[asa] Lets move beyond straw men and uninformed opinion

>>> On 11/29/2006 at 7:59 AM, in message
<200611291757.kATHv1Hm025974@udomo.calvin.edu>, "Alexanian, Moorad"
<alexanian@uncw.edu> wrote:
> I am not defending ID but exposing the fallacy of your argument
against
> it since your arguments apply equally to Darwinian Theory of
evolution.
> The theory of how the dinosaurs became extinct by a meteor impact in
the
> Yucatan peninsula http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=747011#
has
> nothing to do with evolutionary theory. If Newton did not know how
the
> solar system came into being, evolutionary theory certainly does not
> explain that either from the assumptions evolutionary theory makes.
> Similarly, with all the examples you give. Get real man!
>
> Moorad

Folks,

My problem is that I can not sit down and write a quick response. I
usually spend way to much time composing a post. However this post is a
quick post because I simply had to say some things that were on my mind.

1. Lets not let our anti ID or other alternative "Christian origin"
perspectives color our thinking. In this last exchange between Moorad
and Pim, Moorad is absolutely right. Evolution is a biological theory
of how organisms change and does not predict or explain mass
extinctions. Sure some YEC are catastrophists and like them and they
are part of the geological record. There is also some literature on
them (since the end of the Cretaceous is not the only major extinction.

2. Some of the ID folks are good and careful scientists (Behe and
Dembski) come to mind. So I burned when someone on the list suggested
that Behe's complaints about not getting though peer review was based on
valid criticism of his science. The person obviously did not know what
the reviewers had said but just assumed peer review if critical must
have been based on Behe's poor science. Yet Behe is someone who got
grants and knew how to publish before he identified himself with the ID
movement so hwen he suddenly gets different reviews he might be reading
it right. Reading of Kuhn would suggest that material outside the
accepted paradigms are not accepted that quickly. It might be another
story if the poster(s) to the ASA list were picking on Nelson or some
younger ID person that had not been publishing. A similar unwarranted
comment was made that Meyer's publication was wrongly accredited by a
peer reviewed journal. Look you may not like these guys (at least that
is the way it sure sounds), but some of these folks are doing their work
in regular academic circles.

3. I see little talk of some of the interesting things in the fossil
record.
What about stasis?
What about the appearance of angiosperms?
I actually know something about some of these but I would like
discussion to go beyond the simple opinions that I see too often in this
group.

4. If you want to talk about ID or YEC why don't you actually invite
one of their better minds to this forum, treat them with professional
courtesy and have some dialog. Somehow we can do that at our meetings,
but don't seem able to on this forum.

I could say more but I think I will quit.

-- 
James Mahaffy (mahaffy@dordt.edu)          Phone: 712 722-6279
498 4th Ave NE
Biology Department                                     FAX :  712
722-1198
Dordt College, Sioux Center IA 51250-1697
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