There’s a Gould-ish Nightmare Brewing

“It’s hard for us paleontologists, steeped as we are in a tradition of Darwinian analysis, to admit that neo-Darwinian explanations for the Cambrian explosion have failed miserably. New data acquired in recent years, instead of solving Darwin’s dilemma, have rather made it worse.”
—Dr. Mark McMenamin, paleontologist, Mt. Holyoke College

Charles DarwinCharles Darwin knew from the outset that his theory of gradual evolutionary change could and would be challenged by the inconvenient truth presented by the “Cambrian Explosion” of animal life. In fact, he was unsure if his theory would be able to stand in the light of it.

When, in the early 1970’s, Stephen Jay Gould realized that the mechanism of incremental gradual change proposed by the long-accepted paradigm of neo-Darwinian macro-evolutionism was inadequate to account for the Cambrian explosion of life forms, he posited his alternative scenario of rapid fire (ie., “punctuated”) change. He called his theory “punctuated equilibrium” (or “Punk Eek”). He knew the Punk Eek scenario must have happened because the existing fossil record and the relatively short time span involved simply demanded it. The gradualism of undirected micro-change and adaptation was inadequate and untenable and could not explain the explosive diversity evident in the Cambrian fossil record. In effect, Gould’s theory confirmed the validity of Darwin’s doubt.

When Gould’s Punk-Eek scenario was placed on the table for scrutiny and consideration in the early 1970’s, the standardized mechanism of gradual macro-evolutionary change was called into question, and the distress flag began rising up the credibility flagpole of traditional neo-Darwinian thinking.

Then later, when it was discovered and confirmed that mountains of complex, specified information had to be encoded into the molecular/genetic make-up of living animals in order for such morphological diversity to occur during the Cambrian era, the distress flag was raised higher still. After all, common sense and daily observation testifies that specified information always originates from an intelligent source. But, alas, the possibility of an intelligent, designing agent, had to be ruled out because intelligent agents in contemporary Macro-Evolutionville are not allowed to exist.

Unbiased Science simply demands it. And whatever unbiased Science says is always so.

So, where did all that specified information encoded into our genes come from? How was it installed, implanted and/or programmed? Well, we are told emphatically :

“Don’t ask.” (Ask us no questions, we’ll tell you no lies.)

Yet, despite this hard-boiled, unscientific attitude, mindless Methodolgical Naturalism, the long-accepted, undirected modus operendi of Materialist presupposition, IS now being called into question by more and more honest, truth-seeking scientists. Predictably, Darwinian High Priests of philosophical Scientism are frightened by this new scientific honesty and inquisitiveness…just as they are spooked by the possibility of having to accept the approaching reality of Intelligent Design as a scientifically viable consideration and theory. And the Pharisees of Scientism are howling.

“…based on cutting cutting-edge molecular biology…explaining the origin of animals is now not just a problem of missing fossils, but an even greater engineering problem at the molecular level…the neo-Darwinian mechanism cannot produce the genetic information needed to build new animals.”
—Dr. Russell Carlson, Prof. of biochemistry and molecular biology, University of Georgia

There’s a Gould-ish Nightmare Brewing
(For the Scientism Crowd)

Darwin’s doubt is back to haunt ‘em,
Like a phantom shadow cast.
Macro-evolution’s story …
Like a spectre fading fast.

Darwin’s witch’s brew is cooling…
It’s diluting, getting weak…
Some can sense the spell is broken,
And his Cauldron’s sprung a leak.

There’s a casket in the corner…
And a stake right through the heart.
If you listen very closely,
You might hear the rasping start.

There’s a scuff’ling on the front porch,
There’s a bumping in the night,
Chains are ratt’ling in the attic…
In the cellar there’s a fright.

It’s a Gould-ish nightmare brewing,
Quite a horror to behold!
You can hear punks out there “Eeeek-ing!”
As the Awe-ful Truth unfolds.

Yes, the Cambrian Explosion
Has been proved a ghastly tale.
They’re still falling over fossils
Never found in Burgess Shale.

Seems that Darwin’s explanation,
Has some holes too big to fill,
Yes, it’s grave and getting deeper
That’s… (for some)… a bitter pill!

Now the Trick or Treat conundrum
Is a terror for them all.
Truth is always hard to swallow,
When you’re up against a wall.

You can sense increasing panic:
“No I.D.! ….You must desist!”
In their Boo-Who paranoia…
You can see ‘em writhe ‘n’ twist.

You can see ‘em start to quiver,
Watch ‘em glare then watch ‘em shake!
Darwin’s doubt is out there stalking,
And it’s keeping them awake.

"……this Darwinian claim to explain all of evolution is a popular half-truth whose lack of explicative power is compensated for only by the religious ferocity of its rhetoric... No evidence in the vast literature of heredity changes shows unambiguous evidence that random mutation itself, even with geographical isolation of populations, leads to speciation."
—Lynn Margulis, biologist, Presidential Medal of Science winner ["Acquiring Genomes: A Theory of the Origins of the Species,"] 2003, p29