Bill Nye and Ken Ham Debate

So over the last few years there has been a difference of opinion between Bill Nye (the famous Science Guy) and Ken Ham (one of the foremost voices of the Creationist Movement). Mr. Nye comes down on the side of a field of science that is governed by observing the world around us and using that information to explore our past and form theories and conclusions to explain it. Mr. Ham on the other hand does believe in many of the scientific principles accepted by the scientific community about exploring the worlds around us, but his ideas differ when it comes to explaining the history of the Earth.

Mr. Ham posits that there is no way we can determine what exactly happened in the past, because we were not there to witness it. His main witness, is the narrative that is in the Bible, and uses the events described to determine that the Earth cannot be older than 6000 years old. He defends this position basically by arguing that none of the techniques used to gauge the age of the earth are reliable, and that the words of the Bible are witness enough to explain this.

Mr. Nye on the other hand, believes that using science to explore our world around us will provide us with information and rules that help us understand our present, which then can be used to explore and explain our past. He cites evidence in the fossil record, carbon dating, study of the stars, layering in ice cores, and  the variations in the strata of rocks we find all over, as evidence to the world being 4.5 billion years old. He relies on information gathered through the scientific method to explain these questions to himself.

One of the best things about this debate is the fact that these two men got up on stage and presented their different sides to the audience. They then responded to each others views and even took turns answering these questions. Both men were respectful the entire time, despite the fact that they clearly did not agree with each other. It was what a true debate is supposed to be... two people trying to make their points with respect, and letting the audience judge their points of view.

It seems today we see politicians and people with different opinions going for quick jabs or talking points to degrade their opposition. Gone is any sort of respectful exchange of ideas and respect for each other. The attitude is that if someone does not agree with you, they are wrong and to then portray them as a fool for their ideas being different.

At no point in this debate did either speaker show any disrespect. They questioned each other, and did their best to make their point. Mr. Nye never made light of Mr. Ham's religious beliefs, and showed a great deal of respect for everyone's faith. Mr. Ham also did not ridicule or disrespect the beliefs held by his opponent, he just did his best to refute them as someone in a debate should.


Since this is my blog and I get an opinion. I have to go with Bill Nye as the winner of this debate. Both men had ideas and explanations for their points of view, but Nye's was rooted in multiple examples from different areas of science. Mr. Ham's main response to everything was that the Bible said something happened a certain way, and since there was not a scientist from today there to witness it that must have been the way that it happened.

Judge for yourself... the video is posted below.