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Author Topic:   Upcoming Ken Miller Webcast
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 1 of 13 (461951)
03-28-2008 8:06 PM


I received an email from the University of Texas about an upcoming Ken Miller webcast. The email is included below, with the individual's particulars deleted, but here are the important details:
Topic: God, Darwin, and Design: Lessons from the Dover Monkey Trial
Who: Ken Miller
When: April 4, 2008, 8 PM Eastern Time
Link: | Environmental Science Institute | Jackson School of Geosciences | The University of Texas at Austin
Ken Miller testified at the Dover trial.
Email below.
--Percy

Dear EvC Forum,
On April 4, 2008 at 7:00 pm CT (GMT - April 5, 2008 at 12:00 am), Dr. Kenneth R. Miller, a professor of biology at Brown University will give a talk entitled God, Darwin, and Design: Lessons from the Dover Monkey Trial. Miller was a lead witness in the Pennsylvania "intelligent design" case that began in September 2005, and which has been front-page news since it started.
We would like to invite members of your organization and/or visitors of your website to view our Live Webcast of the lecture, April 4, 2008 at 7:00 pm CT (GMT - April 5, 2008 at 12:00 am). If possible, posting a link to this event on your website or forwarding the information to your members who may be interested in this lecture is greatly appreciated. Our webcasts are very high quality, and viewers can submit questions to the speaker through our website and the speaker answers the online questions in real time. The webcasting software we use requires viewers to download a small plugin, but it is very simple and quick to install.
A link to the details of the lecture and the webcast could be found at:
| Environmental Science Institute | Jackson School of Geosciences | The University of Texas at Austin
Please let me know if you will consider sending this information to your members and/or posting this information on your website. Thank you!
Thanks for your time,
Environmental Science Institute
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station C1100, Austin, TX 78712
Environmental Science Institute | Jackson School of Geosciences | The University of Texas at Austin
----------------------------------------------------------
What is the lecture about?
It has been 80 years since the Scopes Monkey Trial, but the debate between science and religion has never been as heated as it is now. Recent efforts to introduce "intelligent design" into science classes will likely lead to a major Supreme Court ruling on the issue. Kenneth R. Miller, a professor of biology at Brown University, is a preeminent evolutionary scientist”and the author of the most widely used high school biology textbook in America. He is perfectly suited to address this controversial topic on many fronts.

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by Modulous, posted 04-04-2008 6:58 PM Percy has replied
 Message 8 by Larni, posted 04-04-2008 8:45 PM Percy has not replied
 Message 9 by Brad McFall, posted 04-04-2008 9:58 PM Percy has not replied

  
Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 2 of 13 (462536)
04-04-2008 6:58 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Percy
03-28-2008 8:06 PM


If you are online....
This is going to kick off in an hour or so; install the plugin and I'll join you there.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Percy, posted 03-28-2008 8:06 PM Percy has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 4 by Percy, posted 04-04-2008 7:52 PM Modulous has replied

  
Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 3 of 13 (462540)
04-04-2008 7:52 PM


It is now possible to watch
I'm sat here listening to crazy music watching the last few minutes of preparation before the webcast begins properly. The plugin is excellent - it looks like I'll be able to switch between having the video dominate the screen or the slides or see both equally large.
Go here to join in
Edited by Modulous, : No reason given.

Replies to this message:
 Message 5 by Percy, posted 04-04-2008 7:54 PM Modulous has not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 4 of 13 (462541)
04-04-2008 7:52 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by Modulous
04-04-2008 6:58 PM


Re: If you are online....
I'm in, things were going fine, then the video suddenly became jumpy and I lost sound. How's it for you?
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by Modulous, posted 04-04-2008 6:58 PM Modulous has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by Modulous, posted 04-04-2008 7:54 PM Percy has not replied
 Message 7 by Brad McFall, posted 04-04-2008 8:42 PM Percy has not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 5 of 13 (462542)
04-04-2008 7:54 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by Modulous
04-04-2008 7:52 PM


Re: It is now possible to watch
I'm in chat...
--Percy

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by Modulous, posted 04-04-2008 7:52 PM Modulous has not replied

  
Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 6 of 13 (462543)
04-04-2008 7:54 PM
Reply to: Message 4 by Percy
04-04-2008 7:52 PM


Re: If you are online....
yeah - sound just went, but I they are fiddling with various doodads, so I guess they're doing final sound checks on the mics.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by Percy, posted 04-04-2008 7:52 PM Percy has not replied

