THE Templeton Prize, which we reported on earlier this week, has been awarded to Professor Francisco Ayala, who insists that that attacking religion and ridiculing believers forces people to choose between God and Darwin. He singled out Richard Dawkins for criticism.
Professor Ayala, this year's Templeton prize winner
Richard Dawkins has been a friend for more than 20 years, but it is unfortunate that he goes beyond the boundaries of science in making statements that antagonise believers.
Professor Ayala, of the University of California, Irvine, who is an authority on evolution and genetics, won the prize for his contribution to the question:
Does scientific knowledge contradict religious belief?
According to this report, the professor, who was born in Spain and is a naturalised American, says science and religion cannot be in contradiction because they address different questions. It is only when either subject oversteps its boundary, as he believes is the case with Professor Dawkins, that a contradiction arises.
The scientific fundamentalism proposed by Dawkins implies a materialistic view of the world. But once science has had its say, there remains much about reality that is of interest. Common sense tells us that science can’t tell us everything.
This week Professor Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford, attacked the US National Academy of Sciences for hosting the Templeton ceremony.
Professor Ayala was ordained as a priest in 1960, but left the priesthood to study genetics. He maintains links with the Vatican, but would not reveal whether he believed in God.
My arguments are valid independent of my personal beliefs.
To his credit, Ayala has been a fierce opponent of the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in schools alongside evolution:
For the same reason that we don’t teach witchcraft in medicine or alchemy in chemistry classes.
Man’s “flawed” design, he said, made evolutionary theory more compatible with the idea of a benevolent creator than intelligent design.
Because of the flawed design of our reproductive systems more than 20 per cent of all pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion. Do you want to blame God for that? No, science has provided an answer. It is the clumsy ways of nature and the evolutionary process.
The Duke of Edinburgh will present the prize to Professor Ayala on May 5 in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Paul Davies, a cosmologist at Arizona State University and previous winner of the prize, said that the rise of fundamentalism had dampened what was once a productive dialogue between scientists and the religious community.
Most people do care whether there’s a deeper meaning to life and the Universe. Some of the founders of science were religious thinkers. This prize is part of that tradition.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
March 27th, 2010 at 10:31 am
A great mind no doubt but sadly an apologist.
March 27th, 2010 at 10:50 am
“Common sense tells us that science can’t tell us everything.”
Well, there’s a scientific argument for you…
March 27th, 2010 at 11:20 am
His article has been posted on RD.net and has already been torn to shreds by the RD faithful.
March 27th, 2010 at 11:43 am
This man, bizarrely, has the answers at his fingertips!
Just goes to show that even the intelligent, when brainwashed in their youth, just cannot shake off the bullshit.
March 27th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Ayala: “….making statements that antagonise believers”. Of course the religious never make statements that antagonise non-believers.
Ayala and this whole sorry saga of the Templeton prize have devalued science; the religious are always trying to latch onto to science to give their nonsense credibility. I can’t understand how people like Ayala can switch off the logic and reason part of their brains when it comes to religion; I suppose if you have had religious bollocks beaten into you from childhood it must be difficult to shake it off.
March 27th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I wonder, looking at the sad saga of the 200 deaf kids and counting from the RC apologists, the grisly fatwas and women abused by the Muslim hordes, the USA fundamentalists and so on how we can avoid “atagonising believers.” Fine for me as an atheist to be confined to hell but replying with words is “antagonising believers.” Richard Dawkins has courage and principles; this guy has the million quid and soppy views. I’m with Dawkins.
March 27th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Sadly, “Father” Francisco has become another sucker on the Templeton teat.
March 27th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Indeed. It seems that all the abortion clinic killings, mass murders committed in the name of some god or other, the neglect and abuse of women and children, are all inexplicably the result of science meddling with religion. Everybody throws out this “materialistic viewpoint” as though none of we atheists believe in honor or dignity as being important.
March 27th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Earthellism, a philosophy based on the science of astrobiology, resolves the conflict between science and God. Astrobiology recently has discovered the final fate of our planet and the likely fate of all planets that can sustain liquid water: however, astrobiology provides a vacuum to what will happen as life on this planet expires and what will happen to our planet’s ashes when it is cremated by our sun. The next logical step is a spiritual answer to what happens at the end and it revolves around forces around us that are not defined by science. These forces are love and the concept of a human soul. When our planet is cremated by our sun, forces not known to science will intervene to transport our souls to our next solar system. Only a force many call God can transport our souls to our next destination. Anyone who does not believe that there is a spiritual part of our existence only needs to investigate the power of love, the concept of soulmates and the true presence of an afterlife which are the most powerful forces in the universe and not adequately studied by science.
March 27th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
“Professor Ayala was ordained as a priest in 1960, but left the priesthood to study genetics. He maintains links with the Vatican, but would not reveal whether he believed in God.”
I reckon those two sentences more than describe this man’s thinking. He’s probably looking for his gods signature in every strand of DNA.
March 27th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
I am delighted that a person as severely afflicted as Professor Ayala can now afford the cure. Or does a brain transplant cost more than a million pounds?
