creationism
razib | July 21, 2009
I was mentioning to a friend that Whoopi Goldberg is apparently a semi-moon landing denialist. At least Goldberg isn't a Creationist like fellow View co-host Sherri Shepard. In fact Goldberg took issue with Shepard's stance when it came up. Rather disappointing when it comes to the moon landings then, though of course attitudes toward evolution for most people are cultural markers, not genuine assessments of the scientific consensus. It is interesting that both Shepard and Goldberg are black. The black community is more Creationist than the American popualtion as a whole, and have less…
pharyngula | July 20, 2009The current total of registered attendees for our Invasion of the Creationist "Museum" is now at 101 — and you've only got a few more days to pre-register. You're also welcome to just show up, of course.
This is an official Outing — not only are we going on a trip, but you should be a loud and proud atheist, too. I suggested armbands before; if you don't like that, pick up one of these snazzy t-shirts, or wear something from the Out Campaign. Anything that looks respectable, but still makes clear that you are one of those atheists.
grrlscientist | July 20, 2009tags: science, geology, Grand Canyon, religion, creationism, humor, funny, streaming video
The Grand Canyon is such an icon of the Earth's geological history, of slow and steady uplift, erosion, submergence and deposition, that the creationist crowd thought it essential to tackle it head on. So they have come up with an explanation as to how it might have got there in a world created only 6,000 years ago. Their attempts to squeeze this majestic testament to natural processes into bronze age mythology are not just clumsy, they're the stuff good comedy is made of [10:03]
pharyngula | July 15, 2009Stephen Meyer of the Discovery Institute has published an opinion piece in the Boston Globe in which he makes a rather anachronistic argument for ID: Thomas Jefferson was a supporter. I knew the creationists were sloppy scholars and had a poor grasp of history and science, but this is getting ridiculous.
Here, I have to help them out.
Date
Jefferson
Darwin
1743
born
-
1776
Writes the Declaration of Independence
-
1809
Ends his term as President of the US
born
1823
Writes the quote Stephen Meyer will find so appealing:
I hold (without appeal to revelation)…
pharyngula | July 15, 2009And following the lead of all past hires by that eminent institute of advanced ideology, Ann Gauger doesn't understand biology or logic. She does have a Ph.D. in a relevant field, but it just goes to show that having a degree doesn't mean you necessarily understand science. I will look forward to further examples of poor reasoning from yet another incompetent in Seattle.
By the way, she also hails from my old hometown of Kent, Washington…a completely meaningless coincidence that still manages to embarrass me.
emjohnson | July 14, 2009On this day 76 years ago (July 14, 1933) a sterilization law was passed in Nazi Germany, known as Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses (Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring). Any German was a target if they were found to be suffering from a range of perceived hereditary ailments, such as congenital mental deficiency, schizophrenia, manic-depressive insanity, epilepsy, Huntington's chorea, blindness, deafness, any severe hereditary deformity or even severe alcoholism. Official pronouncements insisted that these individuals were a drain on the German people, both…
tfk | July 14, 2009
The local Fox affiliate did a story on the controversial issues workshop I'm part of here in Florida. You can see me talking to the teachers about a minute into the video above.
Alas, the reporter got the story a bit wrong. Teachers were never forbidden from saying the word "evolution," the standards themselves simply avoided the e-word. The teachers know that, but the reporter missed the point.
More on the conference in a couple days.
laelaps | July 14, 2009
An illustration of Albert Koch's reconstructed "Missourium", or an American mastodon with a few extra bones.
Even though I find modern creationism to be intensely aggravating I occasionally like to browse older creationist texts. It is amusing to see how old creationist arguments have been recycled ad naseum, refitted for new uses (i.e. acceptance of evolution is responsible for [insert social ill here]), or given up entirely over time. In this latter category falls the assertion of the 19th century biblical literalist Mary Roberts that God had purposefully created, and subsequently…
pharyngula | July 13, 2009We're in big trouble on our trip to the Creation "Museum", people. We're going on 7 August, and on that very same day, they are planning to present…
THE ULTIMATE PROOF OF CREATION!!!
