Re: [asa] EU proposed regulation of creationism and ID

>>> PvM <pvm.pandas@gmail.com> 09/22/07 7:54 PM >>>, who is not an ASA
member, writes as follows:

Funny how poorly chosen analogies can do similar damage as the
scientific and theological vacuity of Intelligent Design.
Denyse and Behe and Dembski are fellow Christians and should know
better. As far as Dawkins or PZ are concerned, I am puzzled by the
obsessive manner in which some seem to view these people. However, I
have found both of them, and especially PZ, a delight to read when
discussing issues of science.

Ted dissents from this entirley. PZ's over-the-top, in-your-face trashing
of anything resembling traditional religion is one of the main reasons why I
questioned the objectivity of PT in my article about the Dover trial for
"Religion in the News." Both Dawkins and PZ, IMO, are correctly seen as
lacking objectivity. We've discussed this a thousand times before, relative
to Dawkins. Based on what I've seen PZ write on PT and on his own blog
(neither of which I peruse often, but both of which I read at the time the
article was written), I'd put him in the same category with Dawkins. I
suspect most, perhaps all, ASA members would do likewise.

On 9/22/07, John Walley <john_walley@yahoo.com> wrote (and Pim was
commenting on it) the following:

> Sometimes I get the impression here that if only all the creationists and
> IDer's would get their science right and apologize for all the confusion
and
> harm they have caused over the years, then all the conflict between
science
> and faith would vanish and we would all live happily ever after. There is
a
> double standard in putting the onus of this problem solely on the likes of
> Denyse and Behe but Dawkins and PZ Myers get passes.
>
> I think the downside of this oversimplistic view of the world is that
> obsessed ID bashing TE's run the risk of being used by the atheists like
> Stalin used his domestic communist sympathizers during the cold war.
>

Ted agrees with the first paragraph, but not the second. The rhetoric here
seems somewhat similar to that of PZ and Dawkins, but in reverse. I don't
know whether or not you are an ASA member, John, but I suspect you aren't.
Within ASA you would find a lot of IDs and a lot of TEs, with quite a few
others who would not place themselves in either of those two groups. (This
particular list is not closely representative of the ASA membership as a
whole, although some ASA members participate--there are also many who
aren't.)

I've seen some ID bashing here, and at ASA meetings--though at meetings
there are many papers also by ID supporters, and lots that just evaluate
arguments without bashing anyone. Internet exchanges pretty much
everywhere, on any topic, are so often egg throwing contests and nothing
more.

The truth deserves better than that.

Ted

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Received on Sun Sep 23 22:50:43 2007