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a drop in the ocean
May. 12th, 2010 01:24 amToday I finally saw that peanut butter creationist video thing. I sprayed the following into a series of comments, with minor edits to deal with character count limits:
*****
1. Abiogenesis and evolution are not necessarily incompatible with the existence of one or more higher power(s). Only a literal interpretation of certain parts of certain religious documents makes them so.
A tangent: The origin, history, revision, and interpretation of religious writings is a complicated matter all by itself. Which writings are important? Which versions, in which language (whose words have changed in meaning over time), are relevant? Finally, how are the writings to be interpreted? Who decides all of the above?
In spite of what many of us (myself included) have been taught since childhood, these questions apply even to texts millions of people consider sacred.
2. "Abiogenesis" and "evolution" are two separate terms used to describe two different phenomena. They are not interchangeable. Evidence for or against one does not necessarily support or discredit the other.
3. Learn about the Miller-Urey Experiment and other related studies.
You could start here, if you like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller%E2%80%93Urey_experiment
If you don't understand the vocabulary, look it up. If you don't understand those definitions, keep digging until you do. Keep going until you understand what may have been demonstrated. If you don't feel like doing that, accept that you may be too ignorant to argue for or against abiogenesis. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. I'm too ignorant of Physics to argue for or against the existence of dark matter. It doesn't keep me up at night.
4. Many people don't know what scientists mean by the word "theory." Laypersons often use that word where most scientists would use the term "hypothesis." First, learn the difference between a theory and a hypothesis. Realize that not every scientific discipline uses the word "theory" in exactly the same way. For example, an astrophysicist and a biologist may have different criteria for calling something a theory.
When anyone says "That's just a theory," ask them what they mean by "theory." Chances are, they don't mean "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment." They usually mean, "That's just an educated guess." An educated guess is a hypothesis, not a theory.
5. Don’t get all worked up if you don’t understand something. Nobody was born with a head full of knowledge, and nobody knows everything. If you don’t really know something, don’t act as if you do. Sometimes people do that out of fear, pride, anger, or envy. If you think you know something, be generous with your knowledge, credit your sources, and try to be tactful. Remember nobody enjoys being made to feel ignorant.
*****
Cut and paste at will. I know it's not news to you, but it could be to someone else.
*****
1. Abiogenesis and evolution are not necessarily incompatible with the existence of one or more higher power(s). Only a literal interpretation of certain parts of certain religious documents makes them so.
A tangent: The origin, history, revision, and interpretation of religious writings is a complicated matter all by itself. Which writings are important? Which versions, in which language (whose words have changed in meaning over time), are relevant? Finally, how are the writings to be interpreted? Who decides all of the above?
In spite of what many of us (myself included) have been taught since childhood, these questions apply even to texts millions of people consider sacred.
2. "Abiogenesis" and "evolution" are two separate terms used to describe two different phenomena. They are not interchangeable. Evidence for or against one does not necessarily support or discredit the other.
3. Learn about the Miller-Urey Experiment and other related studies.
You could start here, if you like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller%E2%80%93Urey_experiment
If you don't understand the vocabulary, look it up. If you don't understand those definitions, keep digging until you do. Keep going until you understand what may have been demonstrated. If you don't feel like doing that, accept that you may be too ignorant to argue for or against abiogenesis. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. I'm too ignorant of Physics to argue for or against the existence of dark matter. It doesn't keep me up at night.
4. Many people don't know what scientists mean by the word "theory." Laypersons often use that word where most scientists would use the term "hypothesis." First, learn the difference between a theory and a hypothesis. Realize that not every scientific discipline uses the word "theory" in exactly the same way. For example, an astrophysicist and a biologist may have different criteria for calling something a theory.
When anyone says "That's just a theory," ask them what they mean by "theory." Chances are, they don't mean "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment." They usually mean, "That's just an educated guess." An educated guess is a hypothesis, not a theory.
5. Don’t get all worked up if you don’t understand something. Nobody was born with a head full of knowledge, and nobody knows everything. If you don’t really know something, don’t act as if you do. Sometimes people do that out of fear, pride, anger, or envy. If you think you know something, be generous with your knowledge, credit your sources, and try to be tactful. Remember nobody enjoys being made to feel ignorant.
*****
Cut and paste at will. I know it's not news to you, but it could be to someone else.
