> Imagine planet Earth began its existence a mere 10,000 years ago, with all fossil records in place and carbon-14 well into decaying. It's very subtle, but th

> Imagine planet Earth began its existence a mere 10,000 years ago, with all fossil records in place and carbon-14 well into decaying. It's very subtle, but this is not the same as the Creationist myth prevalent in the U.S. The Creationist myth looks more like this: 1. The believer appeals to authority by claiming that the Earth is 10,000 years old because that's what is written in the source of all truth-- the Bible. 2. A scientist asks for clarification by generously filling in the missing steps with the most obvious and logically sound interpretation she can muster-- namely, that this means God must have created the Earth "with all fossil records in place and carbon-14 well into decaying." 3. The believer answers, "Yes." I know the author isn't claiming that her thought experiment is the same as the religious myth. But since millions of Americans actually believe the Creationist myth, I think it's important to keep in mind that it is practiced much less as a foray into the epistemology of science and much more like a simple phishing expedition.