Erasmus, FCD
Posts: 6349
Joined: June 2007
|
RB what you say is true, but I would add a further distinction that may be at the root of this issue.
| Quote | | ...IMHO underlying that dishonesty, at least in Dembski's case, have been more honest and deeply felt motives, particularly his Christianity, and I infer that he began his quest with the notion that he was genuinely crusading for souls through his advancement of ID... |
Two points.
1) We should be more specific about what is the damage from the ID movement. I've raised the devils advocate issue before: What does it matter if your car mechanic or the mailman or the guy who delivers your pizza can't tell the difference between ID and science?
I'm not sure why it matters, but I think it does. Perhaps for the simplest fact that they are wrong, and I can see through the clever bait and switches that their arguments are propped on.
But if we agree that there has been real harm done, in whatever metric, then Dembski is not just acting out on his own and only damaging his personal credibility and showing his ass. ID arguments make people stupider. If there is any sort of negative effect to this (I am conveniently overlooking our gleeful devouring of the tard), then Dembski is getting his religious jollies at the expense of some public trust and resource.
2) Maintaining that even though this is true (acknowledging damage) yet it is 'not so bad' would be a hard argument to make. It could only be true if you had some sort of priority for converting souls to jeeesus, and I think he has established this over and over, and sees it a badge of honor or distinction. Thus, the machiavellian motives you aspire to him are probably real.
Armchair diagnoses are probably a bad idea. Even so, this is one crazy bible thumping freak who seems like he acts like a 4 or 5 year old pushing around toys or blocks in some sort of game where no one gets hurt. I am convinced that ID makes people stupider, and I am fairly sure that he knows this as well, and that makes him a little bit more dangerous than the light hearted sweater wearing misunderstood adolescent with an inferiority complex and a huge hard on for jesus that your comments seem to imply.
Psychopathic, maybe, maybe not, who the hell knows.
Dangerous charlatan peddling the hard tard, absolutely.
--------------
You're obviously illiterate as hell. Peach, bro.-FtK
Finding something hard to believe based on the evidence, is science.-JoeG
the odds of getting some loathsome taint are low-- Gordon E Mullings Manjack Heights Montserrat
I work on molecular systems with pathway charts and such.-Giggles
|