  
Brad McFall
Member (Idle past 5032 days)
Posts: 3428
From: Ithaca,NY, USA
Joined: 12-20-2001


Message 7 of 13 (462546)
04-04-2008 8:42 PM
Reply to: Message 4 by Percy
04-04-2008 7:52 PM


Re: If you are online....
I'm trying to get in but I cant get the "view presentation" link to work. I have the plugin on my desktop.
I wonder if you really had to be in 15mins ahead of time?
How is/was it?
I'm in...
It is pretty useless as I can only get sound once every couple seconds and I cano t even make out the syullable.
Edited by Brad McFall, : got it

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by Percy, posted 04-04-2008 7:52 PM Percy has not replied

  
Larni
Member (Idle past 163 days)
Posts: 4000
From: Liverpool
Joined: 09-16-2005


Message 8 of 13 (462547)
04-04-2008 8:45 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Percy
03-28-2008 8:06 PM


I phailed

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Percy, posted 03-28-2008 8:06 PM Percy has not replied

  
Brad McFall
Member (Idle past 5032 days)
Posts: 3428
From: Ithaca,NY, USA
Joined: 12-20-2001


Message 9 of 13 (462553)
04-04-2008 9:58 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Percy
03-28-2008 8:06 PM


question put to Miller
I was able to get a question which showed up there.
I could not hear the response, so if anyone did, please let us/me know. If it would be better in another thread then send the response there.
I asked if Miller (I thought someone else was there) had any idea if artifical selection were a form of design and if there were any limits to this selection.
This was a point between Provine and Johnson in the 90s and under most of the issues, so I, BSM thunks.
Please, how did he answer my question?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Percy, posted 03-28-2008 8:06 PM Percy has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Modulous, posted 04-04-2008 10:47 PM Brad McFall has not replied

  
Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 10 of 13 (462554)
04-04-2008 10:47 PM
Reply to: Message 9 by Brad McFall
04-04-2008 9:58 PM


Some notes I took
After introduction I got cut off for a long time and I get back in to hear the tail end (heh) of a discussion about the reducible complexity of flagellum and how the icon of ID has been squashed.
Then Miller went on to transitionals. About how "Pandas" lies by omission by leaving out several known transitionals in their discussion of fish-amphibian evolution. He then talks about Tiktaalik, the prediction of where it would be found and what it would look like as well as the Gogonasus find. Quick video from Neil Shubin and a book plug for "Your inner fish".
quote:
We've got the fossils, we win.
Comparative Genomic evidence crops up before the connection drops for a while. I pick it up with discussion about the chromosome fusion event in the Human genome which evolution insists must have happened due to the fact that Chimps have 48 and we have 46. And we can see where the fusion took place (Miller describes telomeres etc)
quote:
These are facts, ladies and gentleman. We've got the genes too!
This was followed by a discussion on the history of "Pandas" which most here would be familiar with. The old cdesign proponentists tale. Followed by a humorous look at Judge Jones' ruling before my connection dropped.
I pick it up at a discussion of the state board of education in Texas. With a plug to these guys.
Was Dover God vs Science? NO, Plaintiffs with practising Christians.
He puts up a slide with a Philip E Johnson quote about how ID is about making the debate about faith rather than evolution; Discussions about evolution do tend to lead shockingly quickly to religion. He shows a quick clip from the Colbert report starring himself.
Dogma, not faith is a barrier to scientific enquiry -- 'Theistic Evolution'.
Questions and Answers
1. Cambrian Explosion?
Miller - 30 million years is a looooooong time. There are pre-cambrian fossils. Check out Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom
Brad Mcfall's question is displayed on the slideshow:
{Paraphrase}: Do the two debators realize that artificial selection is a form of "Design". Are there morphological limits of this kind of selection??
then my connection cut out whilst he was discussing Cambrian fossils
It picks up a few minutes later with a discussion of "Critical Analysis".
Internet Question: What do you think of Expelled?
Miller - I understand it is a hard film to get into. Quick exposition on PZ Myers. ID needs to produce a reason why it has failed to gain ground in scientific community so Expelled tries the tried and trusted method of 'Big Science won't let us in'.
Q: Something about Ontogeny recapitulates Phylogeny by some guy called Rand Mann? (just kidding)
Miller - a quick discussion of evo-devo and Haeckel. Talks about the Mammallian egg sac which makes sense in the light of our evolutionary history but doesn't make sense from a design perspective.
Q- something about the anti-evolution debate not being packaged as science but as being presented as a culture war *connection drop*
Racism, Nazism, Christianity, evolution. If we look at history however we find that Nazism wasn't packaged in terms of biological science but that the people, and the actual people involved were sold on the idea of purifying Christian Europe from the scourge of the Jews and this was going on for a Long Time before Darwin. (link actually covers the same details that Miller makes, presumably Miller read it.)
Q *inaudible*
Miller - Yes, people look at evolution not as a science but as a dehumanizing ideology. Ben Stein refuses to discuss evolution and insists on calling it Darwinism highlights this point precisely.
Internet Q: tell us about your new book!
Miller: "Only a Theory (Dawkins was a bit put out by the title no doubt).
America's disrespect of authority does result in problems for some sections with regards to science. We can't just fly in, flash our credentials and tell people they're wrong. However, this anti-authority perspective has proven a boon to science too. That's the kind of thing the book is about.
Q - blah blah
Miller - Some discussion on the politics of textbook purchasing and politics, and the so called "Adoption States".
Q - blah?
Miller - more textbook politics related to previous point. Textbooks are kept more expensive because of this/Royalty issues etc etc.
Q - Colbert Report
Miller *funny anecdote* - it is not scripted.
Q - *inaudible*
Miller - I do not endorse NOMA. Religious faith doesn't retard science look at Lemaitre and Mendel. Certain kinds of belief can be problematic. Science transcends ideology (amusing anecdote about talking to communist scientists) and I think it can transcend religion too.

