Duane Gish#Debates

{{Infobox person

| name = Duane Gish

| image = Duanegish.jpg

| caption =

| birth_name = Duane Tolbert Gish

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|2|17}}

| birth_place = White City, Kansas, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|3|5|1921|2|17|df=yes}}

| death_place = San Diego, California, U.S.

| known_for = Prominent public speaker on creationism

| module = {{Infobox military person

| embed = yes

| allegiance = {{flag|United States}}

| branch = {{flag|United States Army}}

| rank = Captain

| awards = Bronze Star Medal

|battles = World War II

| serviceyears = 1941–1945}}

| education = University of California, Los Angeles (BS)
University of California, Berkeley (MA, PhD)

| employer = University of California, Berkeley
Cornell University
Institute for Creation Research

}}

Duane Tolbert Gish (February 17, 1921 – March 5, 2013{{cite web |url=http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2013/03/06/Gish-home |first=Mark |last=Looy |title=Creation Debater Dr. Duane Gish Passes Away |date=6 March 2013 |work=answersingenesis.org |publisher=Answers in Genesis |access-date=March 6, 2013}}) was an American biochemist and a prominent member of the creationist movement.{{cite book |last = Hayward |first = James L. |year = 1998 |title = The Creation/Evolution Controversy : an Annotated Bibliography |publisher = Scarecrow Press/Salem Press |page = [https://archive.org/details/creationevolutio0000hayw/page/253 253] |isbn = 0-8108-3386-7 |url = https://archive.org/details/creationevolutio0000hayw/page/253 }} A young Earth creationist, Gish was a former vice-president of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) and the author of numerous publications about creation science.

Gish was called "creationism's T. H. Huxley" for the way he "relished the confrontations" of formal debates with prominent evolutionary biologists, usually held on university campuses,{{harvnb|Numbers|2006|page=316}} while abandoning formal debating principles, in a style that came to be known as the Gish gallop. A creationist publication noted in his obituary that "it was perhaps his personal presentation that carried the day. In short, the audiences liked him."{{cite web | author= Henry Morris III | title=Duane Gish: Celebrating a Creation Champion | url=http://www.icr.org/article/7401/ | date=2013 | work= Acts & Facts|volume=42|issue=5|pages=18–19 | access-date=July 31, 2015}}

Early life and education

Gish, a twin, was born in White City, Kansas, the youngest of nine children. He served in World War II, attaining the rank of captain, and was awarded the Bronze Star.{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sandiegouniontribune/obituary.aspx?n=duane-t-gish&pid=163795335 |title=Duane T. Gish Obituary: View Duane Gish's Obituary by San Diego Union-Tribune |publisher=Legacy.com |access-date=2015-07-31}} He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California, Los Angeles, in 1949, and he obtained his biochemistry Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1953. He worked as an assistant research associate at Berkeley, and as an assistant professor at Cornell University Medical College for eighteen years, joining the Upjohn Company as a research associate in 1960.{{cite book |author=Smout, Kary D. |title=The creation/evolution controversy: a battle for cultural power |publisher=Praeger |location=New York |year=1998 |isbn=0-275-96262-8 }}{{page needed|date=January 2014}}

Creationism

A Methodist from age ten, and later a fundamentalist Baptist, Gish believed that the Genesis creation narrative was historical fact.{{harvnb|Numbers|2006|page=251}} After reading the booklet Evolution, "Science Falsely So-called" in the late 1950s, Gish became persuaded that science had produced falsifiable evidence against evolutionary theory, particularly the origin of life, and that various fields of science offered corroborating evidence in support of the Genesis creation narrative."Dr. Duane Gish: Crusader", [http://www.creationresearch.org/creation_matters/96/cm9601.html Creation Matters, Volume 1, Number 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120723151315/http://www.creationresearch.org/creation_matters/96/cm9601.html |date=2012-07-23 }} January/February 1996 He joined the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA), an association of Christian scientists, mistakenly assuming the group supported creationism. Through his affiliation at the ASA, Gish met geneticist and creationist William J. Tinkle, who in 1961 invited Gish to join a newly formed anti-evolution caucus within the ASA.

In 1971, Gish became a member of the faculty at San Diego Christian College, working in its research division before accepting a position at the Institute for Creation Research (independent since 1981). He was the author of several books and articles espousing creationism. His best-known work, Evolution: The Fossils Say No!, published in 1972, has been widely accepted by creationists as an authoritative reference. Gish initially "assigned low priority to the question of [the] age [of the Earth]".{{harvnb|Numbers|2006|page=260}}.

At his death on March 5, 2013, Gish held the position of Senior Vice-President Emeritus at the ICR.{{cite web|title=Duane T. Gish dies |url=http://ncse.com/news/2013/03/duane-t-gish-dies-0014753 |publisher=The Skeptical Review|access-date=10 March 2013|date=March 6, 2013

}}

Debates

Gish's debating opponents said that he used a rapid-fire approach during a debate, presenting arguments and changing topics quickly. Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, dubbed this approach the "Gish gallop", describing it as "where the creationist is allowed to run on for 45 minutes or an hour, spewing forth torrents of error that the evolutionist hasn't a prayer of refuting in the format of a debate".{{cite web |url = http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/debating/globetrotters.html |title = Debates and the Globetrotters |last = Scott |first = Eugenie |date = 1994-07-07 |publisher = Talk Origins Archive |access-date = 2007-10-30 |author-link = Eugenie Scott }} She also criticized Gish for failing to answer objections raised by his opponents.{{cite web |url = http://ncse.com/rncse/24/6/confronting-creationism |title = Confronting Creationism: When and How |last = Scott |first = Eugenie |author-link = Eugenie Scott |access-date = 2009-01-19 |date = November–December 2004 |publisher = National Center for Science Education }}

