Me:
>Don't the faculty at Baylor realize that the way to stop an erroneous
>idea is not to silence it? If someone has a plausible idea that promises
>X and Y, then give it the chance to deliver.
Richard:
>The issue (as far as I'm concerned) is not whether ID is plausible, but the
>fact that a theory with no scientific evidence is being touted as science.
>In other words, it's pseudoscience.
I don't think this whole dispute boils down to this simple perspective.
For example, I don't see any evidence for the belief that abiogenesis
occurred through nothing more than physical law and chance, yet
this view is touted as science. Nevertheless, I wouldn't call this
pseudoscience.
>I can quite understand why real
>scientists don't want to have their university associated with it. IDers are
>not being silenced -- they can and do express their views through other
>channels. Why should they be given a privileged platform for their ideas?
I place a high value on academic freedom. And regardless of one's
agreement with Dembski's work, I don't see how any reasonable person
could deny that Dembski has paid his dues and thus deserves the same
right to express his views/arguments as any other member of academia.
If academia is to become a place where unpopular views are not to be
tolerated, then what is to become of academia? What unpopular view
must next be kicked out of the university because of a concern about
"reputation?" As I see it, this issue is much larger than the ID/non-ID
debate. And remember also that the Polanyi Center is not part of any
science department/division.
Richard:
>I would have no objection to a credible programme to search for evidence of
>ID (although I personally think that would be a waste of time because I
>don't think they'd find any). Similarly, I have no objection to genuine
>scientific research into the paranormal. But this is not what we see in the
>case of ID. Where is the research programme?
On one hand, you think it is okay to kick the Polanyi Center out of
academia, yet on the other hand, you want a research program. Does
this make sense? As I see it, you can't have it both ways. If you really
want to see a research program, then you'll have to allow ID to interact
with the academic environment. And if the Polanyi Center can't
exist at a small Christian college, where can it exist? Isolated from
the academic environment? As it stands now, if the ID community
cannot show its research program, the reason is obvious - it is not
welcome in the academic environment.
>As far as I can see, there is
>none. All the IDers are doing is generating and propagating specious
>arguments.
On this list alone, I have highlighted several areas where ID can be used
to guide various research programs. As far as the specious arguments go,
that usually boils down to a matter of opinion.
Mike
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