quote:
we'll talk about creationists like we now talk about people who refused to acknowledge the heliocentric universe because they thought it contradicted their religious beliefs. In other words, we'll laugh at them.
I do hope you will not laugh at
all those who refused to acknowledge the heliocentric universe. Galileo, like Darwin, has indeed been vindicated by subsequent observation and a tenable theoretical base - but do remember that in his day Galileo was making observations with rare, expensive equipment with known flaws at the cutting edge of technology. There were sound reasons to doubt his observations - after all, his observations of Saturn turned out to be wrong. In addition the observations took time to duplicate and the equipment available made even confirmations unreliable.
But you're right - it is a satisfying irony that creationism will eventually fade or evolve into another more tenable position. Rather like that other irony of this debate: that the text of The Origin of Species is a work of special creation and the text of Bible the result of evolution.
[This message has been edited by Mister Pamboli, 02-20-2002]
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