16/01/2011

Devolving a Devo-Sceptic

The Open University has a new definition of the word Devolve. Rather than using it to describe the passing down of responsibilities to a subordinate legislature, the University has decided that Devolution is the reversal of Evolution. In order to promote their biology courses they have come up with a fun application called Devolve me – where you can upload a photograph of yourself and "devolve" back to what you might have looked like a couple of million years ago, had you not evolved into the highly developed creature that you are today.

Here is a picture of how a certain Welsh politician might look if he was not so opposed to devolution.


3 comments:

  1. seems like a harmless enough application but it's annoyed me because it completely butchers Darwin's theory. "Devolution" does not exist in evolutionary theory; populations evolve, and that's it. There is no "evolutionary ladder" from lower to higher or vice versa. Change = evolution. "Devolution" implies going "backwards", which is nonsensical.

    On the other hand (and to avoid seeming like a humourless cretin), "dinosaur" has entered the lexicon as an acceptable synonym for someone who's old-fashioned and outdated, so depicting Kinnock as a grizzly old terrible lizard would be amusing enough

    ReplyDelete
  2. The thought that the Open University, of all organisations, should butcher any sort of academic research is a bit farfetched.

    Being over defensive about Darwinism sounds like a bit of a wobble in your certainty that evolution is an undisputed fact, and a fear that creationists are getting the better of you. Show a bit of backbone and temper it with a bit of levity!

    There is nothing that is historically (or scientifically) wrong in doing backwards research. Here we are; how did we get here? is as valid a question as Here is where we started; where have we got to?.

    Infact On the Origin of Species itself tends to look at the question from the starting point of here is where we are now – how did we get here? So might be best described as a DEvolutionary treaties rather than an Evolutionary one!

    The point of this post, of course, is to show a silly picture of an opponent of Welsh devolution, rather than to start yet another tedious debate about evolution with you, Dylan

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, that can't be Ron Davies. He'd have black hair with white stripes!!

    ReplyDelete