> > No one was present when life first appeared on earth.
> > Therefore, any statement about life's origins should be
> > considered as theory, not fact. .........................
> In my opinion, the general tenor of this message accurately characterizes
> the present state of affairs. I think this is a good way to encourage open
> minded search for truth that ought to characterize our pursuit of knowledge
> in all areas, particularly in science.
The paragraph I include above is terrible. It combines the
oft-made but utterly wrong notion that "we can't observe the past" and a
naive fact-theory split, with the implication that "theory" is just
unsubstantiated guesswork. This will play well with people ignorant of
science, but should under no circumstances be encouraged.
(We went through "warning label" thing on either the ASA or the
SCHICHR list a month or so ago, except that then it was Alabama. Do
we want to rehash it?)
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@imperium.net
http://www.imperium.net/~gmurphy