An aura of respect was maintained throughout most of the dialogue, though the two did occasionally caustically address one another on matters pertaining to evolutionary significance.
In his opening remarks, Ham, who called the central debate between the two parties one centered on “worldviews and starting points,” charged that “the word science has been hijacked by secularists.”
As for Nye, his arguments focused on evidence he believes shows that the earth is billions of years old, not 6,000 as some creationists like Ham believe.
“We are standing on millions of layers of ancient life. How could those animals have lived their entire lives and formed those layers in just 4,000 years?” the scientist asked.
Honing in on Noah, he questioned how an unskilled man and his family could build a massive vessel capable of floating on water.
“Inherent in this worldview somehow Noah and his family were able to build a wooden ship that would house 14,000 [animals],” he said. “And these people were unskilled. … they had to get all these animals on there and they had to feed them.”
He continued, “Is it reasonable that Noah and his family were able to maintain 14,000 animals and themselves on a ship … that was bigger than anyone’s been able to build?”