Re: [asa] AAAS President Keynote Address

On 2/21/07, drsyme@cablespeed.com <drsyme@cablespeed.com> wrote:
>
> Rich, hang on a second. I still think you are missing
> Janice's point.
>
> Even though tithe literally means %10, it is clearly
> associated with religion, with churches, wouldnt you agree
> with that?
>
> Janice is pointing to Holdens use of this term as an
> example of what Crichton is calling Environmentalism.
> That is a zealous religion of defending the environment.
>
> This has nothing to do with Christianity and rationality.
> Crichton is trying to make the point that there are
> environmental scientists that are zealots, and have their
> judgement clouded. I dont agree with him, and you dont
> agree with him. But unfortunately, Holden's use of a term
> that has religious connotations, makes it appear that
> perhaps Crichton is correct. That is Janice's point. It
> has nothing to do with her faith, fideism, or anything of
> the sort.

That's Janice's point but it is not Crichton's. Because environmental
scientists can be religious zealots, you still have to take one more step in
the argument and show how their judgment is clouded and why scientists
should not devote their time for the benefit of humanity and why the use of
religious rhetoric is bad particularly when science is supposedly
atheistic. Crichton short-circuits that analysis by making ALL religious
thinking suspect. Science, as defined by himself, of course, GOOD, religion,
BAD. Then he only needs to show that there is a religious component and go
straight to Q.E.D. Ironically, he gets to his conclusion by mis-labelling
scientific thinking as religious and vice versa. Crichton is a dangerous
ally for Janice and other Christian environmental skeptics to have because
of this. His cure is worse than the disease. If Janice and others are
concerned about the New Age influence in environmentalism -- and I am not
saying that concern is illegitimate -- then she should join me in my
original proposal to coopt the AAAS president's proposal. It should be
Christians in science that (legitimately) tithe our talents for the (true)
good of humanity.

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Received on Wed Feb 21 17:25:26 2007