Re: [asa] Music and Evolution

I share your frustration. I once collected samples of religious
publications that reported on work by my graduate advisor. Some of
his work
is relevant to the question of whether there are structural sex
differences
and/or evidence for differing hormonal levels in homosexuals compared to
heterosexuals. Studies showed such evidence were criticized, even
ridiculed
on bogus statistical grounds, while a study showing adult sexual
behavior in
rats could itself change the size of certain neural structures was
praised
and its findings accepted without question. Sometimes within the same
publication.

  In both cases, the rationale and methods were similar and the
statistical
criteria for significance were identical.

A similar pattern is seen in prayer studies. Let a prayer study come
out
that shows a significant effect and it's exciting news... I remember
one
publication touting it as irrefutable proof of God's power and saying
"if a
medicine was this effective doctors would be prescribing it!" Then, a
larger and better controlled study comes out showing.... no effect
at all.
Cue numerous editorials chatistising scientists for trying to put God
to the
test and explaining how this is an inappropriate subject for scientific
study. (Plus, "I know prayer works, I don't need science to prove it to
me...) statements.

__
Louise M. Freeman, PhD
Psychology Dept
Mary Baldwin College
Staunton, VA 24401
540-887-7326
FAX 540-887-7121

-----Original Message-----
From: <drsyme@cablespeed.com>
To: <tandyland@earthlink.net>, "ASA List" <asa@calvin.edu>
Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2006 13:14:33 -0500
Subject: Re: [asa] Music and Evolution

What frustrates me about commentaries like this is how
someone like Colson, selects certain scientific
opinions/data/evidence, and rejects others, without the
understanding that even the data he accepts are based on
the same methods and ideas that are behind the data that
he rejects.

For example, he is able to accept without question, the
idea that neuroscientists have concluded that we are
"hard-wired" to be musical. But doesnt accept that
evolution, despite it being a model that consistently
explains biological data, is true.

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Tue Oct 17 16:57:11 2006