Steve #1000 Named

Posted 15 February 2009 by Reed A. Cartwright

This weekend, NCSE named Steve #1000. After much secrecy, they revealed that Dr. Steven P. Darwin of Tulane University in New Orleans was the 1000th member of Project Steve.

Dr. Steve Darwin -- no relation to Charles -- has been a botanist and evolutionary biologist for over thirty years. Darwin is not only a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Tulane University in New Orleans, but also Director of Tulane's herbarium, which boasts 115,000 specimens, with a focus on flora from the southeastern United States. He is the author of thirty-five publications in the field of plant biology.

32 Comments

Zohu · 15 February 2009

Does anybody know if this was arranged or random?

Bob O'H · 15 February 2009

Dr. Steve Darwin – no relation to Charles –

*ahem* I thought one of the main points of Charles Darwin's 1859 abstract was that we are all related.

KP · 15 February 2009

A further slap in the face to Jindal! I love it!

KP · 15 February 2009

KP said: A further slap in the face to Jindal! I love it!

And to the DI. Who was on that "Dissent from 'Darwinism'" list again???

Marion Delgado · 15 February 2009

Nice touch.

Strangebrew · 15 February 2009

Subtle and quite pointed!

Frank J · 15 February 2009

*ahem* I thought one of the main points of Charles Darwin’s 1859 abstract was that we are all related.
— Bob O H

Now that the NCSE officially denies common descent, will they all sign the DI's "dissent" statement and increase the pathetically low % of signatories who deny it? ;-)

chuck · 15 February 2009

Zohu said: Does anybody know if this was arranged or random?

Natural selection. The random part just got him the name in the first place.

Ian H Spedding FCD · 15 February 2009

In light of the Clergy Letter Project, would it be true to say that one kilosteve equals ten kiloclerics?

Ron Okimoto · 15 February 2009

Bob O'H said:
Dr. Steve Darwin – no relation to Charles –
*ahem* I thought one of the main points of Charles Darwin's 1859 abstract was that we are all related.

No, he is a space alien. Get with the conspiracy or get out.;-)

Dr. Grant · 15 February 2009

How many scientists signed the ID document by comparison?

James F · 15 February 2009

Dr. Grant said: How many scientists signed the ID document by comparison?

Technically 753, but only 172 have degrees in biology or biology-related fields, unlike the majority of the Steves. And the list actually says nothing about intelligent design, so some of the initial signers were duped into being part of a propaganda campaign.

Elles · 15 February 2009

no relation to Charles

Wrong. They share a common ancestor... if you go back far enough.

notedscholar · 15 February 2009

A lucky fellow! I hope they do this with other names soon.

NS
http://sciencedefeated.wordpress.com/

386sx · 15 February 2009

Zohu said: Does anybody know if this was arranged or random?

Sounds like it was arranged. I don't think it's any coincidence that his name is Steve. Sounds a little *too* convenient, if you ask me. That's a lot of Steves though. (There might not be any more left. I don't know.)

Reed A. Cartwright · 15 February 2009

Zohu said: Does anybody know if this was arranged or random?

I recommended Dr. Darwin for the honor. Make of it what you will.

386sx · 15 February 2009

Dr. Steven P. Darwin

Let me guess: Dr. Steven Panda Darwin.

James F · 15 February 2009

Reed A. Cartwright said:
Zohu said: Does anybody know if this was arranged or random?
I recommended Dr. Darwin for the honor. Make of it what you will.

Don't forget that 996 Steves had already been designated before the conference. It's pretty amazing that a Steve named Darwin from Louisiana was available at just about the right time, no matter how you slice it.

Monado · 15 February 2009

And since about 1% of scientists are named Steve or some variation thereof (Stephanie, Stefan, etc.), the list represents about 100,000 scientists who accept the overwhelming evidence for evolution. Congratulations, organizers of the Steve Project!

ofro · 15 February 2009

Reed A. Cartwright said:
Zohu said: Does anybody know if this was arranged or random?
I recommended Dr. Darwin for the honor. Make of it what you will.

In other words, it was intelligently designed. Just wait until the DI hears about that.

Joseph O'Donnell · 15 February 2009

Does anybody know if this was arranged or random?

If only we had some method of detecting design that worked reliably and wouldn't produce false positives easily. Hmmm....

Grenangle · 15 February 2009

Now I will be singing that damn song all night. Fantastic news. This has tickled me pink since I first heard of it.

Ravilyn Sanders · 16 February 2009

James F said: Technically 753, but only 172 have degrees in biology or biology-related fields, unlike the majority of the Steves. And the list actually says nothing about intelligent design, so some of the initial signers were duped into being part of a propaganda campaign.

