Russell
Posts: 1082
Joined: April 2005
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| Quote | | (GCT: ) I'm offended that you think you can twist the arguments around and not have me notice. |
You know, I honestly don't think Avo notices when she twists the arguments around. This is the fundamental (pun only partially intended) problem with creationist thinking: whatever question you ask, the answer has to conform to the overall precommitment to goddidit. That's also why I want her to track down where she thinks I called Spetner "malicious". I suspect most creationists (and I use the term broadly) are like Avo in this respect: not "malicious", but wishful thinkers whose ability to perceive reality is seriously affected by this fundamental precommitment, to the point where they manage to make such otherwise inexplicable errors as Spetner did in the case we discussed. Thinking that I called Spetner malicious is just another instance of this distorted perception of reality.
However, I do think that the Disco Inst crowd (Wells, Dembski, Luskin, Berlinski, et al.) goes beyond mere wishful-thinking driven inadvertance. It's my assessment that they've crossed the line into what can only be called dishonesty. I suspect that has something to do with the fact that for these guys, anti-evolution isn't just an idea or a cause, it's a career. Even with them, though, I doubt it's completely "malicious". Indeed (and you'll think I'm really naive here) I actually believe that erstwhile congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham was, at least in a sense, sincere when he assured the press that the facts would prove those corruption charges baseless - six months before tearfully pleading guilty. As I've often noted, I suspect the most successful used car salesman is the one who manages to convince himself that he is - in some sense - telling the truth.
| Quote | | What is also bizarre is the fact that you somehow think reality is different depending on whether one believes in god or not. |
That, and the fact that she doesn't see that as post-modernism.
On co-option (or is the proper term co-optation? I'm not sure):
| Quote | | (Chris Hyland: ) A good example of cooption is in the bacterium Sphingomonas chlorophenolica, which is able to digest PCP, which was first introduced into the environment 70 years ago. |
I think the nylonase story is another great example, if Avo is seriously interested. But I suspect she's not, so I'll hold off on going to the trouble of digging up the links.
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Must... not... scratch... mosquito bite.
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