Uncle Monkey
You know, I was thinking about this whole Critics of Evolution situation. Most of the really outspoken non-evolution fans I've met in person seemed particularly incensed over the implication that humans are "related to monkeys" and other primates.
And that's fair enough, I suppose. I mean, I think monkeys are pretty cool myself, but no one is obligated to share that opinion.
So I'm trying to think through the rest of this from their point of view, and started dealing with the right-now evolution-or-not indisputable fact that humans are indeed primates, based on the definition of a primate, and later backed up by the fact that humans share more genetic material in common with primates, chimpanzees in particular, than any other organism.
So I don't really see how evolution matters so much on that point.
Either you and chimpanzees have a common ancestor, millions of years ago, or, on the other hand, God created all these creatures, perhaps not so long ago at all, but, recently or not, still envisioned humans as a very special kind of chimpanzee.
Given those odds, I'm not so sure why the latter option is the less offensive one.
And that's fair enough, I suppose. I mean, I think monkeys are pretty cool myself, but no one is obligated to share that opinion.
So I'm trying to think through the rest of this from their point of view, and started dealing with the right-now evolution-or-not indisputable fact that humans are indeed primates, based on the definition of a primate, and later backed up by the fact that humans share more genetic material in common with primates, chimpanzees in particular, than any other organism.
So I don't really see how evolution matters so much on that point.
Either you and chimpanzees have a common ancestor, millions of years ago, or, on the other hand, God created all these creatures, perhaps not so long ago at all, but, recently or not, still envisioned humans as a very special kind of chimpanzee.
Given those odds, I'm not so sure why the latter option is the less offensive one.