It made me very happy at the end of Episodes 2 to 5 of the new BBC series ‘Evolution’ when the words “The Evidence” appeared as a title on the screen. As a scientist, this is what I had been waiting for. These sections obviously contain some of the strongest scientific content of the series. They show several scientists, mainly talking about transitional fossils. Despite this, there is still a tendency to assume, rather than defend, evolution. The fossils tend to be presented as filling in details of an evolutionary story that we know must have happened, rather than explicitly as evidence for evolution per se. The emphasis is overwhelmingly on pattern rather than process. It does not seem to have crossed the mind of the BBC team that some viewers might have their doubts about the validity of evolution as a complete explanation for how we got here, and might want evidence for that, rather than evidence for one particular pathway over another.
(more…)Category: Science
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Post 4: A critical review of BBC ‘Evolution’ with Chris Packham – LUCA (2)
In my previous post I sought to evaluate the scientific accuracy of the section about LUCA and the origin of life in the first episode of the new BBC series on Evolution. In this post I want to consider the how well the coverage of this topic serves the diverse audience of the BBC. I will argue that Chris Packham does not seem to: (1) engage with arguments that people who disagree with him might make, or (2) consider how different views about God could lead people to draw different conclusions from the evidence he presents.
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Post 3: A critical review of BBC ‘Evolution’ with Chris Packham – LUCA
In my previous blog, I argued that the new BBC Evolution series lets down its audience by presenting a simple dichotomy between God and evolution. The presenter, Chris Packham, makes statements of atheistic presuppositions as if they were the findings of modern science. I argued that the series becomes incoherent as he finds himself ascribing purpose and agency to a process that he also describes as “blind”.
Now I will examine in detail the descriptions and explanations of the origin of life and LUCA (“last universal common ancestor”) in Episode 1 of the series. As introduced in my first post, I will be asking: (1) How scientifically accurate is it? and (2) How well does it fulfil the public service obligations of the BBC? This post will address the first question.
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Post 2: A critical review of BBC ‘Evolution’ with Chris Packham – Atheism
As introduced in my previous post, I am reviewing the new BBC ‘Evolution’ series, focusing mainly on: (1) its scientific accuracy, and (2) how well it fulfils the public service obligations of the BBC.
As I watched the series, I was disappointed that Chris Packham’s opening words make clear that his aim goes far beyond simply conveying the current state of the scientific field of evolutionary biology. He immediately reaches beyond that, into the realm of philosophy and even theology.
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Post 1: A critical review of BBC ‘Evolution’ with Chris Packham – Introduction
‘Evolution’ is a new BBC Television series that is likely to influence the beliefs of millions of people around the world. It is presented by the British wildlife broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham, filmed in seas, deserts and forests. Production values are high, and include 79 minutes of photoreal CGI, imagining what 20 different extinct creatures looked like. It started to air in Britain last week and will be shown globally; for example in the USA as a NOVA series on PBS.
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