March 27th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Ayala is a more subtle thinker than someone looking for God’s signature in DNA (or frozen waterfalls). I strongly suspect his beliefs about ‘God’ would be classified as ‘atheistic’ by many Christians.
He is also a biologist with major work done in the field.
March 27th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Broga,
Re: how we can avoid ‘atagonising believers’.
I’m at the stage in life where I no longer hold my tongue as I have done so many times when I was younger. If one of the massed fuckwits comes to my door, to spread their nonsense, I am now deliberately confrontational. I feel if I can keep my views to myself why the fuck can’t they?
I normally start with ‘prove it!’ and continue with ‘I’m afraid evolution is a fact’ and ‘if your heaven is so wonderful why don’t you kill yourself? Then finish with ‘don’t you ever think YOUR god would be somewhat embarrassed to have you as a follower?’ All four work wonderfully.
March 27th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I am an avid admirer of Richard Dawkins, but, notice that when he expresses his atheism, he attaches a caveat, based on what science still does not know. But, when Ayala states: “Common sense tells us that science can’t tell us everything,” that’s bullshit, it doesn’t tell us everything now, but the frontier is constantly receding. And while I agree that assumptions are a mistake before the facts are in evidence, that leaves no excuse for lending creedence to cave man myths and legends.
Barry paraphrased, “Man’s “flawed†design, he said, made evolutionary theory more compatible with the idea of a benevolent creator than intelligent design.” What????? Evolution is an absolutely ruthless machine, no conscience or compassion, if you cannot survive on your own it will trample you and never give you a second thought. It never held a memorial for the dinosaurs, and it won’t for humans either.
NeoWolfe
March 27th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Let me quote from THE GOD VIRUS by Darrel Ray: “No peer-reviewed study to date has found anything to indicate that religiosity enhances intelligence. In fact, it seems to have the opposite effect, which leads us to the hypothesis that the intelligence of otherwise intelligent people may be suppressed or inhibited by the constrictions of religiosity.”
March 27th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
harwood,
Darrel Ray rocks. Straight talking scientist. “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajdwru77hnc”
NeoWolfe
March 27th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
@ Erp. That was a little tongue in cheek about the signatures but I believe it wasn’t too long ago that people actually believed this.
March 27th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Landover Baptist Church: Come clean and admit that “Darshan Tolat” is really you. Other people write mindless drivel under a pseudonym to expose the philosophy they pretend to espouse as criminally insane. But you do it so much better than the others. This piece of Cuckoo’s-Nest verbal diarrhea is your best effort yet. “Astrobiology”? Brilliantly imbecilic!
March 28th, 2010 at 12:11 am
It is amazing to me that even educated people who are erudite in various field’s of science easily negate their knowledge. These people are so brain washed by religion that although they have tremendous achievements in various fields of science they are enchanted by religious superstition and follow baseless ideas.
March 28th, 2010 at 9:25 am
Maybe the Duke of Edingburgh will live up to his reputation for saying blunt and tactless things, and tell the Prof a home truth or two.
March 28th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
As a former biochemist I’ve always found science and religion incompatible.
Researchers can interpret data “flexibly” shall we say to please their paymasters. We’ve seen this in the past with tobacco companies and more recently with climate change sceptics working for oil companies.
For me Ayala now falls into this category. His statement, “But once science has had its say, there remains much about reality that is of interest. Common sense tells us that science can’t tell us everything”, is way off the mark. If there is something we don’t understand, it just highlights our ignorance. Maybe we should concentrate our research efforts in that direction, not look on in wonder at god’s creation?
March 28th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
He’s been a friend with Dawkins for a long time yet he doesn’t know him?
Dawkins doesn’t claim that you have to be an atheist and a supporter of Darwins theory of evolution.
There are many religious people who are believers in some faith but also believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution. Dawkins has debated many of these people.
March 29th, 2010 at 3:44 am
1984,
Well, I’m a person who labels himself an agnostic, but that doesn’t mean that at any given moment that I can be convinced that the earth is six thousand years old. And, natural selection is not a theory, it’s a fact. You may stupidly argue against evolution, and a case can be made by those who think god forgot about the dinosaurs, he’s got alzheimers. I keep my mind open about the origin of the universe, too, and that’s where the rub happens with atheists, but open your eyes and realize that nature is a heartless machine with zero conscience. No remorse. And if you think your god is the artist, judge him by his painting. A sociopathic bastard. Do you imagine that he loves you?? LOL, We will tread you into the sidewalk, like he did the dinosaurs, on his way to seeing how this drama works out.
NeoWolfe
March 29th, 2010 at 8:24 am
@Angela_K:
Exactly what I wanted to say! Whenever I am ‘antagonised’ by misogyny, child-abuse, denial of medical advancement etc. I am told, more or less, to shut up and respect their beliefs.
As if respect were something to which one had an automatic right, rather than having to earn it.
March 30th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
What a tiny neck he has. I don’t think he’s long for this world.