Darwinism and the Culture of Contempt

_{William Dembski

December 1, 2005

Darwinism}

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Here’s a quick note from a regular PT/talk.origins contributor. Let me encourage commenters on this blog to add to this thread their favorite contemptuous remarks by Darwinists. Look to the Brits for the best examples of snootiness.

From: “Dene Bebbington” [d_bebbington+@onetel.com]
Organization: Deno’s Domicile
To: wdembsk+@sbts.edu
Date: Thu, 01 Dec 2005 21:25:57 -0000
Subject: Meyer on ID, Dawkins on EV

William,

I’ve just read the piece “Meyer on ID, Dawkins on EV” at your blog and viewed
the interviews. Not sure what I’m supposed to conclude, is it that Americans
have an annoying tendency to talk loud, or that ID is based on analogy and
boils down to “I know design when I see it”?

Hope your job at SBTS is going well and that one day you’ll be able to get a
job at a non-religious institution that would consider you a “Professor of
Science”.

Regards,

Dene

Comments

josh you wrote: "i hope youre not saying that the site itself isnt on the fringe" That is what I'm saying. Believe it or not that site is the main online mouthpiece for the educated establishment left, not just for America but for Britain as well. What you consider to be lunatic fringe on that site is in fact the beliefs of the majority of the political left in America and Britain and the majority of people in Europe as well. That website is run by a famous journalist and not by a fringe conspiracy theorist. http://www.freepress.org/columns.php?strFunc=display&strAuthor=2 You also wrote: "if you search his name on the site, you will see other articles where he rants like a nut about the Ã¢â‚¬Å“illegal US occupationÃ¢â‚¬Â in Iraq, the Ã¢â‚¬Å“illegal warÃ¢â‚¬Â, and all that other nutball stuff that extreme leftists seem to have to spit out at any given moment nonstop" Josh you need to come to grips with the reality of the situation. Those views are the views of the majority of the people in America and Europe. Then you wrote: "i think the liberals in the US are becoming lunatic-likeÃ¢â‚¬Â¦i mean, howard dean runs the party, need i say more? noam chomsky is an icon to far too many libs, hate-filled anti-religious rants (esp. against christianity) seem almost commonplace" Sadly, true. Then you wrote: "but, as for the general population- i think the majority of us are still sane and still love the nation, love our people, our president, our way of life and values, etc. the lunatic fringe, (fringe in comparison to the avg citizen) is getting scarier everyday." I would disgree with your lumping in love of the president and love of the nation and our way of life and values. The majority of people in America and the world like America or even love America, but they have a big problem with the leaders and the way the government is led. There is no such thing as an average citizen, the majority of Americans have historically been distrustful of all political leadership from local to state to federal, seeing them as in cahoots with big business. The adversaries of ID like to create a caricature of ID proponents as being the tools of a hidden political agenda of the far right. We need to show that to be false and to be nothing more then a desperate attempt at poisoning the well in their public arguments against ID.mentok_{December 4, 2005
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WormHerder, Pip pip. You Brits padlocked the patent on snooty about a million years ago. ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s under some beach in the flipping Maldives. Funny thing is, the other plonkers couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t find it with ten tons of sonar and a back-hoe. If they found it, they wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know what it was. If they knew what it was, theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d hold it upside down and have a very bad whack at it. Hail Brits and FullerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s forever. Cheerspmob1_{December 4, 2005
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mentok- i hope youre not saying that the site itself isnt on the fringe. a quick look over shows as much- nazi conspiacy theories connected to zionists (darn that evil israel! praise palestinian homicide bombers! err, i mean freedom fighers!), the US is an imperalistic land of evil, bent on dominating the world, the UN is supreme almighty and can do no wrong...christians are evil and want to establish a theocracy in the US, etc. his rants in this article alone qualify him for lunatic status- lets PRAY hes on the fringe, or else were in trouble if this is mainstream. then again, the great majority of academics are leftist loons to begin with, too many of them are outright socialists, seem to hate religion and the religious, seem to hate this nation (the US), seem to hate war yet never acknowledge that peace nearly always comes THROUGH war, etc. so, i wouldnt doubt hes mainstream in academia- which tilts so far left for the most part it might as well be a separate nation with communist tendencies. as for the mainstream of america, theres no way...evolution ACTIVISTS, maybe this is mainstream. i couldnt say- from what ive read for many yrs now, it seems it might be. if you search his name on the site, you will see other articles where he rants like a nut about the "illegal US occupation" in Iraq, the "illegal war", and all that other nutball stuff that extreme leftists seem to have to spit out at any given moment nonstop... i think the liberals in the US are becoming lunatic-like...i mean, howard dean runs the party, need i say more? noam chomsky is an icon to far too many libs, hate-filled anti-religious rants (esp. against christianity) seem almost commonplace. but, as for the general population- i think the majority of us are still sane and still love the nation, love our people, our president, our way of life and values, etc. the lunatic fringe, (fringe in comparison to the avg citizen) is getting scarier everyday.Josh Bozeman_{December 3, 2005
