionary account is correct," Avital said yesterday.

"There are those for whom evolution is a religion and are unwilling to hear about anything else. Part of my responsibility, in light of my position with the Education Ministry, is to examine textbooks and curricula," he said. "If they keep writing in textbooks that the Earth is growing warmer because of carbon dioxide emissions, I'll insist that isn't the case."

Avital, as Myers is quick to point out, has no right to be the chief scientist in the Education Ministry. Yes, there are people who do not believe that evolution is correct, they choose to ignore the scientific evidence that shows it is capable of taking place without the guidance of a god. Science education though, is about teaching theories that have been peer reviewed and accepted among the general science population. Science is not about teaching “opinions”.
Religion, as defined by dictionary.com is

“A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.”

Religious opinions about how we came to be are based on “devotional and ritual observances” unlike science and evolution which is based upon testing and empirical evidence. Furthermore, evolution cannot be a religion because it contains no moral code, it is not a guideline on how to conduct human affairs. Its’ purpose is to explain certain functions of nature. To say that there are those who “are unwilling to hear about anything else” is misguiding. The reason that scientists oppose “other opinions” is because they have not been proven by science. However, the nature of science permits the presentation of new ideas as long as there is evidence to support the idea. A scientist will not dismiss a theory that says evolution is wrong, provided that theory has proof behind it.

At the end of the quote Avital implies that he is a climate sceptic. Why do the two stances of creationist and climate sceptic go hand-in-hand? There’s an unfortunate desire to fight against science and reason.

“"Today I am pleased that more and more scientists engaged in pure science, rather than being employed in the name of an ideology, are reaching the conclusion that the world must have a master. Nothing is given to chance," he said. "These are my opinions and I won't deny them just because I was appointed to an Education Ministry position." (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?itemNo=1151223).

What exactly is this “pure science?” Well according to dictionary.com it’s,

“Systematic observation of natural phenomena solely for the discovery of unknown laws relating to facts; the study of science alone, not including its relations to other subjects”

So “pure science” is the study of science alone, not including its relations to other subjects. Avital is right to say that it means science is not being employed in the name of an ideology but, that also means that “pure science” should not be influenced by religious ideas. Has Avital studied evolution? Did he start from the premise that anything is possible i.e. evolution occurred naturally or by the hand of God? Did he then examine research and evidence to come to a conclusion? No, it’s likely Avital worked the other way starting with the idea of God then taking evidence to fill in the gaps with God.