However, Gish said a similar thing about his debate opponents, especially Kenneth Miller. Gish accused Miller of using spread debating, i.e. speaking very fast and bringing up so many points that there was no chance to answer them all.Gish, D.T., Creation Scientists Answer Their Critics, IRC, 1993

Gish was also criticized for using a standardized presentation during debates. While undertaking research for a debate with Gish, Michael Shermer noted that Gish re-used similar openings, assumptions about his opponent, slides, and even jokes. For example, during the debate, Gish attempted to prove that Shermer was indeed an atheist and therefore immoral, even though Shermer said he was not an atheist and was willing to accept the existence of a divine creator.{{cite book |author-link =Michael Shermer |last = Shermer |first = Michael |title=Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, And Other Confusions Of Our Time |url =https://archive.org/details/whypeoplebelieve00mich |url-access =registration |publisher=A.W.H. Freeman/Owl Book |location=New York |year=1997 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/whypeoplebelieve00mich/page/128 128–136]|isbn=0-7167-3387-0 }} Massimo Pigliucci, who debated Gish five times, said that Gish ignored evidence contrary to his religious beliefs.{{cite book |last=Pigliucci |first=Massimo |author-link=Massimo Pigliucci |title=Denying evolution: creationism, scientism, and the nature of science |publisher=Sinauer Associates |location=Sunderland, Mass |year=2002 |isbn=0-87893-659-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/denyingevolution00mass }}{{page needed|date=January 2014}} Robert Schadewald accused Gish of stonewalling arguments with fabricated data.{{cite web |url = http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/6flood.htm |title = Six Flood Arguments Creationists Can't Answer |first = Robert J. |last = Schadewald |publisher = Lhup.edu |access-date = 2015-07-31 |archive-date = 2012-07-14 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120714061225/http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/6flood.htm |url-status = dead }}

Works

{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title= 15 Scopus Publishers |url=https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=6603370199}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Speculations and Experiments on the Origins of Life |year=1972 |publisher=New Leaf Pr |isbn=0-89051-010-5}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Evidence against evolution |publisher=Tyndale House Publishers |location=Wheaton, Ill |date=1972 |isbn=0-8423-0790-7}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Evolution, the fossils say no! |publisher=Institute for Creation Research Publishing |location=San Diego, Calif |orig-year=1972|date=1986 |isbn=0-89051-057-1}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Have You Been... Brainwashed? |publisher=Life Messengers |location=Seattle, Washington |date= 1973|page= 32|oclc=10930514}}
{{cite book |author1=Hillestad, George M. |author2=Morris, Henry |author3=Gish, Duane T. |title=Creation: acts, facts, impacts |publisher=ICR Pub. Co |location=San Diego, Calif |year=1974 |isbn=0-89051-020-2 }}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Dinosaurs: Those Terrible Lizards |publisher=Master Books |location=Green forest, Arkansas |date= 1977|isbn=0-89051-039-3}}
{{cite book |author1=Rohrer, Donald H. |author2=Gish, Duane T. |title=Up with creation!: ICR acts/facts/impacts, 1976-1977 |publisher=Creation-Life Publishers |location=San Diego, California |date=1978 |isbn=0-89051-048-2}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Manipulating life, where does it stop?: Genetic engineering |publisher=Master Books |location=Green Forest, Arkansas |date= 1981|isbn=0-89051-071-7}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Evolution: the challenge of the fossil record |publisher=Creation-Life Publishers |location=San Diego, Calif |date=1985 |isbn=0-89051-112-8}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Creationist Research 1964-1988 |publisher=Creation Research Society |date= 1988|isbn= 0-940384-06-X}}
{{cite book |author1=Bonnie Snellenberger |author2=Gish, Duane T. |author3=D Dish |author4=Earl Snellenberger |title=The Amazing Story of Creation: From Science and the Bible |publisher=Master Books |location=Green Forest, Arkansas |date=1990 |isbn=0-89051-120-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/amazingstoryofcr0000gish }}
{{cite book |author1=Gloria Clanin |author2=Gish, Duane T. |author3=Earl Snellenberger |author4=Bonita Snellenberger |title=Dinosaurs by Design |publisher=Master Books |location=Green Forest, Arkansas |date=1992 |isbn=0-89051-165-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/dinosaursbydesig00gish }}
{{cite book |author=D. Gish |title=Creation Scientists Answer Their Critics |publisher=Institute for Creation Research |location=El Cajon, California |date= 1993|isbn=0-932766-28-5}}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Teaching Creation Science in Public Schools |publisher=Institute for Creation Research |location=El Cajon, Calif |date=1995 |isbn=0-932766-36-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/teachingcreation00gish }}
{{cite book |author=Gish, Duane T. |title=Evolution: The Fossils Still Say No!|publisher=Master Books|date=1995 |page=277 |isbn=0-89051-112-8}}

References

External links

{{Internet Archive author |sname=Duane Gish}}
[http://infidels.org/library/modern/ken_saladin/saladin-gish2/ The Saladin-Gish II Debate (1988)]
[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/cre-error.html Gish's errors in 'scientific' creationism]
{{IMDb name|1581165}}

Category:1921 births

Category:2013 deaths

Category:20th-century American biochemists

Category:20th-century American writers

Category:20th-century Baptists

Category:21st-century Baptists

Category:20th-century Methodists

Category:Methodists from Kansas

Category:United States Army personnel of World War II

Category:Scientists from Kansas

Category:Christian fundamentalists

Category:American Christian Young Earth creationists