One of the things I was reminded of recently, in some reading I’m doing, is the the debate between Intelligent Design and Evolution goes back at least to ancient Greece and the Stoics and the Epicureans. The Stoics held to a kind of divine providence and a designer in creation. Some would argue later medieval theologians carried this idea further into their theology of natural law. The Epicureans, on the other hand, held that there was a creatrix (read “Mother Nature,” the Epicureans’ ”divine power”) which brought about life and diversity through nature’s laws and natural selection. Darwin even hints at his dependence on this viewpoint in his On the Origin of the Species by speaking of the power of natural selection in the world of nature being greater than the power of man in artificial selection .
The debate is a philosophical and theological one, not a scientific one, and will continue until the end of time. Modern popularizers of evolution seem to have forgotten or ignore this when they speak of the “fact of science” versus ”faith in the Bible.”
Modern science is ever changing, and every principle is subject to review and revision. It used to be if you lived by the scientific method, you could expect to die by the scientific method. But it has become exceedingly difficult for scientists to keep a respectful distance from philosophical, political and economical dogma and policy. The pure scientific method is no such thing any longer.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
Here’s a bit from my Arkansas travels this week. I enjoyed crossing the Peel Ferry on Bull Shoals reservoir Friday. This is wonderful Ozark country, and the drive north on Hwy 125 from Peel, Arkansas to Protem, Missouri makes for a great outing in the early morning or late afternoon. The ferry is the last remaining in Arkansas. Here are a few photos and an interview with the ferry captain and some of the locals on board.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
I enjoyed watching the ShowMe T’s at War Eagle Mill Friday. They were in the area for a few days and one of their stops was at the mill. Here’s a photo gallery and a video. Hope you enjoy.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
AccuWeather’s Tropical Expert Joe Bastardi was on the O’Reilly Factor last night in a face off with Bill Nye the Science Guy. Nye kept trying to confront Bastardi with charts challenging his data, and Bastardi answered with more charts! Pretty funny. Nye looked uncomfortable.
Bastardi made news last fall after appearing on the O’Reilly Factor to discuss climate change after Greenpeace backed out of an appearance on the TV show. The following day Bastardi posted a video blog showing a surfaced U.S. submarine at the North Pole in March of 1959 sitting in thawed ocean water and the crew on the deck of the sub. This caused an uproar and the opportunity to reappear on the O’Reilly factor with Nye.
Here’s Bastardi’s v-blog post from last September (shows the sub) and his appearance with Bill Nye on the O’Reilly Factor last night. There is also this article which lists some of the other Bastardi videos and info on climate change.
I for one love Bastardi’s challenge and trying to keep the debate going. The global warming theorists are showing a heavy hand in trying to suppress debate. I attended a class recently where a respected anthropology professor called those who don’t accept the theory, “Nuts.” He also praised Al Gore for popularizing the debate. This after he said he had “no political agenda.” Come on!
© 2010, Scott Branyan
Go ahead and speak out of both sides of your mouth, Sir David. Attenborough is the knight for truth in this interview snippet, “Attenborough on Darwin.” Attenborough blames the Bible account of creation as being responsible for the “devastation of vast areas of the land surface.” He admits, however, ”this is a gross oversimplification.” In the video, Attenborough talks about his affinity for Darwin’s thesis since his early childhood and student days at Cambridge. I’m certainly glad HE doesn’t have any blinders on!
Well read students of geography know that the development of the western interpretation of nature and culture, if one can speak of it as a homogeneous whole, had many influences, not the least of which was Judeo-Christian theology. Man has shown a natural inclination to want to understand an order and purpose for a world which appears to have come out of chaos and indeterminateness. Man believes in progress. It stares him in the face. Attenborough’s view of progress hinges on his faith in science—the modern notion of progress—the thing which gives meaning to his understanding of the world. To blame environmental destruction upon a belief in the Bible’s account of creation, however, is a pretence. Sham on you, Sir David.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
Much of this weekend, I’ve spent learning about Arkansas trees. I attended a class by Al Einert, professor emeritus of horticulture at the U of A, on “Folklore of Ozark Trees and Plants.”
One of the things I learned was the variety of suggestions as to how the dogwood tree got its name. One I’ve never heard is that the wood is used in clocks where the “keep” is called the “dog.” Also, one of the first trees to bloom in the spring is the serviceberry tree. This tree is know by numerous names in different regions of the country, e.g. “Shadblow” in New England, and “Juneberry” in Iowa.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission is working on yet another revision of Dwight Moore’s, Trees of Arkansas. This one supposedly will have photos.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
I am studying geology this weekend and am finally starting to get a grasp on the formation stages of rivers in the Ozarks. Over the various periods of formation of the Ozarks, the early river courses changed. The rivers across northern Arkansas probably all had a north to south drainage, but changes in elevation and erosion rates in the plateaus altered some to drain in nearly all points of the compass. Thus, we have a few rivers that nearly circumnavigate.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
I’m on Facebook now. You can visit my Ozark Fly Flinger page or my personal page where you can send me a friend request.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
I’m participating in the Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalist program this spring. The classes are a great continuing education opportunity and are proving valuable to my book research. The program also involves volunteer hours in the community. I am looking forward to doing some presentations, working on trails and learning more about the natural area around Hobbes State Park and the upper White River. If things go smoothly, I’ll be a Master Naturalist in May.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
My second entry in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture was published in December on Beaver Dam and Lake. An article on Norfork Dam and Lake is undergoing edit currently. I plan to have one more entry published after that one as well.
© 2010, Scott Branyan
