'Chicken and egg' statement confounds rational debate

SCMP Education Mailbag July 10, 2009

From unnecessary arrogance to being oblivious to the obvious coincidences of our world, Virginia Yue confounds rational debate ("Egg came before bird with sharp beak", Education Post, July 3).

Her statement on whether the chicken or the egg came first - "the question shows a lack of knowledge of the topic" - summarily dismisses the need for teachers. Why do we need teachers if a student is supposed to come to the obvious conclusion alone? Oh, I forgot. Teachers are the ones giving the correct conclusions as none can confess any errors. Then again, why ask any question if the response is one of condescension, self-pride and belittlement?

Opponents of intelligent design cannot articulate what they are arguing against. Case in point is the question Ms Yue asks: "What are the extreme numbers of coincidences that make life on earth possible?"

How can anyone argue against a philosophy he or she knows very little about? Meanwhile, science is still looking into subatomic particles and cannot claim to have all the answers, either in this area or for exactly how life came about. I wonder if evolution proponents ever consider how the universe began or theories for how the Big Bang came about. Maybe we are all just cosmic accidents of a self-creating universe.

Is it a coincidence that the earth is just the right distance from the sun, not too close or too far away? The earth is tilted on its axis and one effect of this is that most of the planet can support life.

Is it at all odd that we have such a vast collection of metals on earth and great reserves of oil? Even the amount and properties of water on earth help to sustain life here.

The coincidences go on but we dare not ask questions directly of those who have all the answers lest they sharply rebuke us. I hope that our students in schools here fare better, but I wonder. Oh, I'm sorry - I'm not supposed to do that.

GORDON TRUSCOTT, Tin Shui Wai