tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post7036198662897038399..comments2023-08-27T11:02:04.653-04:00Comments on Liberals In Exile: Review: Letter to a Christian Nation, Part IIIMelindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138968066861006638noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-55214509470648411172007-07-16T08:16:00.000-04:002007-07-16T08:16:00.000-04:00Mr. Ramsey, I'm aware that string theory is consid...Mr. Ramsey, <BR/><BR/>I'm aware that string theory is considered weak these days as is the multiple universe theory. I think we'd disagree on how much support some of these things have from the evidence. However, my point was simply that belief in things without evidence is not necessarily a mark of madness or stupidity.<BR/><BR/>As for Ross and Wells, I presumed that's the kind of people he was talking about, but he really is going out on a limb when he makes it sound as if this is some cynical plot. I think these guys are misguided and just plain wrong, but I don't think they got their Ph.D.'s solely to manipulate science. To assign motive in this way, without strong evidence to back it up, is logically fallacious and just plain dishonest.<BR/><BR/>As for Katrina, I have to be honest. I let my emotions get the best of me there. However, I still fault (to an extent) the failures of the government's environmental impact studies to adequately assess the potential damage to the wetlands and thus the increased vulnerability of the city due to shipping channels and the like. <BR/><BR/>Don't get me wrong. I love science, but I think we should apply the same healthy skepticism to science as we do to everything else. It's too easy for most non-scientists and even some scientists to fall into the "it's science therefore it's valid" trap.Melindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16138968066861006638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-25010718330512481952007-07-15T16:36:00.000-04:002007-07-15T16:36:00.000-04:00"I'd like to know where Mr. Harris got his informa..."I'd like to know where Mr. Harris got his information on this new strategy of getting a Ph.D. in science (a difficult task indeed) solely for the sake of manipulating science."<BR/><BR/>I think he is referring to <A HREF="http://dododreams.blogspot.com/2007/02/blame-canada.html" REL="nofollow">Marcus Ross</A>, or perhaps Jonathan Wells.<BR/><BR/>"Let me just note a few things that people believe in without evidence or despite the evidence so that you can see what I mean: string theory, multiple universes, serial universes born of black holes, the ultimate intelligibility of the universe, that the complexity of the universe can and will be expressed entirely with a few simple laws, that human life holds greater value than that of animals or plants, that science is a highly reliable source of factual information (despite the majority of information produced by science having been falsified), that we will succeed in creating artificial intelligence (despite our failures to get machines to complete tasks of which even small children are capable ). Need I go on? I don't think so."<BR/><BR/>I don't think those are such good examples. String theory is believed to be a possible model of reality, but the current lack of testability is not considered a good thing. Most of the things that you mentioned are considered to be at least partially supported by the evidence.<BR/><BR/>Nor was it "science" that failed New Orleans, but human error and in some cases, probably corruption as well. I'd say that Greta Christina probably has the most <A HREF="http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2007/04/the_slog_throug.html" REL="nofollow">readable discussion</A> on what's good and bad about science, though she herself is a layperson.<BR/><BR/>Where Harris goes wrong is in treating faith as if it was supposed to be about belief with evidence, which isn't quite accurate. Taner Edis had a brief <A HREF="http://secularoutpost.blogspot.com/2007/06/faith.html" REL="nofollow">discussion</A> on that a while back.J. J. Ramseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00763792476799485687noreply@blogger.com