I don't plan on reviewing this show every week; it's not like Cosmos is some atheism vehicle. But whenever the mood strikes me I will post something. I admit I was very happy to see the writers move immediately to tackling evolution, which comes at a very poignant time. Intelligent Design, which is beyond preposterous, is making another surge throughout this country. The ignorance this movement displays is beyond perplexing, and, as Cosmos executive producer Seth MacFarlane parenthetically has said, this country's science knowledge is slipping because of these nutjobs.
I'm sure Neil deGrasse Tyson works with the show's writers, so when I refer to what he says on the show, I don't for a minute believe everything he says is written by him. But the way they opened the show with the evolution of the domesticated dog was pure genius. It's a perfect example because it shows the layman a tangible element, and it's a way to show evolution happening essentially right before our eyes. There's no need to refer to "micro" evolution vs. "macro" evolution to show this incredible life-altering event occurring (as creationists are wont to do).
Some of the other highlights of the show include NGT referring to the Theory of Evolution as fact, practically daring the ID community to step up to the plate and take a swing at what he's lobbing up there. The show isn't taking any unnecessary shots at religion, because he's letting the facts speak for themselves. But that isn't to say NGT isn't making statements that will piss off a lot of religious people, including my favorite:
"There is no shame in admitting that you don't know something. The real shame is pretending you know everything."
This clearly is a universal statement that promotes critical thinking, but if the religious are listening carefully they will hear the undertones that their holy texts don't have all of the answers and should never be considered a complete tome of knowledge.
Bravo Cosmos.
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