Rhetorical Delivery: Kirk Cameron's Origin of Species Campaign

1980s TV heartthrob (and evangelical Christian) Kirk Cameron and Living Waters, an evangelical organization, are teaming up to distribute copies of the Origin of Species to college students. Yes, you heard that right: They want 1 million college students to have copies of Darwin's text. They are also distributing 1000 copies of the so-called "Charles Darwin Bible" to public school teachers at the National Education Association conference

Of course there is a catch: they have altered Origin to include a 50 page introduction, which you can read here. The introduction offers a skeptical (read Intelligent Design) view of evolution (not just Darwin's theory, since it begins by questioning whether the complex patterns of DNA that make up human life could have happened by chance). Darwin knew nothing of DNA or even of the genetic mechanisms through which evolution occurred. Most of the introduction recycles familiar creationist/ID arguments, so I'm not going to consider those today.

What I am interested in is delivery--in rhetoric, the canon that deals with how things are said or, in light of media developments, how they are presented through visual, oral, and textual means. In this area, I fear that the ID movement far outperforms anyone hoping to increase public knowledge of evolution.

For one, Living Waters has a robust distribution network: an online presence, a (somewhat) celebrity spokesperson in Kirk Cameron, YouTube videos, and the resources to distribute a million free copies of their edition of Origin.

Informed readers will likely respond by pointing out the logical flaws, factual errors, and poor quality of research in the text itself. (The introduction mostly cites websites such as Answers in Genesis or simplified, textbook like explanations which it then criticizes for over-simplification). But they probably won't produce their own edition of Origin, with a more accurate introduction, and distribute it for free to college students.

In fact, it can be pretty hard to get your hands on a copy of Origin when you actually need one. Last semester, I assigned Origin to graduate students in my Rhetoric of Science class, but I forgot my copy when I was heading out of town for a conference. I figured I could pick one up at the airport on my way, but a search of 4 airport bookstores, in two different bookstores, yielded nothing. But I could have found an ID inspired text in two seconds flat.

Compare that with Harun Yahya, an Islamic creationist, who in 2007 sent free copies of his lavishly illustrated, 800 page Atlas of Creation to thousands of scientists, schools, and universities. You can also download free copies of all of Yahya's books on his website, or watch free movies, or download audio books.

Clearly, organizations like Living Waters and individuals like Yahya have millions of dollars at their disposal, and this gives them a rhetorical leg up on those hoping to educate people about evolution.

At RichardDawkins.net, for instance, you can read the occasional sample chapter, but I doubt Dawkins has the resources to send out thousands of free books. I have some reservations about Dawkins' rhetorical approach and its effectiveness for readers who aren't already skeptical about creationist claims, but he's probably one of the most prominent scientists who actively engages in public discussion of evolution. You can donate to his cause through his website.

Of course, as the film "Flock of Dodos" showed, even if scientists do get the chance to speak to public audiences about evolution, they often have trouble doing so in a persuasive manner. But that's a subject for another post.