What is the Ultimate Proof of Creation, you might ask?
There is a defense for creation that is powerful, conclusive, and has no true rebuttal. As such, it is an irrefutable argument--an "ultimate proof" of the Christian worldview. This presentation will equip you to engage an unbeliever, even a staunch atheist, using proven techniques.
Holy crap! It's a trap! I'm going to be bringing along a whole mob of young…
ddobbs | July 13, 2009
Greg Laden, trying to toss a line between the "New Atheists" and 'Accommodationists" who are currently squabbling about a dust-up featuring PZ Myers v Chris Mooney & Sheril Kirshenbaum (who apparently rough Myers up a bit in their book Unscientific America), writes:
Now, I just want to make this point: I learned early on (when I was still an altar boy) that where religion and life conflict -- where the religion was not doing a good job at explaining the bits and pieces of life that were not making sense -- it was OK to drop the details of the religion part and chalk it up to mystery.
I'…
pharyngula | July 11, 2009There are intelligent true believers, deluded as they are, but there also a few of them out there who will simply take your breath away with statements of such pretentious stupidity that you wonder how they manage to tie their shoes in the morning. Case in point: David Klinghoffer. If you're already familiar with him, you won't be surprised at this. He's written an essay in which he takes to task the concept of convergent evolution, as espoused by Ken Miller and Simon Conway Morris. I don't care much for the way Miller and Conway Morris use the idea myself, but Klinghoffer's argument…man. You…
tfk | July 10, 2009Back when Yoko Ono was suing the makers of Expelled over their use of John Lennon's "Imagine," the Discovery Institute was a hotbed of copyfighters. Disco. DJ Bruce Chapman called Ono a "censor" and pitched it as a battle for free speech. Chapman complains about an Ars.Technica post which rightly notes that "intelligent design is not a scientific theory so much as an attempt to create the appearance of controversy using flashy PR tactics," and that Expelled "greatly exaggerates the persecution of intelligent design advocates":
Notice the way the writer feels obliged to abuse free speech—by…
pharyngula | July 10, 2009The good news: Cynthia Dunbar will not be heading the state board of education.
The bad news: the governor picked Gail Lowe, a Christianist sheep, who will probably do whatever Dunbar tells her to do, anyway.
Don't bother cheering, a few faint moans and groans before you Texans buckle up and head back to the front lines to battle the forces of ignorance will do.
gregladen | July 9, 2009... In which I narrow the gulf between two allied factions enough that with a running start you can jump across ... maybe.
It has been suggested that Accommodationism is "a more moderate atheist perspective on the nature of religion and science."1 In this view, religion and science are not antithetical, and can exist side by side.
I think this is a fair description of accommodationism, and it is what bothers me about accommodationism itself or the description of accommodationism, depending on who's doing the talking, but I also don't think that this is what certain people who have been…
sa smith | July 9, 2009Via The Watchers-- AtBC, also Colloquy
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
pharyngula | July 9, 2009Dunbar is the creationist, anti-education kook that Governor Perry of Texas is considering putting in charge of the state board of education. Slacktivist explains the problem with this — putting someone who wants to destroy the public education system in charge of the public education system is like making an arsonist the fire chief.
And actually, it's not as much a criticism of Dunbar — she's an out lunatic — but of the system in general, that a leading politician would think this kind of appointment is at all appropriate.
pharyngula | July 9, 2009And that's not good. John Lynch rips into Dembski's views on Alfred Russell Wallace, and Dembski's mistakes are legion and major. Wallace is an interesting guy, and it's always a shame when Discovery Institute propagandists start mangling yet another aspect of history, philosophy, and science.
pharyngula | July 9, 2009Sure, you're jealous that I won a prize off of all your back-breaking mouse clicking. So here's your chance to win $100 for just clicking a few keys in the right order. It's a creative writing contest, in which you have to come up with the most original and amusing creation myth. Just think — you could be the creator of the next Flying Spaghetti Monster!