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josh I don't believe he is on the fringe. I believe he is voicing the inner agenda of most evolution activists and the true beliefs of a very large number of people. That website is very popular amongst academics and is one of the leading and most visited leftist newsites in the world.mentok_{December 3, 2005
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Also:
We now stand on the threshold of the 21st century where enormous challenges face us: staggering poverty, continuing racism, raging wars, pandemics, and the possibility of nuclear annihilation or of the irreversible despoliation of the planet. We cannot afford to approach these problems based on myths, religious or otherwise, however comforting. Religion cannot be our guide. And the alternative is not so metaphysically bleak as some would have us believe. Darwin himself said that there was a "grandeur" in his view of the unity of life. And there is hope in it too, since the scientific view of the world can lead us to a life that might be the envy of the gods, were there any.
So, let me get this straight...this left wing atheist lunatic fringe member thinks that the answer to the problem of war, pandemics, poverty. racism, etc. is atheistic darwinism? Hmmm, I'd like to see how that works out. You'll notice how far out on the fringe he is when he claims that there's a threat of a pandemic- what pandemic would that be? Please don't tell me, that outbreak of avian flu which has been a known virus since the 1840s and has yet to cause a pandemic? Or is it some evil disease that will be released by that ruthless radical conservative cabal he speaks of? You notice he also parrots the absurd claim that Bush said God told him to attack Iraq (oddly no one but a few lunatic leftists claim to have knowledge of said conversation where Bush made this supposed claim.) I could go on, but his insane words speak for themselves...heck, the fringe site speaks for itself.Josh Bozeman_{December 3, 2005
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Yep...this guy himself (the author of the article) is even further lunatic fringe than I thought:
Why then do none of the scientists in the concluding display at the Museum of Natural History echo Darwin's atheism when a large fraction of scientists are not theists? Not one! This suggests that the Museum, and perhaps even the scientists featured in the exhibit, are pandering to the religious fundamentalists in our society and, in the process, betraying the advocacy of the truth to which they are committed above all else. Great scientists like Charles Darwin or Francis Crick or other atheistic luminaries who have lighted our paths would have had none of this. Passing on this controversy is not without consequences, often life and death ones. Our nation is presently in the grip of a "neoconservative," more properly "radical reactionary," cabal, which has led us into the debacle in Iraq.
Atheist luminaries? A radical reactionary cabal? And what on earth does Iraq have to do with NDE? The advocacy above all else for NDE is atheism?! This guy is a total loon- clearly a hate-filled loon at that.Josh Bozeman_{December 3, 2005
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I wouldn't waste the time even trying to rebut the lunatic fringe (you can see their part of the lunatic fringe merely by taking a look at the books they offer on their sidebar- 'imperial crusade' (with a US flag on the cover) 'the case against israel', 'grand theft pentagon'...a pic of george bush with a cross behind him, holding a sword and the words "evil is as evil does"- yep, I'd say these guys are definitely the lunatic fringe.Josh Bozeman_{December 3, 2005
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This I feel gets to the heart of the agenda from the evolutionist side, although they usually try and pretend it's not. In this article John Walsh, M.D. bemoans how Darwinists are not being forceful enough and he changes the nature of the debate from the evolutionists side from science to a call to arms for atheists to defeat belief in God. http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh12012005.html Maybe Bill could write a rebuttal?mentok_{December 3, 2005
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Hi geoffrobinson, I wasnt looking for an apology but thankyou . I was defending good old blighty and it was light hearted I hope. May the designer look kindly upon you, WornmHerder outWormHerder_{December 2, 2005
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A nom de guerre at Freerepublic has you banned if you defend ID and question darwinite fossilosophy... Patrick Henrymmadigan_{December 2, 2005
