In an exciting and somewhat controversial development, Bill Nye “The Science Guy” will debate Creation Museum founder Ken Ham next month.
The topic of the debate will be whether the Bible-based version of Earth’s origins can hold up to scrutiny. The event will take place February 4 at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky.
Ham, the president and CEO of Answers in Genesis, said that he’s excited to debate Nye.
“It’s quite rare these days for such a well-known evolutionist to publicly debate a creationist – so we do expect a lot of media interest,” Ham said on his Facebook page.
But not all see the announcement as a positive development. The Panda’s Thumb blogger Matt Young, criticized Nye for taking part in the debate, saying that it will only serve to legitimize creationism.
“There is nothing to debate, and a ‘debate’ with Mr. Nye will only give Mr. Ham credibility that he does not deserve and increase not only his visibility but also his ability to attract investors,” Young wrote.
Bolstering his position, Young pointed to Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt, who apparently refuses to participate in events that host Holocaust deniers.
“I sometimes bowdlerize that to ‘I do not debate liars,’ and it is a policy I recommend to anyone who is tempted to ‘debate’ a creationist,” Young wrote. “Whether you win or lose, you will convince no one and will only add to the prominence of your opponent, who can now say, ‘See, I debated a prominent scientist; I must be taken seriously now.’”
h/t: The Raw Story
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