The dysfunctional closet syndrome

Sandra Richter’s introduction to The Epic of Eden explains the “dysfunctional closet syndrome” and her desire to deal it a “mortal blow”:

Everyone has a dysfunctional closet somewhere in their lives. A closet where Jabba the Hut could be living, and no one would know it. The closet is crammed full of clothes slipping from their hangers, accessories dangling from the shelves, shoes piled in disarray on the floor. It is impossible to tell where one item stops and the next begins. You can’t find anything; you can’t use anything…

So my goal in this book is to provide structure [for the Old Testament]. Metaphorically speaking, to pick the clothes up off the floor, get some hangers, a pole and some hooks, and help you build a closet of your very own. You already have many (possibly most) of the facts you need; I am going to give you a place to hang them.

Like Richter, I believe we all have a dysfunctional closet when it comes to fights over evolution. And to be a bit presumptuous, I don’t think many people (including scientists!) know they have a dysfunctional closet. The science v. not-science binary doesn’t begin to do this issue justice. Most people don’t have the relevant facts, much less the structure. My writing here aims to provide both.