Evolution controversy. Huh?

In my travels around the web, I keep running across the phrase "evolution controversy" or variations such as "the controversy around evolution." Groups and organizations that argue the case for science ed. (such as Talk Origins and National Center for Science Education) refer to the "Creation/Evolution controversy," but opponents of evolution use the phrase to suggest that the theory of evolution is itself controversial.

Even the mainstream media has picked up the language and, hey, if it's in the newspaper it must be true, right? Sure, and the Michael Jackson trial is the defining political event of the decade.

Just because people are blathering on about a subject does not make that subject important ... or controversial. There are plenty of debates about the "how" of evolution – debate is an integral part of science -- but the "what" is broadly accepted in the scientific community.

If you're truly interested in the controversies -- authentic controversies --around evolutionary theory, read The Evolutionists: The Struggle for Darwin's Soul by Richard Morris.