Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers (b. 1957-03-09) is a biology professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris and a science blogger via his weblog, Pharyngula (previously Pharyngula.org). He is currently an associate professor of biology at Morris, works in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), and has a particular interest in cephalopods. A self-avowed "godless liberal" and outspoken atheist, he is a public critic of intelligent design (ID) creationism and an activist in the American controversy surrounding the teaching of creationism. He is a vocal skeptic of all forms of religion, superstition, spirituality and pseudoscience. He is quoted as having "nothing but contempt for ID" and its followers.[1]
Background
Myers was born March 9, 1957, the eldest of six children in Kent, Washington. He was named "Paul Zachary", after his grandfather, but preferred the initials PZ to being called "Little Paul."
He claims to have been a "science geek" from an early age, gaining an interest in zoology and marine biology from studying the insides of fish while on fishing trips with his father.
Though now an atheist, Myers was raised as a Christian. Prior to his confirmation, Myers experienced a change of heart: "I started thinking, you know, I don't believe a word of this".[1] He says he does not harbor any bad feelings concerning his upbringing. Despite this statement, Myers has been known to make inflammatory statements about Christians and religious believers, saying, for example, "I'm hostile to evangelical Christianity, and I think it is a blight upon the earth."[2].
Education
In 1975, Myers set off to DePauw University in Indiana on a full scholarship. However, he returned the next year after his father suffered a heart attack. He then attended University of Washington in 1979 to receive a Bachelor of Science in oceanography. He drifted away from this field toward evolutionary developmental biology and obtained a PhD in Biology from the University of Oregon.
Post-graduate career
Myers has taught and researched at the University of Oregon, the University of Utah and Temple University. He is currently an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota's Morris, Minnesota, campus.
Internet involvement and criticism of Intelligent Design
Myers was an early convert to Internet technology. On user groups, forums and Web sites such as talk.origins, he became involved in scientific debates, particularly those surrounding the growing creationist movement in the United States. He was a founding member of The Panda's Thumb, and in June 2002 he created his own Web site and blog, Pharyngula.org.
Pharyngula.org
Pharyngula is Myers' personal weblog. The topics Myers covers are eclectic, delving into the non-scientific as well as scientific. It has become particularly well-known for Myers' writing style (characterized by sarcasm) and criticism of intelligent design creationism and has been ranked as the third-most-read blog maintained by a Minnesotan. Pharyngula won the 2005 Koufax Award for Best Expert Blog. The science journal Nature listed Pharyngula as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist.[3]
According to Alexa.com, Pharyngula.org was started on 19 June, 2002.[4] It started out as an experiment in writing instruction for a class. Students were required to submit mini-essays to be published online. After the project was finished, Myers still had the web-publishing software, and started to use it personally. The weblog is named after his favourite stage in embryonic development, the pharyngula stage. Pharyngula moved to hosting at scienceblogs in 2005.
On Pharyngula, Myers has often criticized the Discovery Institute, Answers in Genesis and other creationist websites. As well as criticizing the pseudoscientific claims of intelligent design proponents and others, [5] Pharyngula includes posts on a broad variety of topics that interest Myers. These include cephalopods (creatures that Myers finds most fascinating); science; religion; politics; local, national and international politics, particularly those involving science and/or education; superstition; the Flying Spaghetti Monster; evolutionary developmental biology; and more.
It has been claimed that there is videotape proof that Myers stated on the Pharyngula blog a false eyewitness account of the Q&A session that followed a speech by invited speaker Mike S. Adams on the University of Minnesota-Morris campus.[1]
Pinkoski's "PYGMIES + DWARFS" logic
Myer's criticism of Jim Pinkoski's creationist comic books have gained some level of internet notierity. Enough, that Myers reposted the series of criticisms out of the Pharyngul.org archive to the new scienceblogs website. Prominent in the series is Myer's backlash to Pinkoski's logic about decreasing human stature. Pinkoski argued that since many insects are smaller than their prehistoric ancestors were, it is not absurd to assume that humans have likewise been reduced in stature. This, he argues, explains why Adam was 15 feet tall, Noah 12 feet, and modern man just 6 feet in height and concludes by saying: "If you doubt this is possible, how is it there are PYGMIES + DWARFS??""[6] Myers commented that "the existence of pygmies and dwarfs has nothing to do with whether men were 15 feet tall 6000 years ago, and I had to laugh out loud. It's an incredibly useful phrase that's going to come in handy."[6].
See also
References
- ^ a b The Mad Scientist, Interview on City Pages
- ^ Left or Right, religion and politics don't mix - Pharyngula
- ^ Top five science blogs. 5 July 2006. Accessed 3 September 2006.
- ^ Related Info for: pharyngula.org/ Accessed 3 September 2006.
- ^ National Science Teachers Association, a professional association of 55,000 science teachers and administrators in a 2005 press release: "We stand with the nation's leading scientific organizations and scientists, including Dr. John Marburger, the president's top science advisor, in stating that intelligent design is not science.…It is simply not fair to present pseudoscience to students in the science classroom." National Science Teachers Association Disappointed About Intelligent Design Comments Made by President Bush National Science Teachers Association Press Release August 3 2005
- ^ a b If you doubt this is possible, how is it there are PYGMIES + DWARFS?? - Pharyngula