>I have one clarification of my own to add: My "genetic fallacy" and/or
>"priesthood" remarks were not directed specifically at Tom or anyone else
>on this reflector. It's when a Carl Sagan or a Michael Dawkins directly
>deny the existence or relevance of God, *in the popular literature* and
>invoking their scientific credentials to do so, that the "Priesthood"
>appellation is appropriate. Where I find many TE's culpable is that you
>don't hold these guys' feet to the fire, in the popular literature, for
>making unwarranted metaphysical claims.
I can't speak for the others, but I have enough to do than to joust with
Sagan et al. I do however, use the "evolution-answers-everything" style of
these authors to discuss with my students issues such as what is science,
what are the limits of science, and how far can scientific conclusions reach
(i.e., where does science stop and metaphysics begin). I also write letters
to the local newspaper and once ran into someone in Italy who read one of
them! So, becasue you don't see any response to the Sagans in the world,
does not mean that there is not one.
But let me turn the point around. Recently, while driving back to Madison
from Chicago, I heard Henry Morris on a Chicago Christian radio station
"explain" the metaphysics behind evolution science. He traced
"evolutionary" models from Darwin, to the Greeks and then to the Babylonians
(it was interesting to note that he excluded the vitalism of Augustine and
other Christian thinkers). Morris said that according to Babylonian
mythology, everything emanated from water and is akin to an evolutionary
model of origins. Then he made the astounding leap to explain how Satan was
the originator of this model. He suggested that since angels were created
on the first day (he cited Psalm 104 for this), Satan was present in the
world when it was covered with water. Satan, according to Morris, raised
his head and looked around and seeing only God and water, and not being
willing to acknowledge his origin in God, attributed it to the water. Thus,
we have the origins of Satan's role in the current model of evolution.
Phew, and evolutionists are criticised for their stories!
To re-phrase Chuck's question, how come creationists don't hold these guys
feet to the fire for making unwarranted metaphysical claims? Or, more
specifically for Chuck, if you are indeed concerned about unwarranted
claims, why do you seem to focus solely on those who make metaphysical leaps
from science and not on those who use faulty science to support their
metaphysical claims?
Shalom,
Steve
__________________________________________________________________________
Steven S. Clark, Ph.D. Phone: (608) 263-9137
Associate Professor FAX: (608) 263-4226
Dept. of Human Oncology and email: ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu
UW Comprehensive Cancer Ctr
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53792
"To disdain philosophy is really to be a philosopher." Blaise Pascal, Pensees
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