Vienna’s archbishop, cardinal Schönborn, is under heavy fire after openly refuting Darwin’s theory of evolution in a NY Times interview, claiming it’s “just one of many theories” . He’s also criticized that the theory of evolution has become a dogma which nobody is allowed to question. Which, coming from a clergyman, is so ridiculous that I still can’t believe he actually said it. I mean, who else than the Roman Catholic Church is built on a foundation of dogmas nobody should ever question? And since I’m at it, when will those critics of the theory of evolution ever realize that a theory is not a hypothesis? Here’s a quick definition for “theory”, pulled off of Princeton’s Wordnet:
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
And here’s a definition for “hypothesis”:
a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena;
Now, when criticizing the theory of evolution, people like Schönborn think they can at the same time elevate bullshit like Intelligent Design to the same level, and call it a theory as well. But ultimately, Intelligent Design is but a hypothesis, without anything of it being verified, because, well, it’s based on a fairy tale. On the other hand, there’s the theory of evolution, which is based on overwhelming scientific substance matter, thus actually qualifying as an explanation of why the heck we are who we are. Read this letter to the Kansas schoolboard for an entertaining explanation of why teaching Intelligent Design to children is so very wrong.
In the end, I’m just glad Schönborn has finally proven how deranged he really is. I wonder if he’ll ever be invited to partake in a commitee on education ever again.