EDIT: Though the live event is over, both links below (to both the site and the direct YouTube link) link to the full, processed debate.
Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham | Answers in Genesis
This has been causing a sort of minor stir lately.
For those of you who haven't heard, much-loved supporter of science education (and TV personality) Bill Nye has agreed to debate Ken Ham, the outspoken founder of the Creation Museum and a key figure in the Intellectual Design movement. The topic: "Is Creation a Viable Model of Origins?" The time is February 4th, 2014 at 7:00 pm EST.
[video=youtube;-uZWI0PLmm8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uZWI0PLmm8[/video]
A live stream on YouTube is planned for the already sold-out event and can be found on the website and the link below:
Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham - HD - YouTube
As I'm sure you can imagine, in certain communities, this has been perceived as something of a big deal.
Personally, I don't think Bill Nye should have accepted the debate (and I do believe he was the one invited, though I could be wrong). Even ignoring the fact that the venue is Ham's Creation Museum, I really feel like pursuing a formal debate gives the wrong impression. A formal debate gives both sides credibility, which we probably shouldn't be doing. Not to mention the fact that you probably aren't going to change anyone's mind in this way. The better way is through education, which Bill Nye is known for. I just worry that Nye will get caught up in the myriad non-issues that this topic brings with it, which may end up doing far more harm than he intended. The fact that Nye isn't known for being a debater doesn't give him an advantage either.
Still, I can understand his frustration. He feels like people in America aren't accepting the theory of evolution fast enough. Some statistics report that 1/3 of the population doesn't believe evolution is real. That has to be frustrating to a man who has dedicated his life to science and has so much unbridled passion for it. Even so, I'm really not thinking that this debate will do much and that it has a greater opportunity to do harm to Nye's goals than good.
You never know though. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out if nothing else.
Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham | Answers in Genesis
This has been causing a sort of minor stir lately.
For those of you who haven't heard, much-loved supporter of science education (and TV personality) Bill Nye has agreed to debate Ken Ham, the outspoken founder of the Creation Museum and a key figure in the Intellectual Design movement. The topic: "Is Creation a Viable Model of Origins?" The time is February 4th, 2014 at 7:00 pm EST.
[video=youtube;-uZWI0PLmm8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uZWI0PLmm8[/video]
A live stream on YouTube is planned for the already sold-out event and can be found on the website and the link below:
Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham - HD - YouTube
As I'm sure you can imagine, in certain communities, this has been perceived as something of a big deal.
Personally, I don't think Bill Nye should have accepted the debate (and I do believe he was the one invited, though I could be wrong). Even ignoring the fact that the venue is Ham's Creation Museum, I really feel like pursuing a formal debate gives the wrong impression. A formal debate gives both sides credibility, which we probably shouldn't be doing. Not to mention the fact that you probably aren't going to change anyone's mind in this way. The better way is through education, which Bill Nye is known for. I just worry that Nye will get caught up in the myriad non-issues that this topic brings with it, which may end up doing far more harm than he intended. The fact that Nye isn't known for being a debater doesn't give him an advantage either.
Still, I can understand his frustration. He feels like people in America aren't accepting the theory of evolution fast enough. Some statistics report that 1/3 of the population doesn't believe evolution is real. That has to be frustrating to a man who has dedicated his life to science and has so much unbridled passion for it. Even so, I'm really not thinking that this debate will do much and that it has a greater opportunity to do harm to Nye's goals than good.
You never know though. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out if nothing else.
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