Essay, Research Paper: Inherit The Wind 2

Are You A Man or
A Monkey ?
A Disturbing Movement of
Anti-Intellectualism in America
It s more valuable to see with the eye in one s heart,
rather than see with the eye in one s head.
The epic crusade of science and technology versus theology, both
religions of sorts dating back in time more years than any of us can begin to
comprehend. Maybe that is why, as a whole, we have such a difficult time
discerning between the two, or rather, why we fail to see clearly the true
meaning that lies behind the propaganda of either.
The arguments on either side are significant and carry as much reason
and weight as the other. Thus, we simply cannot refuse to make a judgment
before looking critically into the logistics surrounding the propaganda of each
theory. God s diplomats, the Bible-thumping, prophesizing blow-hards much
like Brady in Inherit the Wind, are as much the bigoted and biased,
sacrilegious and amoral attention-seekers as they proclaim the evolutionists to
be. However, their chosen doctrine cannot be overlooked, as I myself am
deeply devoted to it s teachings. Brady and others like him fight from the
backbone of Faith. I don t believe in the literal deciphering of the Bible, but
that it is a book of ideals that we must trust in it s veracity. It isn t meant to be explained!
Ironically, the thing that people are the most hungry for, meaning, is the one thing that science hasn t been able to give them. Enter God, the means
that mankind has clung to for purpose. If there isn t a God, does that mean
that 95% of the world is suffering from some sort of mass dillusion? There
may be a thousand arguments against there being a supreme being that we can
think of, but it s all those reasons that we cannot think of that allow him to
continue to exist as a necessity in our hearts and minds. True, in the past
Galileo, Copernicus and others have proven that the Church can be wrong --
and I agree. Yet the Church, like humanity, has the right to make a mistake
and reassess their beliefs. It doesn t mean all they say is false, not at all! I couldn t imagine living in a world where God didn t exist -- I wouldn t want
to.
Turn around 360 degrees and you are back facing the same direction,
now science lies in front of you where religion so recently resided. Politics,
science, philosophy, theology, technology -- it s so easy to become confused.
Science is a truth, no matter how adamantly we decree it otherwise. If we
were the center of the universe (as the Bible mandates), if we were all there
was -- it d be an awful waste of space. Think about it, what is more
reasonable; that an all-powerful, mysterious God created the universe and
then decided not to give any proof of his existence, OR, that he simply
doesn t exist at all and that we created him so that we wouldn t feel so small
and alone. Proof? What is faith more than a sense of adventure, of risk.
Science strives for reason and truth, hard evidence and fact, and right now we
are merely in a technological adolescence. Brady s argument portrays
science as being purely practical, even profitable. In as sense, doing away
with all pure research. In Inherit the Wind, Drummond replies sarcastically
to this belief of Brady s that It frightens me to imagine the state of learning
in this world if everyone had your driving curiosity. After all, what are we
here for? To watch television, drink Coca-Cola and eat McDonald s? No! A
ship in the harbor may be safe, but that is not what a ship is built for. We
must pursue our need for knowledge, and if this means going against any
preconceived notions we fostered in accordance to a God, so be it. To go
forward, we must sacrifice.
All in all, despite any persuasive contentions either way, I ve fostered
my own belief in the matter. That, as a scientist you can believe in God and
as a devout you can entertain evolution. Forget the book of the Lord or the
book of Darwin, in my book they are two totally separate things. No
scientific theory, including evolution, can pose any threat to evolution -- for
these two tools of human understanding are parallels, and not opposites, each
in their own separate realms. Science is simply an inquiry into the facts and
nature of the world, while religion is a search for ethics and morals. They
should be equal, mutually respecting partners, each the master of its own
domain, each vital to human existence in its own way. The whole
controversy over evolution is misguided, for science without it is like
chemistry without the periodic table or history without George Washington.
Accepting evolution isn t rejecting religion. Both can, and should exist in
harmony, and the powers that be should let the individual decide where his
interests may be focused.