carlsonjok
Posts: 3326
Joined: May 2006
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| Quote (BWE @ Dec. 01 2011,11:27) | Lizzie is one of the smartest people I have ever encountered. I love discussing things with her but it's a fool who argues with her when they think she is refusing to understand.
People who want to understand are imossible for people who want to win to understand. :) |
Quite apart from all the hysterics going on in various corners of teh intertubez over this, I found some thought provoking notions in what Elizabeth was trying to convey with regard to the various elements that compose forgiveness. There was an interesting conversation to be had there. I would have liked to see PZ respond to her on the topic. But, I suppose you are right that anyone interested in winning* isn't going to be open to engaging the nuance in her comments.
Speaking for myself, I grew up in a nominally religious environment. My folks expected me to get confirmed in a church, even though they never attended. So, I did get confirmed and, once done, my obligations to attend church were also complete. My agnosticism is just not that big of a part of who I am. I view this whole "Gelatogate is serious business!" uproar much as I would view any other foreign (to me) cultural artifact ceremony. With a mixture of fascination and befuddlement.
* Winning doesn't seem to be the right word, inasmuch as it implies there is a competition going on. The folks at Pharyngula aren't acting as if they are participating in a marketplace of ideas. Rather they seem to be trying to emetically purify their environment. It is all so bizarre.
EDIT: Changed a word to better convey my meaning.
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It's natural to be curious about our world, but the scientific method is just one theory about how to best understand it. We live in a democracy, which means we should treat every theory equally. - Steven Colbert, I Am America (and So Can You!)
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