From: Gary Collins (gwcollins@algol.co.uk)
Date: Sat Oct 25 2003 - 20:02:42 EDT
Rich Faussette wrote:
>In a message dated 9/11/03 5:00:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>dfwinterstein@msn.com writes:
>
>
>> In the fact of invincible ignorance, how far can you get?
>>
>>
>> I gather from what you say that it's basically impossible to communicate
>> with these YECs on scientific topics, because to defend their beliefs they'll
>> invoke any mechanism no matter how implausible or no matter how much evidence
>> there may be against it. It's sad, but you're probably right.
>>
>>
>
>Is this just a YEC trait? I'd venture it's more common than people realize.
>
>rich faussette
I think it was Peter Medawar who said something like:
"The human mind treats a new idea the way the body treats a strange protein - it rejects it."
To some extent it has to, of course, in order to construct a stable, consistent interpretation.
But there can, and do, come times when sufficient accumulation of contrary evidence
causes a 'flip' in one's perspective - a change in one's worldview, if you like. Sometimes
such a change can be a quite major overhaul of one's former beliefs.
/Gary
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