Re: silent? majority? from Question

From: Tim Ikeda (tikeda@sprintmail.com)
Date: Mon Apr 02 2001 - 22:43:49 EDT

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    Dr. David Campbell wrote:
    [...]
    >I have sometimes wondered about the apparent inability of Johnson
    >and certain young-earth advocates to notice what Provine noted-their
    >effectiveness as promoting atheism. The most extreme versions are
    >the statements proudly proclaiming "atheists prefer debating/dealing
    >with me rather than those theistic evolutionists". Johnson is a
    >lawyer; surely he realizes that it would not be a complement if all
    >the local attorneys clamored to have him as their opponent.
    [...]

    Yes, when Provine says that Johnson is the most significant opponent
    of evolution, he's just adding more fluff to a straw man in order
    to make it look more significant when he knocks it down.

    The most significant opponent of evolution would more likely arise
    from within science, or at least be intimately familiar with science
    and not be someone who still hasn't figured out the link between a
    certain virus and AIDS.

    Here's a quick test for determining when an advocate is more interested
    in "the process" than "the results": Nobody is perfect. Check to see whether
    the advocate is willing to openly admit occasional errors or if he sidesteps
    and ignores his mistakes. That criterion alone would clear up a lot of
    the smoke on both sides.

    Regards,
    Tim Ikeda (tikeda@sprintmail.com)



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