Response to the PBS Evolution Project

The WGBH/NOVA Science Unit, with over $14 million of backing from ex-Microsoft baron Paul Allen, launched an 8-hour documentary series promoting Darwinism. The program was aired on PBS September 24-27, 2001 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. each night and will be scheduled to rerun on a regular basis (www.pbs.org/evolution/). As with the Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series two decades ago, the PBS Evolution Project comes across more as evangelism for the Darwinian worldview, then as rigorous, undebatable science. We think this program offers a great opportunity to teach your students critical thinking skills. Return to this page often for the latest critiques and analysis of this series.

Read what the producers of that particular PBS series are saying:

"The Evolution Project-a television broadcast series, Web site, and more-explores a simple yet remarkable theory that ranks as one of the greatest breakthroughs in the annals of science. Understanding evolution is essential to understanding the world we live in and how we--and all life forms--came to be. Evolution underpins all biology, affecting our health, our food supply, the very web of life. It explains how life on earth developed, and how it continues to change. Since Charles Darwin described the mechanism that drives it, evolution has grown from hypothesis to scientific theory, propelled by a wealth of data discovered through experimentation and observation."

"The goal of the Evolution Project is to heighten public comprehension about what evolution is and how it works, and to dispel common misunderstandings about it. The project seeks to illuminate why evolution is relevant; to improve its teaching; to counter some misconceptions; and to encourage a national dialogue on the issues currently surrounding this science."

"The Evolution Project will feature a comprehensive and engaging Web site aimed at a popular audience, with interactive games, live online expeditions, animated narratives, and 360 virtual environments. The project's extensive educational outreach initiative will seek to transform the way evolution is taught and learned in schools nationwide by providing teachers with resources that expand their content knowledge, including an online digital library and downloadable teacher training. (http://www.clearblueskyfilms.com/documentaries/evolution/)"

Analysis, Commentary, and Critique of the PBS Evolution Project

• A Viewers' Guide to PBS's Evolution This guide, produced by The Discovery Insititute, is available in a downloadable PDF file format (378kb). Or save your inkjet cartridge and order the printed copy for $7.95 from our web catalog.

• Website: Critique of PBS's Evolution-The Magnum Opus of a Dying Theory Discovery Institute website dedicated to critical analysis of PBS's Evolution.

• Review of PBS companion book Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea (November 21, 2001) Cornelius Hunter, author of Darwin's God: Evolution and the Problem of Evil, reviews the companion book written by Carl Zimmer for the PBS Evolution series.

• Ten questions to Ask your Students about the PBS Evolution Series (November 15, 2001) Encourage your students to watch the PBS Evolution series. But when you do, ask them these 10 questions to make sure they are developing critical thinking skills in the process.

• An Abridged PBS Evolution Viewer's Guide & Summary (November 15, 2001) by Casey Luskin of the IDEA Club. If you are looking for a quick summary and critique of the PBS Evolution Video series, this is a good place to start.

• Fatuous Filmmaking (September 28, 2001) article for World Net Daily about the PBS "Evolution" series. File Date 11.03.01

• Darwin's Public Defenders (September 28, 2001) Stephen Meyer discusses Evolution's religious overtones and inconsistencies .

• PBS' Evolution Generates a Debate (September 28, 2001) In this Washington Times article, Larry Witham explains that a recent poll finds that a majority of Americans want scientific criticisms of evolution presented on public TV shows that address the topic.

• A Critique of Douglas Theobald's "29 Evidences for Macroevolution" (September 27, 2001) In "29 Evidences for Macroevolution," a popular FAQ at the Talk.Origins web site, Dr. Douglas Theobald sets forth the evidence that he believes proves scientifically that all organisms share the same biological ancestor. In this detailed critique Ashby Camp argues that Theobald's evidence is insufficient to establish that proposition. PDF versions available for download:
  • Critique - part 1 (191kb)
  • Critique - part 2 (156kb)
  • Critique - part 3 (167kb)
  • Critique - part 4 (175kb)
  • Critique - part 5 (141kb)
  • Critique - Complete (807kb)
  • Bibliograhy (88kb)

• PBS's Evolution Series is Propoganda, not Science (September 24, 2001) Josh Gilder critiques various problems with the PBS series.

• PBS charged with "False Claim" on "Universal Genetic Code" (September 10, 2001)

• Come To Darwin (September 6, 2001) John Mark Reynolds, philosopher and Director of the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, offers a personal reflection on the PBS Press Conference for the Evolution Project, held July 26, 2001 at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California.

• There is no religious bias in the PBS Evolution Project because Ken Miller says there isn't (July 26, 2001) Josh Gilder provides a first-hand report on the PBS Press Conference for the Evolution Project, held July 26, 2001 at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California.

• PBS Stations Bracing for "Evolution" Backlash (August 17, 2001)

• The TV Column (July 26, 2001) Lisa de Moraes from the Washington Post comments on the PBS Press Announcement for the Evolution Series held this summer.

• Check in with Chuck Colson's BreakPoint Daily Commentary for an analysis of the PBS Evolution Series on September 24-27, 2001.

• Visit the ARN Discussion Forum for threads discussing the PBS Evolution Project