Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Morning coffee! A snippet from Salvo!

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A magazine I recommend to the kind readers of Uncommon Descent is Salvo.

Yes, I write for it, and here are some of my recent contributions that are available on line.

Livin’ on a Prayer

The “nothing but” approach to describing humans

The Truth Hurts:Following the Evidence to Career Oblivion

But many skilled writers serve Salvo, and it is worth your subscription dollar. It is one of the only theist-based magazines around with a serious commitment to science writing. In other words, you can get science writing free of materialist bias.

It’ll sound a bit different, but you’ll get used to that, and you will learn stuff that could be really valuable to you.

And, heck, you sure do learn some interesting things. Here’s a brief excerpt from Terrell Celmons’s Crosshairs department, about an individual, known to many readers here, PZ Meyers, a biology prof at the University of Minnesota, Morris, and – as Clemons tells it – “a virulent shock-blogger who despises religious believers.”

Most Recent Offense:

Lasts summer, PZ asked his readers to get him a consecrated [Roman Catholic] communion wafer, saying, “I”ll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare.” When he got one (Who knows if it was actually consecrated or not?), he pierced it with a rusty nail and threw it in the trash with a banana peel and coffee grounds, and then took and posed a photo of it as proof of the deed. He dubbed the photo The Great Desecration and pronounced, “It is finished.”

But Myer’s most pernicious influence is his crusade to make science education atheist education. PZ says he doesn’t aim to expunge faith from the country, but he clearly aims to expunge it from the hearts and minds of science students, saying he wants believers to “look at the book of Genesis and ask lots of questions about it.” Meanwhile, he opposes – zealously – any suggestion that they look at Darwin’s works and ask any questions. Apparently, in his world, this is free inquiry.

Yes, absolutely. In the world of one-way skepticism, this is free inquiry. As much free inquiry as you will ever be allowed.

Welcome to the future your taxes fund. Now, get lost (except for the purposes of your national tax collection agency, in which case, proceed directly to … ).

(Note: Apparently, Myers’s attention was attracted to this dustup or a similar one at a Florida Catholic church. As Myers lives nowhere near Florida and decidedly does not claim to be a Catholic, I think he was simply looking for a cause.)

Also: History of science: Copernicus to get new tomb

Comments
I love it. Nakashima is telling UD how to run the site.jerry
May 12, 2009
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Terrell, Nice quote from Myers. I've seen the guy on various forums, movies, youtube etc. If he wants to get out the brass knuckles and steel-toed boots, I say let him. He'd get a good, old-fashioned, much-deserved whipping.Clive Hayden
May 12, 2009
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I wouldn’t lump all biologists together with PZ Myers, and if he’s happy with biology students reading OoS critically and asking question, that’s commendable. About evidence for the assertion that Myers zealously opposes students looking at Darwin’s works and asking questions: Perhaps others interpret his response to The Discovery Institute differently, but I see his criticism and crusade to silence Intelligent Design theorists as just that. If Myers has responded to legitimate questions ID theorists have posed and answered them on scientific grounds, and if he’s willing to let science students grapple with those questions too, I’ll be happy to retract the statement. But all I’ve seen on the part of PZ Myers is ridicule, name calling, and a zealous effort expended to keep Intelligent Design theory out of science education. This quote from Pharyngula gives the general flavor of Myers’s response to them: “The only appropriate response should involve some form of righteous fury, much butt-kicking, and the public firing of some teachers, many school board members, and vast numbers of sleazy, far-right politicians … I say, screw the polite words and careful rhetoric. It's time for scientists to break out the steel-toed boots and brass knuckles, and get out there and hammer on the lunatics and idiots.” Myers is free to express his opinion, and I agree with him that we should be talking about our beliefs. But this isn’t an engagement with scientific questions on scientific grounds.Terrell
May 12, 2009
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Mr. Nakashima says: "I thought they taught in journalism school to check sources." Indeed. If we look at this from Clemons, he appears to think that biologists treat Darwin in the way that the religious treat their prophets: "PZ says he doesn’t aim to expunge faith from the country, but he clearly aims to expunge it from the hearts and minds of science students, saying he wants believers to “look at the book of Genesis and ask lots of questions about it.” Meanwhile, he opposes - zealously - any suggestion that they look at Darwin’s works and ask any questions. Apparently, in his world, this is free inquiry." Myers (not Meyers, Ms. O'Leary) actually teaches that Darwin got it wrong on hereditary (and other things) and would certainly be happy with people reading the OoS critically and asking questions. Ms. O'Leary: "But many skilled writers serve Salvo,....." If this is the case, and if you're promoting the magazine, why didn't you choose an example from one such contributor?iconofid
April 29, 2009
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I thought they taught in journalism school to check sources. Why are shock-blog antics from last summer newsworthy on UD? This OP is an advertisement for Salvo, not news. If Salvo wants to target UD redaers, let them buy banner space on the right side of the page.Nakashima
April 29, 2009
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Ms O'Leary, Does Clemons provide evidence for this assertion?
Meanwhile, he opposes - zealously - any suggestion that they look at Darwin’s works and ask any questions.
madsen
April 26, 2009
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