Icons of Evolution

Icons of Evolution, subtitled Science or Myth? Why Much of What we Teach about Evolution is Wrong is a controversial book by the Intelligent Design advocate and fellow of the Discovery Institute, Jonathan Wells. In it, Wells contends that school pupils are taught evolution by means of case studies that are flawed. The scientific community has strongly criticised the book and rejected both its claim that schoolchildren are deliberately misled and its conclusions as to the evidentiary status of the theory of evolution, which is considered by biologists to be the central unifying paradigm of biology [1] (http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/3541_project_steve_2_16_2003.asp).

Writing in Nature biologist Jerry Coyne remarked that

"Wells's book rests entirely on a flawed syllogism: hence, textbooks illustrate evolution with examples; these examples are sometimes presented in incorrect or misleading ways; therefore evolution is a fiction. The second premise is not generally true, and even if it were, the conclusion would not follow. To compound the absurdity, Wells concludes that a cabal of evil scientists, "the Darwinian establishment", uses fraud and distortion to buttress the crumbling edifice of evolution. Wells' final chapter urges his readers to lobby the US government to eliminate research funding for evolutionary biology." [2] (http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/Coyne-IconsReview.htm)

The response of the single publisher named by Wells as having revised textbooks on the basis of his work has been condemned by Steven Schafersman, President of Texas Citizens for Science, who has explained that to eliminate from textbooks the powerful evidence for evolution supplied by research on peppered moths and on the similarity of human embryos to those of other vertebrates "is irresponsible and not worthy of a distinguished publisher of science textbooks" [3] (http://texscience.org/files/fowler.htm) [4] (http://texscience.org/files/icons-revealed/).

Wells, a member of the Unification Church, believes that some of the criticism directed at him is inspired by his religious background. In a statement made several years prior to the publication of Icons of Evolution, Wells wrote:

Father's words, my studies, and my prayers convinced me that I should devote my life to destroying Darwinism, just as many of my fellow Unificationists had already devoted their lives to destroying Marxism. When Father chose me (along with about a dozen other seminary graduates) to enter a Ph.D. program in 1978, I welcomed the opportunity to prepare myself for battle. [5] (http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/talks/wells/)

Wells' has responded to critics who focus on his faith:

Because of its profound and harmful consequences for religion, science and culture, I decided to devote my life to criticizing this philosophy and destroying its domination of our educational system.

That was, and still is, my motivation. I have never concealed it.

The question is: How relevant is my motivation? A zealous prosecutor may be committed to bringing down organized crime, but his commitment may be motivated by any number of things--such as a righteous devotion to justice, or a self-serving desire for personal advancement. Once he’s in the courtroom, however, the only thing that really matters is the evidence. The mob’s lawyers can attack the prosecutor’s motivations all they want, but if they can’t refute his facts, their clients may be convicted. In science, too, what matters is the evidence.

Darwinism’s defenders often claim that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. But this is like a defense attorney telling a jury that nothing makes sense except in the light of his arguments. Ultimately, the jury must reach their verdict on the basis of the facts before them. So it is in science. Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evidence. That is why the icons of evolution are so vigorously defended--even to the point of attacking my motivations. [6] (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180)

Wells' Icons

Wells' ten icons are:

1. Miller-Urey experiment critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#Miller-Urey) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
2. Darwin's tree of life critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#Treeoflife) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
3. Homology in vertebrate limbs critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#Vertebrate-limb-homology) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
4. Haeckel's embryos critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#haeckel-embryo) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
5. Archaeopteryx critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#Archaeopteryx) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
6. peppered moth critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#moths) Response of Wells - 1 (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1263#) Response of Wells - 2 (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1147#)
7. Darwin's finches critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#finches) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
8. four-winged fruit flies critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#flies) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
9. fossil horses critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#horses) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)
10. Hominid evolution critique of Wells (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/iconob.html#ape-to-human) Response of Wells (http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1180#)

A pdf version of an article written by Wells summarising his icons can be found here (http://www.discovery.org/articleFiles/PDFs/survivalOfTheFakest.pdf) and the pdfs of one of the most detailed critiques can be found here (http://www.ncseweb.org/icons/pdfs.html).

External links

Pro-Wells

• Survival of the Fakest Article (http://www.discovery.org/articleFiles/PDFs/survivalOfTheFakest.pdf)
• Official Website (http://www.iconsofevolution.com)
• ARN page with essays (http://www.arn.org/wells/jwhome.htm)
• The Words of the Wells Family (http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/talks/wells/)

Anti-Wells

• Talk.Origins website (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wells/)
• National Center for Science Education (http://www.ncseweb.org/icons/)
• The Fact of Evolution: Implications for Science Education (http://www.ksde.org/outcomes/sciencerevieweckhardtweber.pdf)
• Saving Us From Darwin by Frederick C Crews (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/14581)
• Patience and Absurdity: How to Deal with Intelligent Design Creationism by Paul R Gross (http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=90)
• A reasonably short guide to Wells' "icons" of evolution, and why they are not what he claims (http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/~massimo/handouts/resonable-to-icons.pdf)
• Fatally Flawed Iconoclasm by Eugenie C Scott (http://ib.berkeley.edu/courses/ib160/scott.pdf)
• Selection of critical reviews (http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/creation/icons_of_evolution.html)
• Review by Dave Ussery (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/staff/dave/IconsReview.html)
• NMSR Debates Intelligent Design proponent Jonathan Wells of the Discovery Institute (http://www.nmsr.org/jonwells.htm)
• Creationism and Intelligent Design by Robert Pennock (http://www.msu.edu/~pennock5/research/papers/Pennock*Creationism+ID.pdf)