Statistics Colloquium

Pseudomathematics In Anti-Evolutionist Literature

Evolution has the same status among biologists that relativity has for physicists or calculus has for mathematicians.  It is simply a standard and non-controversial aspect of daily practice in the field.  However, because of the challenges many people perceive between evolution and religion, the theory is often disputed in popular venues.  Anti-evolutionists use a wide variety of superficially scientific arguments to make their points and,  to a surprising degree, these arguments make use of mathematics.  We will look at some of these arguments, drawn from probability theory, optimization theory, and thermodynamics.  By coming to understand why these arguments fail, we will not only gain a better appreciation for the interplay between science and mathematics, but also learn the importance of being savvy about how mathematics can be abused to advance an agenda.