>Paul, while I appreciate your commitment to this perspective, I would
>just like to point out that for some of us, it is NOT our willingness to
>lay aside certain modes of causation and embrace methodological
>naturalism, but rather, that we (or should it just be "I"?) are not
>convinced that ID can be empirically verified. Having read Dembski's
>article in the latest PSCF issue, I share the concerns of Glenn Morton
>about whether his tying of specification to personal knowledge creates
>an arbitrary standard and presents problems in testing. Related to this
>is my failure to see how directed contingency and chance can be clearly
>differentiated after the fact.
Paul,
I would like to add a concern to that which Adrian mentioned. I have
mentioned this to you in private before. An idea, any idea must be capable
of winning in the marketplace of ideas. It saddens me that the ID crowd has
chosen to avoid such debate by withdrawing to their own private listserv
rather than interacting regularly with others, like those on this list, who
have differing views. Such a withdrawal leads to inbreeding of ideas and
gives the impression that
1. Conclusions will be delivered from the oligarchy to the masses.
2. No other ideas are worthy of being dealt with.
3. Objections will be ignored.
a. All ideas and authors of those ideas have blindspots.
b. I am disappointed the concern I have, that Adrian mentioned, is not
being addressed. I am also sorry that no one seems to want to
defend the concept that all the information for all of evolution was
input into the original cell. Ignoring me will not make the issue go
away. This is the type of behavior that I see often among the ICR
crowd. I expect more from you guys.
I have some ideas on the flood which are unlikely to be widely accepted,
but that does not relieve me of my obligation before God to ensure that
people have a chance to correct any error on my part and for me to be sure
that I have done my best to consider all the objections. That is one reason
I stay among people who disagree with me. I learned long ago, there are
only two kinds of people who will tell you you have something hanging from
your nose--those who love you dearly and want you to avoid embarassment and
those who greatly dislike you. Sometimes the best place a theorist can be
is among those who disagree strongly with him. I would contend that you all
have the same obligation regardless of the fact that you currently have the
public's attention.
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm