tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post2333120503961458065..comments2024-03-29T03:19:09.227-04:00Comments on The Philosopher's Stone: THE OLD BOB RETURNSRobert Paul Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-9765125317779436752010-09-29T00:19:10.187-04:002010-09-29T00:19:10.187-04:00I'm pretty sure that the reality is that most ...I'm pretty sure that the reality is that most people think of modern medicine, electricity, ipods, wifi, etc. as magic. The idea that all that technology comes out of a coherent understanding of the universe in which many linked strands of evidence irrefutably lead us to know, among other things, that life on earth is ~3 billion years old, is far too remote for the average Joe Wurzelbacher. It just doesn't matter for daily life. So belief follows comfort, not reason.Orenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04633627736156543520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-67225067099105741232010-08-04T05:45:36.217-04:002010-08-04T05:45:36.217-04:00Oh well, Scott, I guess Dawkins has had his fill o...Oh well, Scott, I guess Dawkins has had his fill of that sort of thing. No, I haven't read that yet. I have a lot of catching up to do.Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-51665588975514224972010-08-03T23:58:10.803-04:002010-08-03T23:58:10.803-04:00For the record, Richard Dawkins also refuses to de...For the record, Richard Dawkins also refuses to debate with these people, with good reason: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhmsDGanyes<br /><br />By the way, Professor Wolff, since you're still venting about how ignorant and uninformed the masses are, I should ask if you've gotten around to reading The Myth of the Rational Voter yet? :)Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02563179015787569536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-10954784933776211602010-08-03T16:36:35.993-04:002010-08-03T16:36:35.993-04:00I would sincerely doubt the ability to live with c...I would sincerely doubt the ability to live with cognitive dissonance 'only' makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. One of the big problems I find with this evolutionary psychology is its self-aggrandizing pseudo-science. Just because we observe a trait today, we infer that it had to be selected for long ago, albeit it's often impossible to test, and then brandish dissent as un-scientific, ignorant, wrong, etc. I know this kind of reasoning would have Hume rolling in his grave.<br /><br />Why not be as honest as possible. Humans exhibit cognitive dissonance. It's annoying, perplexing and intriguing. We probably can't/won't ever know why/when this suddenly became a homo-sapien attribute.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08250295324149056708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-76691616380481806372010-08-03T15:09:49.280-04:002010-08-03T15:09:49.280-04:00Bob: The case is stronger than you make. All of ...Bob: The case is stronger than you make. All of medicine is now based on molecular medicine: health and disease are a function of the interaction of genome, epigenome, and enviornment (or whatever precise refinement the formula will have as it develops). That is, modern medicine presumes and corroborates evolution, every day. This is not mentioned to patients, inasmuch as this information is not needed for the informed consent process for treatment. However, patients who are aware of it are at risk for non-trivial cognitive dissonance or even a crisis of faith (when the molecular medical treatment works). The human species that we have developed the powerful and useful adpative trait of living with contradictions (that would paralyze other species', such as dogs', brains in a flash). That is, the ability of such patients to live with cognitive dissonance only makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, which they reject. And, as Kurt Vonnegut nicely put it, so it goes.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11171412504464175920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-22531112390778123042010-08-03T13:14:44.731-04:002010-08-03T13:14:44.731-04:00Bryan, I checked out the website, and I love it, e...Bryan, I checked out the website, and I love it, even though I am not really a fan of anything musical after 1800 or so. When you get fired, let me know and I will write you a letter of recommendation.Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-18585514093872955362010-08-03T12:36:44.896-04:002010-08-03T12:36:44.896-04:00Lady Gaga! I have a gag website on analytic philos...Lady Gaga! I have a gag website on analytic philosophy and Lady Gaga that you might be interested in:<br /><br />http://faculty.fordham.edu/bfrances/indexgag.htm<br /><br />Let me add that I'm an analytic philosopher who loves Lady Gaga music.<br /><br />Bryan FrancesBryan Franceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01514217081239153421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-80977205459656272112010-08-03T11:17:20.681-04:002010-08-03T11:17:20.681-04:00A word of warning. From time to time, I just go a...A word of warning. From time to time, I just go ape at the things I read, and I fulminate. I try to alert people to what is happening, so that they won't take me seriously. I mean, would I deny treatment to someone who was carried into the radiation therapy room proclaiming his refusal to believe in the science that underlies it? Of course not. I wouldn't even stick out my tongue at him and say, "Nyah, nyah." I would just wish him well. But I have to admit that in my dreams ...Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-77426679336021012732010-08-03T10:53:51.845-04:002010-08-03T10:53:51.845-04:00Sorry for the double post, had to chime in on:
&q...Sorry for the double post, had to chime in on:<br /><br />"An overwhelming majority of people (75%) believe that science can explain many things, but not everything."<br /><br />That isn't surprising, as an atheist even I don't think science can explain everything.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08250295324149056708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-7269959509086766602010-08-03T10:44:02.318-04:002010-08-03T10:44:02.318-04:00While I laughed heartily reading this post, and al...While I laughed heartily reading this post, and also wish your prescription were reality, I can't make it jive with our shared anarchism. I mean isn't there a contradiction here between our anarchism, and using the state to impose a measure through force; force because we are talking life and death! Granted, Christians are often daft folks, but there's a lot of Christian Anarcho-Communist I'd prefer to live over a lot of atheist free-market capitalist!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08250295324149056708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-76961394873007642092010-08-03T10:10:14.084-04:002010-08-03T10:10:14.084-04:00http://stupidevilbastard.com/2006/01/doonesbury_ta...http://stupidevilbastard.com/2006/01/doonesbury_takes_on_creationism/<br /><br />asking people to have totally consistent beliefs seems like a tall order though. are we supposed to throw out physics (including medical physics) because we don't have a good theory of quantum gravity? maybe it would be enough for them to just acknowledge that they could be wrong, given more data (and that their medical treatment working counts towards that data).Rosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11560979589596952455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-62965893316063252382010-08-03T09:56:43.394-04:002010-08-03T09:56:43.394-04:00Well said: The same procedure for the use of antib...Well said: The same procedure for the use of antibiotics as well :-) <br /><br />AndyADGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11979112233394863186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-67927019064220094102010-08-03T08:24:37.681-04:002010-08-03T08:24:37.681-04:00I was honestly just about to delete my first post ...I was honestly just about to delete my first post after having almost identical thoughts in the bath tub.<br />I wonder how many folk just accept religious or political views without question; their parents views becoming their own, and so on.NotHobbeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09443644930695303411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-74269228247732941442010-08-03T08:11:46.764-04:002010-08-03T08:11:46.764-04:00Clearly it is a mistake to inquire too deeply into...Clearly it is a mistake to inquire too deeply into the state of mind of the general public. Now, what percentage of those polled could identify Lady Gaga?Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-22026023445825753622010-08-03T07:45:03.762-04:002010-08-03T07:45:03.762-04:00A few details from the Theos theology think tank s...A few details from the Theos theology think tank survey conducted in the UK last year:<br /><br />• 70% of people questioned knew that Darwin is most strongly identified with<br />evolution, yet only 54% were able to correctly identify The Origin of Species as written<br />by him. Only 11% knew that he also wrote The Descent of Man.<br />• Just 37% of respondents agree that Darwinian evolution is a theory so well<br />established it is beyond reasonable doubt, with nearly a fifth (19%) believing it has<br />little or no supporting evidence. 36% state that the theory is still waiting to be proved<br />or disproved.<br />• An overwhelming majority of people (75%) believe that science can explain many<br />things, but not everything.<br />• Only 10% consider science and religious belief to be completely incompatible.<br />• More than half of the population (53%) believes in God. Interestingly, while 8% of<br />people say they used to believe in God but no longer do so, this is equalled by the<br />number of people who believe in God but have not always.<br />• People were asked to choose between four possible positions as described in the<br />questionnaire (see pages 26-27): Young Earth Creationism (YEC), Intelligent Design<br />(ID), Theistic Evolution (TE) and Atheistic Evolution (AE). When asked which position<br />they considered most likely, 17% chose the YEC position,11% chose ID, 28% chose TE<br />and 37% chose AE.<br />• Two thirds of people (65%) consider evolution (TE or AE) to be the most likely<br />explanation for the origins of human life.<br /><br /><b>The poll also revealed some extraordinary views on more recent writings, with 5% of adults thinking Darwin wrote A Brief History of Time</b><br /><br />God only knows what those 5% would credit you with Professor<br /><i>"Urrrm, didn`t he draw the pictures for the cover of Profokievs cd"</i> ;-)NotHobbeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09443644930695303411noreply@blogger.com