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Bigoted a**holes come in all races, colors, creeds, and nationalities, and so do people of profound upstanding integrity.crandaddy_{December 2, 2005
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Well, I think it was a positve trend. A general humor with debate. Not that they disengage from debate all together. But I apologize regardless.geoffrobinson_{December 2, 2005
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Not too sure us Brits have cornered the market in snootiness Dr Bill? Or are we anyless likely to attack an argument that the next nation.. geoffrobinson -that is unless you have checked with all 60 million of us? Anyway Mate, some of Us Brits are standing up for design -nice steriotypes people allbeit a little out dated now -havent you heard we all want to be like the Yanks and speak English! WormHerder outWormHerder_{December 2, 2005
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Dene Bebbington is a girly man. As such no one should take his limp wristed opinions seriously.DaveScot_{December 2, 2005
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"I think it is a sign of weak faith to try to prove your faith." Boo Tyson, Mainstream Coalition I was reading about another topic. Some Brit wrote a short poem to trounce the person. What is it with Brits and barbs that don't attack the argument themselves?geoffrobinson_{December 2, 2005
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Darwinism somehow manages to squeeze out the Frenchness within Brits. Vive William le Conqueror!Simus1_{December 1, 2005
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Well, if you ever play 'em at chess, at least you can call 'em "mate."pmob1_{December 1, 2005
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Tea served in the Royal Doulton with the hand-painted periwinkles, anyone? Biscuits and supercilious drivel are warming in the cooker, as well.Bombadill_{December 1, 2005
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This is what Bill Maher said on his HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher" on August 19, 2005: "And finally New Rule: You don't have to teach both sides of a debate, if one side is a load of crap. Now, President Bush recently suggested that public schools should teach intelligent design, alongside the theory of evolution. Because, after all, evolution is quote, "just a theory." Then the President renewed his vow to drive the terrorists straight over the edge of the earth. Now, here is what I don't get. President Bush is a brilliant scientist. He's the man who proved you can mix two parts booze with one part cocaine, and still fly a jet fighter. And yet... yet he just can't seem to accept that we descended from apes. It just seems pathetic to be so insecure about your biological superiority, to a group of feces-flinging, rouge-buttocked monkeys, that you have to make up fairy tales. Like we came from Adam and Eve, and then cover stories for Adam and Eve like, intelligent design. Yeah, leaving the Earth in the hands of two naked teenagers. That's a real intelligent design. I'm sorry, folks, but it may very well may be that life is just a series of random events. And that there is no... master plan. But enough about Iraq. Let me instead restate my thesis. There aren't necessarily two sides to every issue. If there were, the Republicans would have an opposition party. And an opposition party would point out that even though there's a debate, in schools, and government, about this, there is no debate among scientists. Evolution... is supported by the entire scientific community. Intelligent design is supported by guys online to see "The Dukes of Hazzard." And the reason there is no real debate, is that intelligent design isn't real science. It's the equivalent of saying that the thermos keeps hot things hot and cold things cold, because it's a god. It's so willfully ignorant you might as well worship the U.S. Mail. It came again! Praise, Jesus! No, stupidity isn't a form of knowing things. Thunder is high pressure air meeting low pressure air. It's not God bowling. Babies come from storks is not a competing school of thought... in medical school. We shouldn't teach both. The media shouldn't equate both. If Thomas Jefferson... If Thomas Jefferson knew we were blurring the line this much between church and state, he would turn over in his slave. Now as for me, I believe in evolution and intelligent design. I think God designed us in his image, but I also think God is a monkey! God bless you and goodnight!" It's bulls*** like this that makes me question my belief in free speach. Davidcrandaddy_{December 1, 2005
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Light is death to darkness. Truth is anethema to falsity. The beacon of truth is the absence of rancor. Contemptousness is the harbinger of error.PaV_{December 1, 2005
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From the Queen of condescension, Eugenie Scott: "He didn't lose his job, he didn't get his pay cut, he still has his research privileges, he still has his office," Scott says. "You know, what's his complaint? People weren't nice to him. Well, life is not fair." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5007508havoc_{December 1, 2005
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