I don't think your question got answered Brad - the Internet questions went mostly ignored, partially because Miller kept taking the initiative during question time and pointing to people to ask questions rather than letting the moderator decide what to do.
Obviously the notes were rough, but Miller is an entertaining speaker and even though there was little new information presented in reality - it was done in a very accessible fashion which I'm sure (after the initial connection issues we all had) was good for whichever teachers were watching who might not be as jaded on this topic as we all are.
abe: gah - it's 4am!
Edited by Modulous, : No reason given.
Edited by Modulous, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by Brad McFall, posted 04-04-2008 9:58 PM Brad McFall has not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 11 of 13 (462573)
04-05-2008 7:34 AM


Archived Webcast Available
It can be found here:
If you're using WMP, do not hit the WMP pause (use the pause in the video frame portion of the WMP window instead). It will not restart, you get to watch a "Please Wait" message instead. I think the psychology department is running an experiment titled, "How long will they wait?"
Do not skip the songs at the beginning. There's some yodelling that shouldn't be missed. Take that, Switzerland!
--Percy
Edited by Percy, : Add more info.

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 12 of 13 (462580)
04-05-2008 10:27 AM


Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!
I cannot watch video for long in front of a computer video screen, I generally last about 10 minutes, but I just finished watching the Ken Miller presentation in one sitting. I was captivated from the first few minutes and except for a bathroom break and a coffee refill watched it continuously from beginning to end. Do not miss this video.
I came away extremely impressed with Miller's intellect and energy. How could just one person know so much and also do so much? It's almost not fair. In fact, it isn't fair! Ah, well, such is life.
In this video Miller presents the key arguments against intelligent design with great clarity, showing how severely it has already failed the key tests of science. Evolutionists will learn the most effective arguments against ID, and intelligent design advocates will learn just how far from genuine science intelligent design actually is.
At one point Miller references an editorial about ID that he really, really liked, so here's a link to it, well worth a read: Phony Theory, False Conflict
Miller said he wrote a couple reviews of Behe's latest book, The Edge of Evolution. One was in Nature, here's a link, but as I don't have an on-line subscription and won't pay the single-item price I haven't read it: Falling over the edge
The other I didn't quite catch the publication name, and I couldn't find it on-line. Maybe someone can run it down.
I did come across a review of Behe's book by Richard Dawkins at his website: Inferior Design: Richard Dawkins reviews Behe's latest book
Miller's new book, Only a Theory, will be coming out in June. You can preorder from Amazon, and it has a website: http://www.onlyatheorythebook.com
Miller will be appearing on the Colbert Report again on June 16th.
--Percy

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 13 of 13 (462629)
04-06-2008 9:58 AM


Link to the Miller Presentation Slides
This is the link to the Miller PowerPoint presentation slides:
This link is now working.
--Percy
Edited by Percy, : Link started working, change final comment.

  
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