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Film trailer for Jonathan Wells’s new book, Zombie Science

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Darwinism has succeeded at something at last: The dead walk. Okay, in the minds of millions, they do walk.

Cell biologist Jonathan Wells offers a new book, Zombie Science:

In 2000, biologist Jonathan Wells took the science world by storm with Icons of Evolution, a book showing how biology textbooks routinely promote Darwinism using bogus evidence—icons of evolution like Ernst Haeckel’s faked embryo drawings and peppered moths glued to tree trunks. Critics of the book complained that Wells had merely gathered up a handful of innocent textbook errors and blown them out of proportion. Now, in Zombie Science, Wells asks a simple question: If the icons of evolution were just innocent textbook errors, why do so many of them still persist? Science has enriched our lives and led to countless discoveries. But now, Wells argues, it’s being corrupted. Empirical science is devolving into zombie science, shuffling along unfazed by opposing evidence. Discredited icons of evolution rise from the dead while more icons—equally bogus—join their ranks. Like a B horror movie, they just keep coming! Zombies are make believe, but zombie science is real—and it threatens not just science, but our whole culture. Is there a solution? Wells is sure of it, and points the way. Release date: April 18, 2017. More.

Maybe there is a solution, more likely many little solutions. Some of us think that a serious analysis of the causes should include two elements: Corruption in the textbook publishing industry and the ongoing collapse of traditional mainstream media:

Textbook publishing is lucrative because jurisdictions are forced to buy and taxpayers to fund whatever drivel is stamped in by a handpicked committee for a vast jurisdiction. The longstanding Darwin-in-the-schools lobby sewed those committees up a long time ago. It has nothing to gain from reform. Reform would certainly require giving schools more say, as in the charter schools movement, within guidelines that prevent the mere promotion of causes other than Darwinism. Competition would force textbooks to introduce the real, complex world of evolution, not a museum of simple, plausible hoaxes.

With the decline of traditional media, science journalism became mere cheerleading for science, often done by people who are—to put the matter charitably—not the brightest lights on the string. They wouldn’t dare investigate;  they’re not even curious. That’s no longer their job description.

See also: Denis Noble’s new book calls for “fundamental revision” of neo-Darwinian theory Darwin apologists can probably convince the New York Times but these days that’s only a participation trophy.

