The Case Against ‘The Case Against Darwin’

Timothy Birdnow at The American Thinker re-cycles the usual Creationist canards.

PZ Myers takes him apart.

Anyone who wants can read either or both. But PZ Myers issues a specific challenge to Birdnow,which I will reprint here, and subscribe to.

Birdnow writes:

Consider the Permian Triassic Extinction, the so called “Great Dying”, 250 million years ago,in which 9 out of 10 marine creatures and 7 out of 10 land creatures died. Before the Great Dying five phylla walked the Earth; insects, mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles. After the Great Dying we had the same 5.

And Myers issues this challenge:

You should be aware that in those 3 sentences, you made 4 immense errors.

  • There are many more than 5 phyla; about 30.
  • Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and insects are not separate phyla. The first four all belong to one phylum (Chordata) and the last belongs to another (Arthropoda).
  • There were no mammals or birds in the Permian.
  • There were no mammals or birds in the Triassic.

In other words, your entire point was wrong in multiple ways. Those are simple errors of fact that show you have no knowledge at all of the subject about which you were babbling.

Consider this a challenge. If you can’t address those gross errors when you revisit the subject, I’m going to point out the fact with great amusement.

I join Myers’ challenge. Birdnow should reply. If anyone thinks Myers’ was cherry-picking, please go read both articles. There were dozens of points which Myers could have picked up on. This was merely the most egregious.

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