Prof draws fire on evolution

Arthur Caplan is not one to shy away from controversy. The director of the Penn's Center for Bioethics has received intense criticism for a recent article he penned for MSNBC.com, arguing that the completed human genome proves Darwin's theory of evolution. The MSNBC.com article generated over 1,000 messages -- about 90 percent of which were critical -- but Caplan pointed out that a poll accompanying the article showed readers were almost evenly divided between supporters of and detractors from his thesis. "People feel threatened by these accounts," Caplan said. "They don't come on with quite the same response when someone outlines a foreign policy for Bosnia in 350 words." According to Caplan, only his earlier MSNBC.com pieces on abortion have prompted more e-mail responses. Caplan said he wrote the article because he was struck by the similarities between human DNA and that of other species, especially by the imperfect, "jerry-rigged" nature of some sequences. "Even though they're a mess, they're a mess in very similar ways," Caplan said. "You can track, in a very continuous manner... the pattern of change." Andrew Rennekamp, a College junior and a biology and anthropology major, criticized Caplan's article. "He says the proof is right there in our genes, but he doesn't say what the proof is," Rennekamp said. "His argument is very shallow." But Caplan explained that in the limited space for his article, he could not discuss all of the details of his argument. "For 400 words, you're not going to get it," he said. "You're never going to make the case." Much of Caplan's criticism comes from supporters of creationism, but Caplan sees science and religion as taking on completely different roles. "Organized religion doesn't impress me all the time, but I'm not anti-religious," Caplan said. "I'm hostile to the view that the biblical account is somehow scientific. People who argue for teaching creationism as science are disrespectful of religion." While Caplan expressed disappointment that some of his colleagues do not speak out in support of evolution, Center for Bioethics Associate Director Glenn McGee was not hesitant to offer his argument. "I believe creationism is fraudulent and frequently dangerous," McGee said. "I have been floored and a little bit frightened by the staggering number of angry, mindless creationists at our doorstep." Caplan is a professor of bioethics, molecular and cellular engineering and philosophy. He acted as an advisor to both Celera Genomics and the Human Genome Project, the two chief players in the competition to sequence the full human genome.

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