Some have retired, and some have died too. Also the assumption that steve conentration in the name pool is 1/100 has to be questioned. The Deception Institute has expanded beyond US/Western Europe and have included a few signatories from East Asian countries. (Need citation. But hate to give their site more traffic, Is there a reliable replica of their list?)

Frank J · 16 February 2009

In other words, it was intelligently designed. Just wait until the DI hears about that.
— ofro

It won't help the DI, here's why. The DI refuses to say how many biological designers there are. They know it can be anywhere from zero to infinity, but they also know that their largest base doesn't want to hear anything other than their one designer. The DI's silence keeps them believing. Meanwhile, Steve 1000 undoubtedly required more than one designer.

Viva · 18 February 2009

I'm new to this (very engaging!) web site. I'm enjoying the posts very much. I am confused about just one thing -- why do so many people write "DI" instead of "ID" -- the first couple of times I assumed were type-os, but there seem too many, and in too many different threads, for that. Is DI actually an accepted acronym???

mrg (iml8) · 18 February 2009

Viva said: I'm new to this (very engaging!) web site. I'm enjoying the posts very much. I am confused about just one thing -- why do so many people write "DI" instead of "ID" -- the first couple of times I assumed were type-os, but there seem too many, and in too many different threads, for that. Is DI actually an accepted acronym???

Quickly answer -- DI is "Discovery Institute" of Seattle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Institute Don't worry, the squabbling will become more tiring if you hand around long enough. Cheers -- MrG / http://www.vectorsite.net/gblog.html

Viva · 18 February 2009

DU (that's duh!). Thanks for cluing me in. And thanks for the warning about tiring of the squabbling. A recently "born again" friend of mine (who happens to live in the recently honored Steve's neck of the woods) just told me she thinks Dawkins is a idiot and asked if I'd seen "Expelled," calling it "brilliant." Watching the back and forth here is sort of a vicarious way to engage in debate with her without stressing our old friendship! Cowardly maybe, but one must choose one's battles. My thanks to Panda's Thumb!

mrg (iml8) said:
Viva said: I'm new to this (very engaging!) web site. I'm enjoying the posts very much. I am confused about just one thing -- why do so many people write "DI" instead of "ID" -- the first couple of times I assumed were type-os, but there seem too many, and in too many different threads, for that. Is DI actually an accepted acronym???
Quickly answer -- DI is "Discovery Institute" of Seattle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Institute Don't worry, the squabbling will become more tiring if you hand around long enough. Cheers -- MrG / http://www.vectorsite.net/gblog.html

mrg (iml8) · 18 February 2009

Viva said: Cowardly maybe, but one must choose one's battles.

I have chosen this one but sometimes I wish I hadn't. If I could see the light at the end of the tunnel I would feel a bit better about it, but alas it's dark all the way down there. Cheers -- MrG / http://www.vectorsite.net/gblog.html

Viva · 18 February 2009

mrg (iml8) said: If I could see the light at the end of the tunnel I would feel a bit better about it, but alas it's dark all the way down there.

Hmm, yes. But don't get too depressed. The world will go on spinning whether there is agreement or not among humans on why it spins. When frustrated by what I see as stupidity in my species I try to make use of the amazing capacity we humans have (thanks to luck and natural selection!) to be awestruck by the wonders of nature and human creativity, and made joyful by the beauty in the things we do and do not yet understand. I may be an atheist but I'm for some blind faith in the necessity for focusing on the positive overall. Oh, forgive the innocent words of a Panda's Thumb novice!

mrg (iml8) · 18 February 2009

The problem is that it feels like a grown person having a bitter argument with small children. "This is embarrassing." But the argument goes on nonetheless.

Cheers -- MrG / http://www.vectorsite.net/gblog.html

Viva · 18 February 2009

mrg (iml8) said: The problem is that it feels like a grown person having a bitter argument with small children. "This is embarrassing." But the argument goes on nonetheless. Cheers -- MrG / http://www.vectorsite.net/gblog.html

I hear you, and I feel your pain.

Frank J · 19 February 2009

A recently “born again” friend of mine (who happens to live in the recently honored Steve’s neck of the woods) just told me she thinks Dawkins is a idiot and asked if I’d seen “Expelled,” calling it “brilliant.”
— Viva

Just for fun - and the extremely unlikely possibility that she might change her mind to the pro-science position of fellow born-again Francis Collins - you might ask what she thought of "Expelled Exposed." Since anti-evolutionists demand "equal time" we "must" assume that she read and understood it, and that she is concerned why Ben Stein has yet to respond to the constructive criticism in "Set Ben Straight." For more fun, ask her opinion on the age of life and whether humans share common ancestors with other species. Then point her to anti-evolutionists who hold contradictory positions and ask if she plans to challenge them.