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| She has a point, their. |
I actually like this girl on the right. She seems like she's got some level of scientific curiosity. Unless there's some weird Creationist-brand sarcasm that I'm not getting.
Look, I know I'm being kind of mean here. I'm not trying to troll anyone that hard. I'm just really disheartened by this stuff. Why can't we just teach SCIENCE? Bill Nye, the Science Guy, stepped up to bat on our behalf this week, debating Creationist Museum founder (thanks to Derek for introducing us to that wonderful place) Ken Ham (this Washington Post article talks about it). Nye: “I just want to remind us all there are billions of people in the world who are deeply religious, who get enriched by the wonderful sense of community by their religion, but these same people do not embrace the extraordinary view that the Earth is somehow only 6,000 years old.”
I'm actually almost short of breath thinking about the implications of the fact that we are having this debate in 2014.
Then again, my disdain is not reserved for Creationists. I got SO frustrated with this atheist group yesterday. They sat in the common area of the lit building and played these songs that bashed religion and then all smiled at each other and felt smart. I was stuck there studying for an econ presentation. It was this big circle jerk of how "we've got all the answers and they're dumb ahhh" and it made me hate being part of the group for a good half hour. If only because the way they chose to bash religion made them seem like crazy religious zealots. At first I actually thought they were religious people. It was very end-of-Animal-Farm esqe.
Everything I've ever said about forming atheist communities and hanging out and talking about evolution over crappy sugar cookies and powder lemonade? Forget that, I was out of my mind. For some reason, I thought atheists were innately tolerable people. Now I remember that I am cynical and everyone annoys me. Please come visit me on my remote estate that I will be buying myself as soon as possible, in an undetermined location far away from Kentucky (which is sad, because Henry Clay used to be my strongest association with Kentucky).
I may come back later for more, but life is crazy today. I just had to vent somewhere.
I'm actually curious what you thought of that debate. I didn't watch it, but I'm kind of against the idea of debating with people who don't take the same axioms as you. Like, if I think the closest approximation of the truth comes from scientific evidence and someone else thinks it comes from somewhere else, any argument we have is just two people passionately shouting into the void. It's the same with evolution and global warming, both of which are facts supported by mind-boggling amounts of evidence. But if someone doesn't care about evidence, what good is reminding them that there is evidence for them not to care about?
ReplyDeleteAlso, my favorite of those signs was "Does not the second law of thermodynamics disprove Evolution?" because I can just imagine looking directly into his eyes, smiling, and saying "No, it does not."
ReplyDeleteThank you for asking my opinion. I think it was an absolute error on Nye's part. He gave attention and money to his worst enemies (DVD sales, publicity that will lead to tickets) and legitimized them by showing up and addressing them as equals. I agree with your point, too. They're arguing from separate universes, venn diagrams floating in space (or heaven, perhaps) without overlapping commonalities. It is, as I said in an email to Derek earlier today "like trying to argue [Derek] out of caring about hockey." Beyond futility. Not even 1000 Kvothes could convince someone out of their most basic worldview.
ReplyDeleteI watched some of the debate, and I agree with you guys. Nye gave these people something resembling legitimacy by simply being there. I think he did it for personal reasons — no doubt his pocketbook is heavier now than it was a little while ago. I think this only because I don't believe he's dumb enough to think that such a debate can ever be "won."
ReplyDeleteSome of those people's questions are frustrating because they are so easily answered with a simple google. Others don't make sense. I had to look up Noetics.
Rich -- one of the responses I've seen to the second law question was "Have you ever heard of the sun?"
ReplyDeleteIt's a Catch-22, though, the debate. Right? Going there and engaging the museum founder grants them legitimacy that they just do not have. NOT showing up means that Bill Nye and his "scientists" don't have enough proof or faith (!) in their "science facts".
I feel every one of your guys' feels.
ReplyDeleteThat's it. That's all I have to add, I guess...
ReplyDelete