Evolutionary Tract (Redux)

I thank everyone for their encouragements, critiques, and suggestions on this - and the final draft is available on my Google account.

I have also received suggestions that I didn't take, not to mention a touch of flack as to the wording.

So let's recap:

1. Yeah, yeah, I know that Intelligent Design isn't a philosophy: it's nothing more than a PR machine: yes, I do know that it's Paley's Watchmaker re-framed. Anyone familiar with my writings knows this, so gimmee a break, willya? This was an effort to be gracious: we're trying to keep it out of the science classrooms. What it does elsewhere isn't really the pivotal concern.
2. Yes, philosophy and science are in a symbiotic relationship of sorts: but the average Joe Schmoe doesn't know this, does he? (or Joann Schmoe, if you're gonna give me grief on the PC thing.) The point is, that they're usually taught in separate classes in the middle- to high-school levels, are they not? That can wait till college. What kids are learning is fundamentals. Basic cornerstones. Mixing and matching can wait.
3. Yes, there are philosophers that make a living at philosophy: I'm not slamming them, or trying to infer some pejorative about the field. Pick ten random people on the street, and ask them for a list of ten philosophers. I'm betting that most'll fum-fah, or have no answer. Maybe one will mention Socrates. Yeah, it sucks: yeah, it means our educational system is deficient. The whole point of this tract is to appeal to Everyman.
4. I received some suggestions about points we argue over here on the blogosphere - I glossed over them because

A. I want to keep it simple,

B. I'm operating on the premise that most of said readers haven't a clue about the ongoing debate outside a vague mention on the news,

C. I'm trying to keep it down to one page, and

D. Being overly pedantic will simply suck the life right out of it.

I'm still open to constructive criticism: just please bear in mind that this is aimed at a specific demographic, one that is probably severely uninformed as to the controversy of the subject. Talking points that we're achingly familiar with are likely completely foreign to the uninformed.

Anyways, here it is:

Whether or not you as an individual appreciate or agree, or have philosophical or religious reservations over the theory of evolution – the fact remains: it’s a reality, and no amount of dispute or debate can change that.

Here are the FACTS about this so-called ‘theory’:

DID YOU KNOW - That evolution is a science, that deals with categorizations based on observation - that it is not a philosophy, religion, dogma or doctrine?

DID YOU KNOW – That evolution is the backbone of modern biology?

DID YOU KNOW – That prior to Darwin’s Origin of the Species, one hundred percent of the scientists in the 19^th century believed in the creation theory – in the 21^st century, it is now one percent?

DID YOU KNOW – Without this ‘theory’, we wouldn’t have the benefit of modern medicine: items such as antibiotics, flu shots, or a multitude of other life-saving procedures? That the constant evolution of flu viruses is why there are new flu shots every year?

DID YOU KNOW – Most modern agriculture relies heavily on evolutionary ‘theory’? This includes crops as well as animal husbandry.

DID YOU KNOW – That the ‘failure of evolutionary theory’ has been incorrectly predicted as far back as 1871?

DID YOU KNOW – That without evolutionary ‘theory’, most forensic labs would be unable to function? That’s right – forensic criminologists would be unable to do things like rebuild the bodies of victims, or use DNA to tell suspects apart.

DID YOU KNOW – That evolution has had a widespread, positive impact on our quality of life, longevity, health, as well as leading to a better understanding of the world around us?

DID YOU KNOW – That Pope John Paul II recognized the theory as correct science in 1996?

The concept of INTELLIGENT DESIGN is a fine philosophy – that is for people to decide for themselves. But a philosophy is just that – only philosophy. Science deals with facts, with reality, with the measurable impact on our daily lives. And until this philosophy contributes measurably to the way we live our lives, it must and should remain in a philosophy class, not in a scientific lab or classroom.

Because philosophy doesn’t save lives. It doesn’t vaccinate our children against the flu, or teach the surgeon to wield a scalpel. It doesn’t lead us to the perpetrator of a heinous crime, or protect our children from the ravages of disease.

Science does.

Science is not something we vote on - if it works, it works, and no amount of argument can change that.

For more information visit the following website's:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

http://lifesciences.asu.edu/evolution/

http://www.talkorigins.org/

I'm all up for a neat graphic, but for the life of me, can't seem to find (or think of) one that's appropriate.