Mar
8
Cancel Culture Targets ID in Poland
Have you ever heard of Fundacja En Arche (i.e., the Origins Foundation) in Poland? They are much like a young Discovery Institute, in that they deal with Darwinism, intelligent design, and the relevant scientific and philosophical issues. A lot of what they do is translate ID-friendly books (e.g., Darwin on Trial, Darwin’s Black Box, Signature in the Cell) into Polish. So, when they recently completed the Polish edition of Jonathan Wells’ Icons of Evolution, they arranged to celebrate by flying Wells over for a conference.
The contract was signed to rent a room at the University of Warsaw. It was an invitation-only event; no publicity. So, it should have been a quiet affair. But, one of the translators made an unauthorized mention of it online, and the Darwinists pitched a fit. As Wells tells it,
“[They] contacted some professors at the University of Warsaw, who immediately launched the usual campaign to intimidate the school’s administrators. Despite the rental contract, within a day the university cancelled the event. When the En Arche people asked the university for an explanation, the administrators did not reply.”
Fortunately, Fundacja En Arche was able to book a large room at a nearby hotel. Roughly 160 people were able to see/hear/meet and ask questions of Wells and three other scholars — PhD’s in biology, physics, and philosophy.
The next day, Wells was informed that:
“Darwinism permeates universities and education so much that it is used outside of science to talk about morals and behavior. One person (a student) talked about a professor who gave advice about marriage and relationships based on Darwinism (namely, you shouldn’t commit to a long term relationship; just keep searching for better partners). Several mentioned the connections between Darwinism, Marxism, slavery, and eugenics.”
Sound familiar?
“They were surprised to learn that a theory can rely on so many misconceptions and misinformation (e.g., the icons of evolution) and still be widely accepted. Several were shocked to hear about the persecution of critics, and they appreciated learning how Discovery Institute works to help young scientists.”
This is not unusual, and Wells briefly describes similar instances of the Darwinist “cancel culture” in Finland, Portugal, and (of course) the United States. Shameful behavior, if you ask me.
The thinking behind “cancel culture” is oppressive and dictatorial. It is anti-free speech, anti-diversity of views, and — particularly ironic in this case — anti-science. Science is supposed to allow for following the evidence wherever it leads. Scientists are supposed to be able to communicate their own theories (or those they believe are the strongest) and to criticize others. May the best idea win! All “cancel culture” does is try to shut up (or shut down) anyone who disagrees with what is popular or considered “established”. For that, it is considered “offensive”.
