Last night I watched the entire Ken Ham-Bill Nye debate.  I haven’t seen anything like it in awhile.  Tell me if I’m wrong.  It was the biggest creation-evolution debate since the Scopes Trial.  Millions watched on CNN, MSNBC, and various online sites.  No creationist has been given this type of forum in decades.  It’s about time, and I hope it happens again.

I’ve debated two full fledged debates — one a single night like this debate, and another in a four night, three hour per night session.  I’ve coached debate some in our school.  I’ve watched many debates.  I think I understand debating.  Who won the debate?  I’m going to give you my take on that.  I think that I’m willing to give it to the winner, even if I don’t take his side.  From what I’m reading on the internet, most say that Bill Nye won the debate.  I understand that from the perspective that he was the more dynamic, aggressive communicator.  On sheer rhetoric, Bill Nye won the debate, but to judge the debate, we have to start with what they debated.

This was not a creation-evolution debate per se.  They were debating, “Is Creation a Viable Model of Origins in Today’s Modern, Scientific Era?”  With that as the title, the burden of proof fell on Ken Ham, because he’s the one who thinks that creation is a viable model of origins in today’s modern, scientific era, so he argued the positive.  The negative, the one attempting to disprove or cast doubt upon that positive assertion, was Bill Nye.  Ham’s positive was not a high bar to reach.  He didn’t have to prove creationism.  He didn’t have to disprove evolution.  He only needed to prove that creation was a viable model.  With that low requirement for Ham, it would be difficult for Nye to win the debate.

When thinking about this debate, think about a court room.  The defense only need prove reasonable doubt.  It doesn’t need to prove innocence.   That’s very much like this debate.  Creation didn’t need to defeat evolution.  However, in a court of law, if someone were to prove innocence, he would definitely win the case.  Or even further, he could prove who actually did commit the crime.

All Ham had to do was show that creationism was a viable model of origins.  So if he were to prove that creation was more viable than evolution, he would be surpassing his burden of proof.  If he proved evolution false and creation true, that would be even more of a victory — he wasn’t being required to meet that burden.

If someone does not judge the debate, like I’ve laid it out, then he won’t get the right decision for who won.  I understand that in a debate like this, there is the court of public opinion.  The public isn’t always or even normally going to judge rightly the winner.  Sometimes the public will favor the person who it likes, or the one who was more interesting, even the one who has less evidence, but is more bombastic and emotional and in fact uses repeated logical fallacies.  Ridicule, for instance, can sway public opinion.

However, when judging evidence, like a jury, style or emotional appeal isn’t supposed to enter into the decision.  Sometimes it will.  It’s why you want a lawyer who does both:  brings the best evidence and then presents it in a convincing, winning way.

I listen for actual arguments that relate to the actual debate topic.  Everything else is just white noise or a distraction.  Let me give an example of that.   I estimate that over ten times Nye responded to Ham by saying that what he was saying was “troubling.”  Ham didn’t say anything like that to Nye.  All those times that Nye said “troubling” perhaps influenced listeners, especially those that went into the debate supporting Nye, but does it really make any difference at all that Nye is “troubled”?  And he never, ever explained why he was troubled.

You might have noticed that while Nye talked, that Ham stood or sat on the side and gave no reaction to him.  However, when Ham talked, Nye sometimes stayed up and made facial expressions about Ham, sometime to the audience, in a disrespectful way.  I would call that kind of practice “bush league.”  But it can impact people’s thinking about who won the debate.  It shouldn’t, but it does.  It won’t in my judgment, because that’s not how a debate should be judged.  Points should be taken off for that kind of behavior.

Ham easily won the debate.  Why?  Or, How?  He met and surpassed the burden of proof necessary for their pre-agreed debate subject.  How can I make that judgment?  Nye hardly answered, or even attempted to answer, Ham’s arguments.  Ham had little time to make many arguments, but when he did, and when he asked Nye questions, Nye didn’t answer them.  On the other hand, Ham answered every one of Nye’s arguments.  And he only needed to give a viable alternative to what evolution says.   He did.  It’s certainly possible that Nye and others didn’t like Ham’s answers or responses, but he answered, and they were viable answers.  I believe that he actually went further than his burden of proof and showed creationism to be a more viable alternative than evolution.  Why do I think that?

I took no notes on the debate.  Maybe I’ll go back and watch it again some time and take notes.  However, both men were clear enough that I can remember without notes their arguments.