“A controversial creationist who successfully campaigned for Richard Dawkins’ official website to be banned in Turkey has offered a multitrillion- pound challenge to scientists.

Adnan Oktar said that he has “issued a call to all evolutionists” that he will give “10 trillion Turkish lira to anyone who produces a single intermediate-form fossil demonstrating evolution” - a sum roughly equal to £4.4trn…Eight trillion, ten billion, eight hundred and ninety million dollars.”

Yep, that’s a lot of money. Good ol’ PZ Myers has offered up this proposition:

”...I’m going to suggest something that will help out the entire country. The US government should immediately send a plane to pick up Mr Oktar, bring him to our country, and take him on a guided tour of the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History, accompanied by Niles Eldredge, Kevin Padian, Jerry Coyne, Sean Carroll, and the entire scientific staff of those museums. Afterwards, they can accept the check from Mr Oktar, run down to the local bank and cash it, and use one trillion dollars to resolve the current financial crisis, seven trillion can be sunk immediately into the American educational system, and they can send the change left over to me as a reward for coming up with this brilliant plan.”

We’re All Going To Be Rich!

Just goes to show the US doesn’t have a complete monopoly on clowns ...

I picture the guy looking over a fossil with a magnifying glass and saying “Hmmm…Not good enough…Next!”

As if anyone could produce something that would sway him! His mind was made up long ago.

How in the hell does that guy get trillions of dollars?!    I don’t even want trillions, billions would be fine!  COME ON!  *throwing things in disgust*

This guy must be the leader of some sort of religious group… The richest private citizen has what $75 billion-ish US.
I know the Roman Catholic organization rakes in a trillion or two a year…. where does this guy get his money?

You’re just going to have to start digging for the ONE fossil that will convince him to give you the prize! Get your shovel!

This guy has a long history, Adnan Oktar.

“Adnan Oktar founded the Science Research Foundation (SRF, or BAV in Turkish), whose objective is “to [establish]...peace, tranquility and love,”[7] though the BAV is described in the media as “a secretive Islamic sect”[8] or a “cult-like organization, that jealously guards the secrets of its considerable wealth.”[9] In 2008 he was sentenced by a Turkish court to three years in prison for “creating an illegal organization for personal gain.”[10]”

“His latest publication, The Atlas of Creation…contains over 800 glossy pages and weighs 12 pounds. Tens of thousands of copies of the book have been delivered, on an unsolicited basis, to schools, prominent researchers and research institutes throughout Europe and the United States.[36][3] Some of the schools that received copies were in France as well as prominent researchers at Utrecht University, University of Tilburg, University of California, Brown University, University of Colorado, University of Chicago, Brigham Young University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Georgia, Imperial College London, and several others.[3] When the book was sent to French schools and universities, controversy resulted and the book sparked further concern about Islamic radicalism in France.[3] In 2007, Harper’s Magazine contributor Scott Horton reported that 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez has Oktar’s Atlas of Creation on a stand at the entrance to his US government office.[37]”

Here’s another guy offering a much more modest prize for “proof” of evolution Kent Hovind. “Critics argue that the offer is merely a publicity stunt, that it is deliberately designed to be impossible to win because it requires the claimant to disprove all possible theories for the origin of species, no matter how ridiculous.”

Looks like they may both be a bit off their rockers?

I suggest that we offer to present evidence to an impartial panel chosen from a number of different countries, IF he puts one percent of the amount (in gold) he offered for evidence in an escrow account at, say, The Bank of England, and that the decision of the panel would be final and the only necessary authority to release the funds if the evidence was found valid. 

Occam

Occam, you’ll ruin all his fun!

Occam, see, there are two fatal flaws in your proposition: 1) Logical 2) Would work.

Actually, I think I see the problem here.  There’s no way we could produce just one fossil because we already have hundreds (and if we want to be technical, every fossil is “transitional” so thousands/millions).  Really, you would have to have at least 3 to prove transition anyway so producing only one fossil could never do the job. 

Really the shame of this is that the money could be used to battle hunger, disease, poverty, fuel scientific progress, on top of a million other useful contributions that could be made to humanity.  Instead it belongs to this idiot.  *sigh*

Jules - 29 September 2008 03:38 PM

...“10 trillion Turkish lira to anyone who produces a single intermediate-form fossil demonstrating evolution” - a sum roughly equal to £4.4trn…Eight trillion, ten billion, eight hundred and ninety million dollars.”

Thanks Jules this makes my day…...

intermediate-form fossil demonstrating evolution

what does that mean exactly? I agree you need at least two if not three.. am I missing something here..

dj.jk - 30 September 2008 11:53 AM

intermediate-form fossil demonstrating evolution

what does that mean exactly? I agree you need at least two if not three.. am I missing something here..

From the sound of it it as pointless as Hovind’s $250,000 challenge was because the point of the challenge (at least in Hovind’s case) is that you have to satisfy him that the evidence has been provided (the assessment being subjective rather than objective) and therefore the challenger’s “success criteria” can never be met.

In reality it’s nothing but a huge PR exercise IMO.

Kyu