>Plenty of evolutionists do use Popper's recantation as an
>argument from authority, like this: "Mr. Testability himself now says that
>evolution is testable". Brian, to his credit, has been more careful than
>that. But it's still an argument from authority ... and getting moreso with
>each post. Brian cares not about the undeniable inadequacies of Popper's
>statements. He just keeps repeating, "Popper recanted! Popper recanted!"
>and dodging the issue of testability. Use Popper to lend an air of
>legitimacy to evolutionary theory, then skip town about defending it -- It's
>an argument from authority.
>
The flip side of this is that creationists have used Popper's attack on
natural selection as an argument from authority. So it might reasonably be
claimed that Popper's recantation is simply a fact that knocks a hole in
the creationist "Popper says evolution isn't science" argument. In other
words it's not an argument from authority, but an effort to lay one to
rest.
Bill Hamilton | Vehicle Systems Research
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