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Author Topic:   No Witnesses
Omnivorous
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Posts: 3978
From: Adirondackia
Joined: 07-21-2005
Member Rating: 7.3


(3)
Message 51 of 215 (651984)
02-11-2012 9:43 AM
Reply to: Message 44 by Tangle
02-10-2012 6:02 PM


It's a science thing--they don't get it.
Tangle writes:
At least half the scientists want their theories to be proven wrong and the other half are trying desperately to prove them wrong too. Scientists are iconoclasts, they want to prove accepted wisdom wrong.
We see the failure to understand this play out in conspiracy explanations of the scientific consensus regarding global climate change and the conviction among creationists that they are under attack by a pack of satanic evolutionist scientists.
Anyone who has done even introductory science or who has worked or studied alongside scientists understands the glee with which a scientist greets the opportunity to prove another scientist wrong.
We find ourselves at our 21st century crossroads of Technology Love and Science Rejection in large part because most people never saw a lab or lecture hall full of bright-eyed, feral grad students working to prove somebody (or everybody) wrong about something (or everything).
This is both one of the great engines of scientific discovery and a continual quality check on past work. Folks who think climate scientists are engaged in a global conspiracy to secure grant funding fail to understand that upsetting the apple cart with sound, replicable findings contrary to a scientific consensus will attract far more funding than a confirming result, however sound.
Of course, we could say that creationists think scientists would engage in a global conspiracy to say things they don't really believe in order to serve selfish or other ideological interests because that's what they do.
But that would be ungenerous.

"If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, you can collect a lot of heads."

This message is a reply to:
 Message 44 by Tangle, posted 02-10-2012 6:02 PM Tangle has not replied

  
Omnivorous
Member
Posts: 3978
From: Adirondackia
Joined: 07-21-2005
Member Rating: 7.3


Message 84 of 215 (656034)
03-15-2012 9:58 PM
Reply to: Message 82 by NoNukes
03-15-2012 6:54 PM


NoNukes writes:
What the creationist is really expressing is that regardless of what evidence and logical argument you provide, the creationist, who believes that his immortal soul is at stake, is not going to budge unless you can provide the kind of proof that involves a time machine and a chasing the descendants of a single breeding set of animals around for millions of years.
Of course if a scientist ever did manage such a feet, the creationist would still avoid the Faustian bargain.
Indeed--why strain out a gnat after swallowing a camel?
Edited by Omnivorous, : No reason given.

"If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, you can collect a lot of heads."

This message is a reply to:
 Message 82 by NoNukes, posted 03-15-2012 6:54 PM NoNukes has seen this message but not replied

  
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