Nooooo!
I thought I might be safe. It's been a really long time since I've had to hang my head in shame and contemplate covering it with a paper bag because of creationist pontifications of a fellow physician bringing shame upon our shared profession. It had even been longer since I had dealt with Dr. Geoffrey Simmons, a particularly clueless "intelligent design" creationist. And don't even get me started on the whole "Physicians and Surgeons Who Dissent from Darwinism" silliness started by the Discovery Institute.
Now P.Z. Myers informs me that Dr. Simmons is back and dumber than ever talking about evolution. I just don't know what to do. It's hard to show one's face around my fellow ScienceBloggers when so many of my fellow physicians like Dr. Simmons are proudly trumpeting their ignorance of biology for the world to see. Next, you'll be telling me that Dr. Michael Egnor is making a comeback.
Time to get a paper bag. Maybe I can at least use get one of those cool Apple shopping bags from the nearest Apple Store. They're at least not ugly.
I was at the apple store recently, and found the bags to be very, very cool, but distinctly impermeable. Orac might not oxygenate well in one.
Good point PalMD. Maybe Orac could pass it along to the Hitler Zombie instead?
Hey -- look on the bright side: Simmons took one hellacious beating in that debate, despite the fact that it was on his turf, and he got to define the terms. It's worth the twenty minutes or so it takes to listen to the mp3, available at the KKMS web site. My favorite exchange went something like:
I see that the last time you blogged about Simmons on of your readers posted this link.
How to ... Challenge a scientific theory
Simmons is still bleating that he doesn't have to actually provide evidence for ID (or whatever flavour of Creationism he's into) because he is just being contra-Darwin.
Sorry, science doesn't work that way. It is the correct way to be a crank though.
Chris Noble said:
Does the phrase "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" mean anything to Simmons, or does it contain too many long words?
So we know that Dr. Egnor simply lies, this has been clearly demonstrated. Dr Simmons is newer to me, so I have given him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't lie, but is misinformed and not too bright. Now he knows about some facts thanks to PZ, let's see if he digs in and educates himself. (I don't expect he will, but we will see).
I am so surprised to find that so many who are anti-evolution because they feel it hurts "Christian" values are so willing to abandon "Christian" values and lie deliberately.
Something about the end justifies the means I suppose...
So we know that Dr. Egnor simply lies, this has been clearly demonstrated. Dr Simmons is newer to me, so I have given him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't lie, but is misinformed and not too bright. Now he knows about some facts thanks to PZ, let's see if he digs in and educates himself. (I don't expect he will, but we will see).
I am so surprised to find that so many who are anti-evolution because they feel it hurts "Christian" values are so willing to abandon "Christian" values and lie deliberately.
Something about the end justifies the means I suppose...
As an engineer, I guess I need to get a paper bag as well, since so many Creationists/IDiots are engineers. Engineers and Medical Doctors should be the people least likely to believe that the human body was intelligently designed. I would have serious doubts about the competency of either an engineer or a doctor who saw evidence of intelligent design the obvious kluge that is the human body. My doctor is a former electrical engineer - I hope he isn't an IDist.