Reports

History of science

Luca Tancredi Barone

Roma

Darwin, faith and fanciful theories

Evolutionism: the decline of a hypothesis. Is the surprising headline of a book published a few weeks ago. The publication includes the proceedings of the pro creationism agreement organized strictly behind closed doors, last February, in the classrooms of the Italian National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR).

13 January 2010

Luca Tancredi Barone | Roma

Fhoto: Colin Purrington

It seems odd, but perhaps more is that the coordinator of this pearl of modern scientific knowledge is nothing more nor less than the same vice president of the CNR, the Catholic historian (very Catholic) . Despite the embarrassing statements that the meeting had not "weighed in financial terms about the entity", the CNR has paid 9,840 Euros (VAT included) contributing to the publication of the book. But unlike the usual, the book does not incorporate the logo of the CNR, and "the contents do not reflect at all his official position" as stated by the president Luciano Maiani.

Maybe we should go back in time to understand what is happening. In 2004, De Mattei was appointed Vice President of CNR by the then Minister of Education Letizia Moratti, Berlusconi's government (the Scientific American journal described this appointment as “political”). The curriculum of De Mattei emphasizes his teaching of the History of Christianity in the European University of Rome. This private school, was recognized by the ministry in 2005, amid much controversy: in two years 14 universities had been officially registered and financed. The University is sponsored by the Legionaries of Christ, the controversial conservative religious order whose founder, Marcial Maciel, was removed from the ministry in 2006 due to addictions and sexual abuse.

The vice president of the CNR is also director of the magazine Radici Cristiane (Christian roots). In its June 2009 edition, a dossier attacked creationism with several articles between science fiction and delirium. Some of the titles: "Evolution contradicts science", "Evolution: A hypothesis that is ethically abhorrent", "From science, a categorical rejection of evolutionism", "The time required for settling conflicts with the evolutionary hypothesis", "Dinosaurs: much more modern than people think”. In the same magazine angry comments can be read like "The consequences of the so-called homophobia crime", "The 'Christian phobia'? A European problem" or "Why can´t Turkey join Europe. "

Finally, De Mattei Lepanto chairs the cultural centre dedicated to the famous 1571 battle that confronted Turks and the Holy League (formed by Spain, Venice, Genoa and the Vatican). It was when the Christians got the victory against the "bad".

The other side

Maiani is an accredited physicist of international scope. For the first time in Italy, his appointment in 2007 (by the Minister of the most leftist university Italy has ever had, Fabio Mussi) took place during the scientific evaluation of a committee (he was selected amongst 43 resumes). The Minister of the government of Prodi chose him amongst three names suggested by the group of experts. His appointment raised controversy when it emerged that, months earlier, he had signed a letter in order for the Pope not to inaugurate the academic year at La Sapienza University (Rome).

The surrealist polemic, led by the former chorister of the RAI Gabriella Carlucci, MP and member of the Committee on Culture, Science and Training (still is today), tried to say that Maiani did not know the physics theory (on elementary particles) that he had helped to build together with the Nobel Prizes Sheldon Glasgow and Carlo Rubbia. Parliament, then with a slight majority of the centre left, finally managed to approve the appointment despite the opposition. The return to power of Berlusconi has surrounded Maiani with an administration council from the right. At least they have not thrown him out.

10 years ago there was no controversy about evolution in Italy. The Church herself accepted it without reservations for decades, as emphasized by the anthropologist and priest Fiorenzo Facchini in Osservatore Romano, official organ of the Holy See. Recently, the president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the credited physicist Nicola Cabibbo, declared: "Creationism is not science and has no citizenship rights in our society”. The Academy is an independent body, with direct protection from the Pope, which advises the Vatican on scientific issues.

One of the most important Italian philosophers of science, Telmo Pievani, author of several books on evolution and Darwin and director of the portal Pikaia, explained in the journal Micromega: "The problem is that some find unsustainable, with regard to their personal vision of live, an ‘integrated’ faith, the philosophical and cultural implications of our knowledge of the natural history of the planet

The defence of those who are more Catholic than the Pope is that Darwinists see catholic conspiracies everywhere, that evolutionists carry out a "secular inquisition" and that Darwin's theory "cannot be proven", it is a “fantasy story". In short, they are the victims of censorship because they have a different opinion. But it is not about freedom of expression, as the biologist Ferdinando Boero explains in Micromega: "A scientific article that says the Earth is flat cannot be published”.

Pievani concludes: "There are also embattled creationists in the United States [...]. They may become leaders of major religious institutions [...] or presidents of foundations for the defence of their religious 'civilization' [...]. What is unusual is that they become vice presidents of a national research agency”.

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