Are the Darwinists afraid to debate us?

Dallas Morning News | Bruce Chapman and John West:

“Defenders of Darwinian theory publicly disparage intelligent design (often showing through their comments that they know very little about what it actually proposes), but they refuse to engage in genuine dialogue. What a different approach from that modeled by Darwin himself, who humbly and patiently responded to objections to his theory and who frankly acknowledged that 'a fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.' What are today's Darwinists so afraid of?”

Ed Cognoski responds:

The so-called "Darwinists" are not afraid of debate. They've been debating creationists since the time when the creationists had the full power of church and state on their side. That took real courage.

Like Darwin himself, today's scientists understand the need to examine the facts and arguments on both sides of each question. Unlike Darwin, today's scientists have the benefit of 150 years of history of doing just that regarding Darwin's theory of natural selection. Pardon them if they occasionally tire of rehashing the same old creationist objections dressed up in new clothes again and again. Scientists will still debate the creationists now and then, and they are always open to the possibility that the creationists might do some science themselves and put forth something new. But that they don't jump to debate the creationists every time they show up on stage is not a sign scientists are afraid of debate. Sometimes they prefer to let their work in the laboratory do their debating for them. Creationists ought to do more of that themselves instead of baiting scientists to debate them (again).