Resonant Information - Kneecapping Intelligent Design - Comments

Try not to be offensive

Zed — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 11:52:54 -0500

Implying cowardice, approval of genocide, land-theft, and now lack of education or awareness are, in fact, attacks. If you want to discuss a specific incident of modern theocratic colonialism in the western world, you'll need to be, well, specific (and ideally, a little more polite). I am, however, not particularly inclined to prioritize the correction of 600 or even 60 year old injustices when there are more current ones to worry about.

"Manifest destiny" is, as far as I know, dead for now (and if you think otherwise, your cause would be better served by noting an example than by insulting strangers). If it gets resurrected, there will be people who attack it. Expansionism and religious hubris are dangerous enough on their own merits without forcibly conflating them.

I see

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 10:25:14 -0500

Sorry to have disturbed you from your slumber, I gathered by the quality or your articles that you were well educated. I'll go post elsewhere. Some interesting stuff here though, keep up the good work. I was not attacking you, I was trying to gird you into action because I think you are right but have not joined all the dots. We are currently reliving a 600 year old argument, go to the history books my friend. Its all there.

Huh?

Zed — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 07:50:34 -0500

I have absolutely no idea where you are coming from. Nobody uses the "God promised us that land" line to justify genocide and land-theft anymore, so there's not much point in railing about it. Nowadays it's "spreading freedom and democracy" that's used as justification, and most of the same people who are opposed to the destruction of science are also opposed to wars of aggression.

This is something you should be able to see evidence of on this very blog, if you cared to look.

That's all very well but...

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 07:17:47 -0500

Over here in Europe (the Old World) nobody gives a fig about the creationalists and any suggestion of changing the curriculum is met with the polite derision it deserves. I read quite a lot of criticism of these people in US based blogs and while I'm in no way supportive of their flat-earth polemic what puzzles me is the silence on the "God promised us that land" brigade who read from the same kooky book. Is it that you are too chicken to face up to them? Or is it that Americans just don't mind genocide and land-theft but bad science is just too wrong to take in silence?

Kneecapping Intelligent Design

Zed — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 20:55:47 -0400

The Abstract Factory has posted an entertaining, if violent, fantasy of how a debate with a creationist might run.

Quoting the Abstract Factory:

Intelligent Design advocate: YEAAARRRRGGGHHHH! YOU BROKE MY KNEECAP!

Scientist: Perhaps it only appears that I broke your kneecap. Certainly, all the evidence points to the hypothesis I broke your kneecap. For example, your kneecap is broken; it appears to be a fresh wound; and I am holding a baseball bat, which is spattered with your blood. However, a mere preponderance of evidence doesn't mean anything. Perhaps your kneecap was designed that way. Certainly, there are some features of the current situation that are inexplicable according to the "naturalistic" explanation you have just advanced, such as the exact contours of the excruciating pain that you are experiencing right now.