All Terrain Thinking

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The Mims-Pianka controversy

In early March 2006 the Texas Academy of Science(TAS) honored University of Texas biologist Eric Pianka as its 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist during its 109th Annual Meeting at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. In a March 3, 2006 lecture at this 109th Annual Meeting, Pianka suggested that the human population is likely to crash, and that a mutant strain of Ebola (which has up to a 90% mortality rate) is a possible culprit.

In response to Pianka's speech, Forrest Mims states that Pianka had "endorsed the elimination of 90 percent of the human population" through a disease such as an airborne strain of the Ebola virus.

This report was reported in prisonplanet.com and also widely propagated through blogs including William Dembski's "Uncommon Descent" and "Telic Thoughts" (another pro-intelligent design blog which has since recanted its original report, Drudge Report and the Discovery Institute—the hub of the intelligent design movement and at which both Mims and Dembski sit as fellows. Dembski has also said that he has reported Pianka to the United States Department of Homeland Security

The March 3, 2006 talk given by Pianka is one that he calls his "doomsday talk". A recording was made of Pianka's delivery of his "doomsday talk" at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, and a transcript of this talk later was made public. Both Mim's original report and the TAS response statement of April 4, 2006 were based upon the March 3, 2006 instance of Pianka's "doomsday talk". The TAS statement said that "many of Dr. Pianka's statements have been severely misconstrued and sensationalized". Although no public record exists of Pianka's full March 3, 2006 lecture, there is nothing to suggest that the St. Edwards talk is different.

Threats to Pianka and the Texas Academy of Sciences

As a consequence of this, Pianka and members of the Texas Academy of Sciences have received death threats. According to Pianka, "His daughters are now worried about his and their safety, and says his life has been turned upside-down by 'right-wing fools.'"

William Dembski and the Department of Homeland Security

On 2 April, 2006, prominent intelligent design proponent William A. Dembski stated on his blog that he reported Eric Pianka to the Department of Homeland Security because he and fellow Discovery Institute affiliate Forrest Mims felt that Pianka's speech fomented bioterrorism. Dembski claims that the Department was already aware of Pianka's statements. Subsequently, Pianka was interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Austin.

On 5 April, Dembski offered a wager concerning Pianka:

"I'm willing to wager $1000 with David Hillis that sympathy not just nationally but at UT Austin for Pianka will take a nose dive once his TAS speech goes public. Of course, we need to set the terms of this wager more precisely. But it's a wager easily settled -- Pianka needs merely to make his speech before the TAS public (the actual speech -- not a bowdlerized version of it)."

Response to criticism

Pianka has appeared on NBC KXAN Austin and "be on two cable talk shows Tuesday ... to try and clear his name". At this time, a transcript of Pianka's initial comments is unavailable; however, no one who was present at Pianka's talk has stepped forward to back Mims' claim.

Pianka has posted an explanation on his University of Texas website (excerpt of longer statement):

"I have two grandchildren and I want them to inherit a stable Earth. But I fear for them. Humans have overpopulated the Earth and in the process have created an ideal nutritional substrate on which bacteria and viruses (microbes) will grow and prosper. We are behaving like bacteria growing on an agar plate, flourishing until natural limits are reached or until another microbe colonizes and takes over, using them as their resource. In addition to our extremely high population density, we are social and mobile, exactly the conditions that favor growth and spread of pathogenic (disease-causing) microbes. I believe it is only a matter of time until microbes once again assert control over our population, since we are unwilling to control it ourselves. This idea has been espoused by ecologists for at least four decades and is nothing new. People just don't want to hear it... I do not bear any ill will toward humanity. However, I am convinced that the world WOULD clearly be much better off without so many of us... We need to make a transition to a sustainable world. If we don't, nature is going to do it for us in ways of her own choosing. By definition, these ways will not be ours and they won't be much fun. Think about that."

University of Texas faculty and students are also supportive of their colleague and professor:

"Those roaming the corridors at Patterson Hall on the UT campus were very supportive of their teacher and colleague. Fellow professor David Hillis said most people were sympathetic of the nationally renowned professor's plight. "There's a strong anti-science sentiment in the country right now," Hillis said. Pianka "has such a passion for life and diversity. How anyone could paint him as pro-death is unbelievable. "" Doctoral student Tracy Heath, who has studied under Pianka, says ""He's just trying to make waves to get people to think."

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