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Should Evolution Really Be “Debated?”

The tactic of “gish gallop” — a rapid-fire listing of supposed weaknesses of evolution — cannot be properly countered in a limited-time format of a debate. 

“Debate is a sport, not the way we decide scientifically how the world works.”


So says Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the non-profit educational organization The National Center for Science Education. Scott was specifically referring to the upcoming debate between Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and creationist Ken Ham, founder of the Kentucky Creation Museum, on Feb. 4.

Scott told Discovery News that “creationists specialize in the what’s called the Gish gallop — a rapid-fire listing of supposed weaknesses of evolution that, in a limited-time format of a debate, cannot all be properly answered. This leaves the audience with the incorrect impression that evolution is shaky science.”

While Bill Nye is certainly expected to hold his own against Ham, is the debate format really the right way to approach this issue. Tell us what you think.

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