Comments on: This Week in Science and Religion http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-week-in-science-and-religion-7/ Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:45:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Chino http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-week-in-science-and-religion-7/#comment-32433 Chino Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:21:05 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=536#comment-32433 I'd like to acknowledge and apologize for my "demand-side" commenting. Clark had every right to scrub my comments. My sense of entitlement is still alive and well, but I'll avoid addle-brained threadjacks in future. fwiw, did enjoy reading the thread up to #23. <i>One assumes that the East Indians excluded from Heaven because of a clerical error could always bribe the gatekeeper.</i> I’d like to acknowledge and apologize for my “demand-side” commenting. Clark had every right to scrub my comments. My sense of entitlement is still alive and well, but I’ll avoid addle-brained threadjacks in future. fwiw, did enjoy reading the thread up to #23.

One assumes that the East Indians excluded from Heaven because of a clerical error could always bribe the gatekeeper.

]]> By: Clark Goble http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-week-in-science-and-religion-7/#comment-32431 Clark Goble Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:38:07 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=536#comment-32431 Yes, that is too much of a threadjack. (Although not as bad as some from someone else I had to delete) I'd note that the comments probably describe a lot of right-wing ideology, libertarian ideology and the attraction for many of any kind of ideology. The focus really isn't on ethical principles nor pragmatic utility but on something that caters to the needs of people. I think it sad that far too often politics bears more resemblance to the commitment to a sports team than anything else. I suspect that many pick their religion for similar reasons. Yes, that is too much of a threadjack. (Although not as bad as some from someone else I had to delete) I’d note that the comments probably describe a lot of right-wing ideology, libertarian ideology and the attraction for many of any kind of ideology. The focus really isn’t on ethical principles nor pragmatic utility but on something that caters to the needs of people. I think it sad that far too often politics bears more resemblance to the commitment to a sports team than anything else. I suspect that many pick their religion for similar reasons.

]]> By: al_miller http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-week-in-science-and-religion-7/#comment-32430 al_miller Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:05:47 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=536#comment-32430 From Robert W. Godwin (a bit of a threadjack to be sure but interesting anyway): "There is a reason why leftism is an ideology that appeals to losers, misfits, the envious, the unhappy, and the addle-brained young. It is not that leftism creates the demand. Rather, these people demand an ideology to cater to their various pathologies and deficits. In other words, it is a demand-side politics that arises from certain unfortunate but ubiquitous trends in human nature. However, once the ideology is created, then its central task will be the creation of more lost souls who demand the ideology of leftism. Here again, this is one of the keys to understanding most any leftist policy, which fosters dependency, envy, narcissistic entitlement, and victimization. " From Robert W. Godwin (a bit of a threadjack to be sure but interesting anyway):

“There is a reason why leftism is an ideology that appeals to losers, misfits, the envious, the unhappy, and the addle-brained young. It is not that leftism creates the demand. Rather, these people demand an ideology to cater to their various pathologies and deficits. In other words, it is a demand-side politics that arises from certain unfortunate but ubiquitous trends in human nature. However, once the ideology is created, then its central task will be the creation of more lost souls who demand the ideology of leftism. Here again, this is one of the keys to understanding most any leftist policy, which fosters dependency, envy, narcissistic entitlement, and victimization. “

]]> By: Clark Goble http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-week-in-science-and-religion-7/#comment-32427 Clark Goble Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:42:44 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=536#comment-32427 Al, the media traditionally does a horrible job on all science stories. Part of the problem is a desire to focus on the sensational rather than conveying the meaning to the public. (The so-called entertainmentization of the media) The other problem is that many reporting on science don't really have science backgrounds and thus lack the skills to understand what they are reporting on. The final, and perhaps worst, problem is that the news wants a focus on the particular. That is anything abstract, they are taught, one has to illustrate with anecdotes. But in science anecdotes are horrible. They establish nothing. Thus the frankly horrible reports (most of the time - there have been some good ones) by the media on global warming. The problem is that not only do they tend to confuse people, making individual disasters seem like they are do to global warming, but they tend to lead people to do the opposite. If hot weather is "evidence" (for journalists) of global warming then obviously cold weather is evidence against it for skeptics. This is really misleading. BTW - I'd be very skeptical of Timothy Ball. I'd suggest checking out <a href="http://www.realclimate.org/" rel="nofollow">Real Climate</a> for answers to most of Ball's claims. Al, the media traditionally does a horrible job on all science stories. Part of the problem is a desire to focus on the sensational rather than conveying the meaning to the public. (The so-called entertainmentization of the media) The other problem is that many reporting on science don’t really have science backgrounds and thus lack the skills to understand what they are reporting on. The final, and perhaps worst, problem is that the news wants a focus on the particular. That is anything abstract, they are taught, one has to illustrate with anecdotes. But in science anecdotes are horrible. They establish nothing.

Thus the frankly horrible reports (most of the time – there have been some good ones) by the media on global warming. The problem is that not only do they tend to confuse people, making individual disasters seem like they are do to global warming, but they tend to lead people to do the opposite. If hot weather is “evidence” (for journalists) of global warming then obviously cold weather is evidence against it for skeptics.

This is really misleading.

BTW – I’d be very skeptical of Timothy Ball. I’d suggest checking out Real Climate for answers to most of Ball’s claims.

]]> By: al_miller http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-week-in-science-and-religion-7/#comment-32423 al_miller Tue, 06 Feb 2007 01:18:57 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=536#comment-32423 Drudge Report today (2/5/07) has a lot of stories on a huge cold snap in the northeast and a story about unseasonably cold weather in Hawaii. I am sure that everyone will just say "statistical variation". But when Katrina hit NO it was evidence that global warming was causing more hurricanes. <a href="http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming020507.htm" rel="nofollow">Climatologist calls global warming a massive deception</a> You may have to refresh the link after you navigate to it. Drudge Report today (2/5/07) has a lot of stories on a huge cold snap in the northeast and a story about unseasonably cold weather in Hawaii. I am sure that everyone will just say “statistical variation”. But when Katrina hit NO it was evidence that global warming was causing more hurricanes.

Climatologist calls global warming a massive deception

You may have to refresh the link after you navigate to it.

]]> By: al_miller http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-week-in-science-and-religion-7/#comment-32422 al_miller Sun, 04 Feb 2007 03:20:30 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=536#comment-32422 Perhaps not you Clark but most of the commenters are leftists. I would like to say liberal but I can't. Perhaps not you Clark but most of the commenters are leftists. I would like to say liberal but I can’t.

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