and

Science writing in an age when we ran out of pom poms to wave

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Comments
RVB8: Doug Axe is not a brilliant scientist, but Jerry Coyne is ...
You must be mistaken because Jerry Coyne has no control over his thoughts and actions. Jerry talks about his crippling mental disorder here.Origenes
March 28, 2017
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Flor, Doug Axe is not a brilliant scientist, but Jerry Coyne is, Neil Shubin is, E.O Wilson is and Richard Lewonton is. If you are going to use the absurd, 'argument from authority', understand, evolution has the heavy hitters; or, to put it more plainly, those that actually do science. You say, Meyer shows this can't be done, Axe shows this is impossible, and some other IDer shows this is not possible.' Wow! Do any of these 'scientists' actually prove anything IS possible? Or are they forever negating that which opposes their beliefs? Science goes where people fear to tread. Science does not go about supporting Judeo/Christian, or any other religious myths, you know? Like Wells, and his goal to convert you to Moonyism.rvb8
March 26, 2017
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@ your no 11, rvb8 'et alia', not 'et alibi'. My apologies if it was intended as a joke.Axel
March 26, 2017
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No one disputes that selection changes beak size, or that the peppered moth population was affected by discoloration of tree trunks, but saying that those examples demonstrate the claims of Darwinian evolution is like saying because you can broad jump three feet, you can jump from Boston to Los Angeles. It's ridiculous on its face and demonstrates more than anything, that the evidence really doesn't matter because Darwinists will just make it up. It is religious dogma to you and has nothing to do with evidence. It's quite pathetic really, and Wells has exposed the VERY BEST EVIDENCE put forth for Darwinism as nothing but smoke and mirrors. THERE'S SIMPLY NOTHING THERE beyond the trivial. Darwinism is nothing more than story telling. You're welcome to believe it by faith if you wish, but to claim that the evidence supports it is ludicrous. Any other branch of science with this lack of supporting evidence would at least dispense with the dogmatism. The fact that materialists remain so dogmatic with such a paucity of evidence, says all that needs to be said. This is not about evidence or science -- it is a war of worldviews -- and it always has been with the ends always justifying the means for materialists. Fakes, story telling, censorship, over-exaggeration are fine as long as they, "keep the divine foot out of the door." Unfortunately for you, Wells has let the cat out of the bag, and with brilliant scientists like Doug Axe demonstrating the rarity of enzyme formation, aka it's impossible, and Behe showing the impossibility of mutations to do much beyond the trivial; Meyer showing the Cambrian to be a insurmountable problem for Darwin etc. etc, Darwinism's days are numbered and getting shorter every day. The Third Way of Evolution didn't give up on Darwin because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed one day. From their website: "...Neo-Darwinists have elevated Natural Selection into a unique creative force that solves all the difficult evolutionary problems without a real empirical basis." What does, "without a real empirical basis," mean to you? That's your side saying this, pal; not Answers in Genesis. The dam is breaking. I applaud you for trying to keep you finger in the leaks but the whole thing is about break wide open.Florabama
March 25, 2017
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Flor, TWSYF,Jammer, Wells, Dembski, Behe, Berlinski,Mazur et alibi, are scientists, I suppose, of a sort. Do they have evidence? That is, on the level of real scientists who spend their lives in isolated places to prove evolution, to prove that selection alone changes beak size, to prove that chimpanzees cooperate and share human characteristics, to prove that human alteration of the natural environment (pollution) selects for darker moths, to prove that over several thousand generations microbes evolve to survive in inhispitable environments; Do they!? The book "Icons" is a source of humour to those who do science. The Peppered Moth criticisms, the Haeckel mistakes, Piltdown (Christ, give me a break!), have all been answered and refuted. TWSYF @ 10 says, "Well said!" But that's the problem isn't it? ID says, 'Well said!', and evolutionary biologists say, "Well DONE!" You never, "DO", you only, "SAY".rvb8
March 24, 2017
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Jammer and Florabama: Well said!Truth Will Set You Free
March 24, 2017
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rvb8 -- "Wells promised to bring down Darwinism" And he has nearly succeeded. Icons eviscerated Darwinism. Pile up all the evidence that's ever been put forth and when all is said and done, there's nothing there. It's all just so stories build upon either faked or completely over exaggerated evidence. That's why you're trying to poison the well on Wells. You must do that because you can't argue with his point. Go down the list -- Darwin's finches, Haeckel's embryos, the pepper moth, Miller/Urey etc etc etc and there's nothing there but a fanciful story based on either a fake or nothing that amounts to a substantiation of the "claims" of Darwin. The claims are simply wishful thinking but pick up any biology text even today and you'll stilll find them all listed except Haeckel which Wells almost single handedly forced Darwinists to remove. If I were keeping score, Wells is so far ahead that Darwin would have to forfeit, but watching icon after icon get stacked on the dustbin of history, is just too much fun.Florabama
March 24, 2017
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Hitchens is a corpse, while I.D. remains more alive than ever. Survival of the fittest, indeed.Jammer
March 23, 2017
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TWSYF, Jonathan Wells refers to Sun Myung Moon, as 'Father'. Wells promised to bring down Darwinism, just as 'Father', helped bring down communism. Hmmm, I thought communism was brought down by Solidarity in Poland, Reagan and Starwars, internal frictions, the Pope, and just plain insanity. Wells and 'Father' were no were to be seen. Sun claimed to be the Messiah, was jailed for 18 months in federal prison for tax avoidance, hates gays, supported the egregious Nation of Islam, and was nepotistic in the extreme. Wells's first book made such a splash of cotroversy in the scientific community that Hitchens described it as, "unlikely even to rate a footnote in the history of piffle." So, now he's taken the peppered moth, piltdown man, and Haekal, and made a film. Oh good.rvb8
March 23, 2017
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Jonathan Wells is one of my favorite ID advocates. Looking forward to watching this new film.Truth Will Set You Free
March 23, 2017
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Read gpuccio's current thread to understand Bob's comment.timothya
March 23, 2017
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timothya: Eat more brains.
Why don't you tell us how it helped you to understand Bob?Origenes
March 23, 2017
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Origene: "I don’t get it Bob. Zombie science and intelligent design, what is the connection?" Eat more brains. You'll get it eventually.timothya
March 23, 2017
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I don't get it Bob. Zombie science and intelligent design, what is the connection?Origenes
March 23, 2017
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Zombie Science? It must be about Intelligent Design!!!!!! (there, someone was going to say it anyway, weren't they?)Bob O'H
March 23, 2017
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