RE: [asa] YEC--What can we offer them?

Model making in science---for that matter, anything the human mind sets itself to explain or understand---is equivalent to map making by cartographers. The map will never be equal to the real thing. Ever!

 
Moorad

________________________________

From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu on behalf of Michael Roberts
Sent: Wed 7/11/2007 10:48 AM
To: gmurphy@raex.com; Don Winterstein; asa
Subject: Re: [asa] YEC--What can we offer them?

I was not clear in what I wrote. I meant to say not even those I listed are utterly wrong.
 
Those I cited e.g. Clerk-Maxwell's ether, > phlogiston, Copernicus and his circular orbits, or even ANE ideas of a flat > earth!!! were good approximations of their day and have a tremendous amount RIGHT with them even if shortcomings became apparenet later.
 
I should think before I write!!
 
Thanks George, - can never get past you !!!!
 
Michael

        ----- Original Message -----
        From: George L. Murphygmurphy@raex.com <mailto:Murphygmurphy@raex.com>
        To: Michael Roberts <mailto:michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk> ; Don Winterstein <mailto:dfwinterstein@msn.com> ; asa <mailto:asa@calvin.edu> ; george murphy <mailto:gmurphy@raex.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 2:28 PM
        Subject: Re: [asa] YEC--What can we offer them?
        
        

        ......> > > However when we look at YEC "science" > no matter how charitable we are we simply have to say that it is > > TOTALLY AND UTTERLY > WRONG > > There are very few scientific ideas > from the past we could describe like that e.g. Clerk-Maxwell's ether, > phlogiston, Copernicus and his circular orbits, or even ANE ideas of a flat > earth!!! > > Science progresses by researchers > finding that predecessors were partly wrong and often realise why they were > partly wrong. > > Michael > >

        I think one has to be careful about saying that even some of these examples are completely "wrong." E.g., the ANE flat earth (& I'm talking now only about the shape of the earth, not the heavenly dome &c) was a decent approximation to the portion of the earth to which people in ancient Sumeria, Palestine &c had access. If someone asks me to sketch a map of how to get from Akron to Columbus I'll do it as if the earth is flat. Again, it's an approximation - you can approximate a small portion of the surface of a sphere by a tangent plane. Of course it's a quite different matter for people who have access to data about more extensive portions of the earth to claim that it's a sphere.

        Shalom,

        George
        

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Received on Wed Jul 11 11:13:48 2007