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Quiz about Evidence for Evolution Scientific Opinion

Evidence for Evolution- Scientific Opinion Quiz

On June 8, 2005, the "San Diego Union-Tribune" published "Intelligent Discussion," an interview of San Diego scientists on their opinions of intelligent design theory (ID.) What they had to say represents the views of most scientists.

A multiple-choice quiz by crisw. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
crisw

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
210,499

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
3395

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Phil Unitt, curator of ornithology for the San Diego Museum of Natural History, stated:
"In any case, even if God - or someone claiming to be God - were to emerge in a puff of smoke on the floor of the Senate and claim to have created the universe, that story would not be science unless..." Hint

the church agreed.

scientists said so.

there were some independent means of testing that claim through observation and experimentation.

we all took the word of the Bible as law.

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Exequiel Ezcurra, director of scientific research for the
San Diego Natural History Museum, stated:
"[Intelligent design] violates one of the most basic principles of scientific philosophy, the principle of ...
Hint

the scientific method.

parsimony.

rational thought.

observation.

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Question 3 of 10

3. Dr. Evan Snyder,neurologist and director of the Stem Cells and Regeneration Program at The Burnham Institute, stated:
"If proponents of intelligent design (ID) wish their hypothesis to be treated as a science, then they must..."
Hint

be prepared to generate experiments that will prove ID incorrect and teach their students how to disprove ID.

publish more articles in scientific journals.

abandon religion.

show that they believe in science.

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Question 4 of 10

4. Jeffrey Bada, a marine chemist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, stated:
"Intelligent design claims that the processes involved are scientifically unknowable and thus must be explained by a supernatural or extraterrestrial creator.

This is akin to the widely held 19th century theory of panspermia that life on Earth began from a spore or seed from outer space. Scientific research subsequently demonstrated that panspermia was not a testable and verifiable scientific theory..." Hint

and the same applies to intelligent design today.

but Intelligent Design proponents believe in it.

but some scientists still believe in it.

but that was no reason to give it up.

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Question 5 of 10

5. Moselio Schaechter, adjunct professor of biology at San Diego State University, when asked about the evolution of complexity, stated:
"How would you build a highly complex vehicle that can be driven, flown and navigated underwater? Would you start from scratch with some steel ingots..." Hint

or would you use parts from existing cars, planes and submarines?

and hope you'd somehow be able to build it?

or would you ask a Creator to build it for you?

or would you just say that it could not possibly be built?

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Question 6 of 10

6. J. David Archibald, professor of biology at San Diego State University, stated:
"The cry that teaching intelligent design in the science classroom should be permitted because of intellectual freedom is a red herring. We don't teach alchemy, astrology and witchcraft in the science classroom..." Hint

because they are clearly false.

but we will need to if we allow the teaching of intelligent design.

because like intelligent design, they are not science.

but they are taught in some churches.

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Question 7 of 10

7. Michael Simpson, professor of biology at San Diego State University, stated:
"I think it is possible to be both spiritual and a critical thinker: To use one's mind (the scientific method and common sense) in evaluating specific beliefs or claims or ideas, and yet..." Hint

most religious people do not do so.

to also seek that question of existence and continually embrace the wonder and awesome mystery of this world.

creationists claim that this cannot be done.

to believe in an inerrant Bible.

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Question 8 of 10

8. Phil Unitt, curator of ornithology for the San Diego Museum of Natural History, stated:
"Science is a mental activity consisting of observation and experimentation, synthesized by interpretation. The interpretation consists of developing a story that is consistent with the results of observation and experimentation. The key concept that distinguishes science from nonscience is that if new observations and experiments contradict the story..." Hint

the story must be changed to accommodate them

the new observations must be disbelieved.

the story must be thrown out.

scientists do not know what to believe.

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Dr. Ajit P. Varki, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, stated:
"Debating intelligent design would be like..." Hint

debating the theory of relativity.

debating the existence of the moon.

debating the theory of gravity.

debating someone who still insists that the Earth is flat

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Tom Demere, a paleontologist at the San Diego Natural History Museum, stated:
"I have to admit that it is not that clear to me just what constitutes intelligent design, since I could find..." Hint

no research papers published in peer-reviewed scientific publications on the subject

so many scientists who believed in it.

no information on the subject at all.

articles on it in every major science magazine.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Phil Unitt, curator of ornithology for the San Diego Museum of Natural History, stated: "In any case, even if God - or someone claiming to be God - were to emerge in a puff of smoke on the floor of the Senate and claim to have created the universe, that story would not be science unless..."

Answer: there were some independent means of testing that claim through observation and experimentation.

The scientific method is the core of all scientific thought. Under the scientific method, if something is not testable, it is not science. Intelligent design is not testable, therefore it cannot be science.

2. Exequiel Ezcurra, director of scientific research for the San Diego Natural History Museum, stated: "[Intelligent design] violates one of the most basic principles of scientific philosophy, the principle of ...

Answer: parsimony.

According to Ezcurra, [parsimony] "states that natural effects should be explained through natural causes and that unnecessary hypotheses should be discarded when trying to understand the way the natural world works." Intelligent design adds unnecessary complexity and hypotheses to an explanation of how the world came to be.

3. Dr. Evan Snyder,neurologist and director of the Stem Cells and Regeneration Program at The Burnham Institute, stated: "If proponents of intelligent design (ID) wish their hypothesis to be treated as a science, then they must..."

Answer: be prepared to generate experiments that will prove ID incorrect and teach their students how to disprove ID.

In order to be a true theory, a scientific theory must be falsifiable- that is, experiments that could disprove the theory must be conceivable. No such experiments have been proposed by the architects of intelligent design theory.

4. Jeffrey Bada, a marine chemist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, stated: "Intelligent design claims that the processes involved are scientifically unknowable and thus must be explained by a supernatural or extraterrestrial creator. This is akin to the widely held 19th century theory of panspermia that life on Earth began from a spore or seed from outer space. Scientific research subsequently demonstrated that panspermia was not a testable and verifiable scientific theory..."

Answer: and the same applies to intelligent design today.

Again, intelligent design fails the test of the principle of falsifiability.

5. Moselio Schaechter, adjunct professor of biology at San Diego State University, when asked about the evolution of complexity, stated: "How would you build a highly complex vehicle that can be driven, flown and navigated underwater? Would you start from scratch with some steel ingots..."

Answer: or would you use parts from existing cars, planes and submarines?

Over and over again, evolutionary examples have shown a remarkable ability to "make do" and use available features and mechanisms as the platform for further evolution. For some examples, see my quiz "Evidence for Evolution- Unintelligent Design."

6. J. David Archibald, professor of biology at San Diego State University, stated: "The cry that teaching intelligent design in the science classroom should be permitted because of intellectual freedom is a red herring. We don't teach alchemy, astrology and witchcraft in the science classroom..."

Answer: because like intelligent design, they are not science.

The point of this is that we long ago decided to teach one thing in science classrooms- science. No matter what intellectual freedoms we support, intelligent design is not science, and does not belong in the classroom. It isn't a matter of freedom, it's a matter of appropriateness.

7. Michael Simpson, professor of biology at San Diego State University, stated: "I think it is possible to be both spiritual and a critical thinker: To use one's mind (the scientific method and common sense) in evaluating specific beliefs or claims or ideas, and yet..."

Answer: to also seek that question of existence and continually embrace the wonder and awesome mystery of this world.

It is a common misconception that spiritual belief and evolutionary thought are antithetical. As this quote shows, they are certainly not mutually exclusive.

8. Phil Unitt, curator of ornithology for the San Diego Museum of Natural History, stated: "Science is a mental activity consisting of observation and experimentation, synthesized by interpretation. The interpretation consists of developing a story that is consistent with the results of observation and experimentation. The key concept that distinguishes science from nonscience is that if new observations and experiments contradict the story..."

Answer: the story must be changed to accommodate them

One of the major differences between true science and intelligent design is that scientific explanations are always changing , as we learn more about the world around us and must change our theories to accommodate new facts. ID lacks any such process of change (especially since it also lacks any type of research) and thus is inflexible.

9. Dr. Ajit P. Varki, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, stated: "Debating intelligent design would be like..."

Answer: debating someone who still insists that the Earth is flat

Varki is simply stating that intelligent design isn't worth debating, to him, as it is so obviously false.

10. Tom Demere, a paleontologist at the San Diego Natural History Museum, stated: "I have to admit that it is not that clear to me just what constitutes intelligent design, since I could find..."

Answer: no research papers published in peer-reviewed scientific publications on the subject

True scientists submit all of their work for peer review. If it hasn't been published, scrutinized and criticized, and if the scientists involved have been unable to respond to or refute the criticisms, then it isn't science.

Source: Author crisw

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