Thursday, August 21, 2008

Creationist Weaknesses are Science's Strengths

Jason Rosenhouse reports from the 6th International Creationism Conference, and in showing some slides from one of the talks, reveals the crucial difference between creationists and scientists. The slide lists lack of unity, schisms and personal animosities, many different personal agendas, and competitiveness as weaknesses of the Creationist movement. But these are weaknesses in political movements, not scientific ones. Science thrives on divergent points of view, different agendas and competitiveness. It is through that crucible that nonsense is burned away until we are left with useful, explanatory theories. That creationism turns that on its head reveals it to be a political exercise, just as the Don't-ask-don't-tell Big Tent strategy of the IDers, where different viewpoints on basic relevant questions are suppressed for the sake of a unified appearance reveals it too to be a political, not scientific, exercise.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"Science thrives on divergent points of view, different agendas and competitiveness."

Sometimes, it's "despite" instead of "on".