Things that are of great comfort to me:
Dec. 6th, 2005 12:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityvixenThe first two are related. The third is not.
1) I love the Science Times for how it uncompromisingly presents science with evolution. And there's this fly-guy who just captures so much of how awkward the other side is, it pleases me greatly. Oh, the experiment he did to artificially evolve flies to have longer life spans is dead fascinating, don't get me wrong, but his remarks on Dubya are priceless, and worth sharing here for any too lazy to read the article entirely:
Recently, I was watching President Bush speak on the potential bird flu epidemic. Pandemic bird flu is exactly a question of evolutionary biology because grave danger will come only if the virus evolves into a form that can spread from human to human.
Of course, Bush couldn't use the word evolution. There were a few key points where I was waiting for him to use the word. Nope! The virus would "develop" the ability to move from human to human. He couldn't use the word evolve because that's a dangerous word.
::purrs:: When the ID-minded have to finagle and finesse language in the face of practical crises, light shines through the holes in their 'argument'.
2) Intelligent Design Might Be Meeting Its Maker Aside from the snazzy title, this cheered me like nothing else. It seems that not even religious or religion-affiliated institutions of higher learning are finding ID competitive with evolution. Some sparkling gems from this article:
The Templeton Foundation, a major supporter of projects seeking to reconcile science and religion, says that after providing a few grants for conferences and courses to debate intelligent design, they asked proponents to submit proposals for actual research.
"They never came in," said Charles L. Harper Jr., senior vice president at the Templeton Foundation, who said that while he was skeptical from the beginning, other foundation officials were initially intrigued and later grew disillusioned.
aaaaand thennnnnnn
Derek Davis, director of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor, said: "I teach at the largest Baptist university in the world. I'm a religious person. And my basic perspective is intelligent design doesn't belong in science class."
Mr. Davis noted that the advocates of intelligent design claim they are not talking about God or religion. "But they are, and everybody knows they are," Mr. Davis said. "I just think we ought to quit playing games. It's a religious worldview that's being advanced."
But wait! There's a shot from the lone gunman at the OK Corral, John G. West, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute (aka ID Crackpot central):
...the skepticism and outright antagonism are evidence that the scientific "fundamentalists" are threatened by its arguments.
"This is natural anytime you have a new controversial idea," Mr. West said. "The first stage is people ignore you. Then, when they can't ignore you, comes the hysteria. Then the idea that was so radical becomes accepted. I'd say we're in the hysteria phase."
Oh no! Evolution is doomed! ID is a RADICAL NEW IDEA that's gonna shake up evolution-town like Elvis or the Beatles shook up the 50s and 60s! Blah blah blah, skip ahead to the blockbuster ending:
The 'Institute' thinks that the Dover, PA trial doesn't matter because 'it "politicized" what should be a scientific issue.
(never mind that Major General Stupid up there is a political and not real scientist by trade)
Aaaaaaand the final nail in the coffin:
"The future of intelligent design, as far as I'm concerned, has very little to do with the outcome of the Dover case," Mr. West said. "The future of intelligent design is tied up with academic endeavors. It rises or falls on the science."
Ahhhhhhhhh. Couldn't have said it better myself, sir.
oh, and #3 thing that makes me happy today? I have Sky High waiting for me at home. I did really want to see that in theaters. Should be loads of fun
1) I love the Science Times for how it uncompromisingly presents science with evolution. And there's this fly-guy who just captures so much of how awkward the other side is, it pleases me greatly. Oh, the experiment he did to artificially evolve flies to have longer life spans is dead fascinating, don't get me wrong, but his remarks on Dubya are priceless, and worth sharing here for any too lazy to read the article entirely:
Recently, I was watching President Bush speak on the potential bird flu epidemic. Pandemic bird flu is exactly a question of evolutionary biology because grave danger will come only if the virus evolves into a form that can spread from human to human.
Of course, Bush couldn't use the word evolution. There were a few key points where I was waiting for him to use the word. Nope! The virus would "develop" the ability to move from human to human. He couldn't use the word evolve because that's a dangerous word.
::purrs:: When the ID-minded have to finagle and finesse language in the face of practical crises, light shines through the holes in their 'argument'.
2) Intelligent Design Might Be Meeting Its Maker Aside from the snazzy title, this cheered me like nothing else. It seems that not even religious or religion-affiliated institutions of higher learning are finding ID competitive with evolution. Some sparkling gems from this article:
The Templeton Foundation, a major supporter of projects seeking to reconcile science and religion, says that after providing a few grants for conferences and courses to debate intelligent design, they asked proponents to submit proposals for actual research.
"They never came in," said Charles L. Harper Jr., senior vice president at the Templeton Foundation, who said that while he was skeptical from the beginning, other foundation officials were initially intrigued and later grew disillusioned.
aaaaand thennnnnnn
Derek Davis, director of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor, said: "I teach at the largest Baptist university in the world. I'm a religious person. And my basic perspective is intelligent design doesn't belong in science class."
Mr. Davis noted that the advocates of intelligent design claim they are not talking about God or religion. "But they are, and everybody knows they are," Mr. Davis said. "I just think we ought to quit playing games. It's a religious worldview that's being advanced."
But wait! There's a shot from the lone gunman at the OK Corral, John G. West, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute (aka ID Crackpot central):
...the skepticism and outright antagonism are evidence that the scientific "fundamentalists" are threatened by its arguments.
"This is natural anytime you have a new controversial idea," Mr. West said. "The first stage is people ignore you. Then, when they can't ignore you, comes the hysteria. Then the idea that was so radical becomes accepted. I'd say we're in the hysteria phase."
Oh no! Evolution is doomed! ID is a RADICAL NEW IDEA that's gonna shake up evolution-town like Elvis or the Beatles shook up the 50s and 60s! Blah blah blah, skip ahead to the blockbuster ending:
The 'Institute' thinks that the Dover, PA trial doesn't matter because 'it "politicized" what should be a scientific issue.
(never mind that Major General Stupid up there is a political and not real scientist by trade)
Aaaaaaand the final nail in the coffin:
"The future of intelligent design, as far as I'm concerned, has very little to do with the outcome of the Dover case," Mr. West said. "The future of intelligent design is tied up with academic endeavors. It rises or falls on the science."
Ahhhhhhhhh. Couldn't have said it better myself, sir.
oh, and #3 thing that makes me happy today? I have Sky High waiting for me at home. I did really want to see that in theaters. Should be loads of fun
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-06 05:58 pm (UTC)As for point 1 - is this the Methuselah flies guy? I just had to review his memoir.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-06 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-06 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-06 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-06 06:34 pm (UTC)I suppose it's just the screwballs that make the headlines.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-06 07:48 pm (UTC)I think that things would be much better off if rational, intelligent people who are also sincere believers were more visible... they're the ones getting lost in the middle. Perhaps because they (wisely) see religion as a personal thing...?
no subject
Date: 2005-12-06 08:09 pm (UTC)"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."