One increasingly common way to close down dialogue is to ascribe to a group of people all sorts of extreme opinions which they don’t actually hold, and then proceed to vilify them for these views. Christians who believe that there is more to life than neo-Darwinism are immediately assumed to be flat-Earth creationists.

Reading the cover article Order Out of Chaos in The Tablet this week, I found myself in pretty well complete agreement with the views expressed by its author, Keith Ward.

It cannot be scientifically shown that evolution is due only to chance and necessity, and is unplanned. Nor can it be scientifically shown that biology has to appeal to God to explain particular facts of evolution. The scientific facts are neutral. It is when you look at those facts philosophically, and ask whether they suggest purpose or rationality, that the question of Creation arises.

So beware of those on either side who assume they have a monopoly of the truth. Fundamentalist scientists are potentially more dangerous than fundamentalist believers – they have the expertise to make much bigger explosions.

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