Post details: Learning from the Azoic Hypothesis

12/01/06

Permalinkby 11:31:15 am, Categories: Literature - Articles, 297 words   English (UK)

Learning from the Azoic Hypothesis

The ID debate requires us to address numerous issues relating to the philosophy of science and the nature of the scientific method. Here is an informative case study showing the way a predominant paradigm (referred to as “deep-seated beliefs”) inhibited progress for 25 years. There were a few mavericks around at the time swimming against the tide, but they were cold-shouldered and ignored. The key point to note concerns “the reluctance of many contemporary scientists to accept contradictory evidence”. This episode in science’s past has many similarities with neo-Darwinism today. Despite the publication of “Icons of Evolution” (documenting how the research findings compare with textbook presentations of evolution), the real evidence against neo-Darwinism is received by its supporters like water on a duck’s back.

Deserts on the sea floor: Edward Forbes and his azoic hypothesis for a lifeless deep ocean
Thomas R. Anderson and Tony Rice
Endeavour, Volume 30, Issue 4 , December 2006, Pages 131-137

Abstract: While dredging in the Ægean Sea during the mid-19th century, Manxman Edward Forbes noticed that plants and animals became progressively more impoverished the greater the depth they were from the surface of the water. By extrapolation Forbes proposed his now infamous azoic hypothesis, namely that life would be extinguished altogether in the murky depths of the deep ocean. The whole idea seemed so entirely logical given the enormous pressure, cold and eternal darkness of this apparently uninhabitable environment. Yet we now know that the sea floor is teeming with life. Curiously, it took 25 years for the azoic hypothesis to fall from grace. This was despite the presence of ample contrary evidence, including starfishes, worms and other organisms that seemingly originated from the deep seabed. This is a tale of scientists ignoring observations that ran counter to their deep-seated, yet entirely erroneous, beliefs.

Permalink

Literature

May 2008
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
<<  <   >  >>
      1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31  

Search

Linkblog

Links - Groups and Organizations

Links - Of General Interest

  • A Brief View of Time and Those That Live There

    Don Cicchetti blogs on: Culture, Music, Faith, Intelligent Design, Guitar, Audio

    Permalink
  • A Quick Guide to Sequenced Genomes Permalink
  • ARN Related Web Links Permalink
  • Creation/Evolution Quotes

    Australian biologist Stephen E. Jones maintains one of the best origins "quote" databases around. He is meticulous about accuracy and working from original sources.

    Permalink
  • CreationEvolutionDesign

    Most guys going through midlife crisis buy a convertible. Austrialian Stephen E. Jones went back to college to get a biology degree and is now a proponent of ID and common ancestry.

    Permalink
  • Darwinian Fairytales by David Stove

    Complete zipped downloadable pdf copy of David Stove's devastating, and yet hard-to-find, critique of neo-Darwinism entitled "Darwinian Fairytales"

    Permalink
  • ID The Future

    Intelligent Design The Future is a multiple contributor weblog whose participants include the nation's leading design scientists and theorists: biochemist Michael Behe, mathematician William Dembski, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, philosophers of science Stephen Meyer, and Jay Richards, philosopher of biology Paul Nelson, molecular biologist Jonathan Wells, and science writer Jonathan Witt. Posts will focus primarily on the intellectual issues at stake in the debate over intelligent design, rather than its implications for education or public policy.

    Permalink
  • John Mark Reynolds Blog

    A Philosopher's Journey: Political and cultural reflections of John Mark N. Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds is Director of the Torrey Honors Institute at
    Biola University.

    Permalink
  • NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Permalink

Misc

Syndicate this blog XML

What is RSS?

powered by
b2evolution