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Well, it requires a lot more science to really dispute things than HS can give someone Isaac Send a noteboard - 21/09/2011 11:28:29 PM
The real problem seems to be that people can't apply any knowledge to the world. Children learn biology but still believe in Creationism. They learn physics but they still believe outlandish 9/11 theories. The failure is the logical application of their knowledge.


The creationist I know don't dispute the science much, just handwave that Supreme Being's can do such things, which of course they could if they were of a mind to and poke a soft spots - or what they think are soft spots - in bio or physics. They are typically neither Luddites nor anti-science and mostly take the view that just because the pond in someone's backyard could form naturally it doesn't mean someone didn't landscape it in there with a backhoe and make an effort to make it look natural. I don't agree but it's a logical valid argument if one starts with an Almighty and Hands-on Creator. As for the 9/11 sorts, it's not like even senior undergrads in architecture, engineering, or physics get courses on how to model and identify reasons for falling skyscrapers. Science has jack to do with why most of us dismiss those theories, except maybe psychology, since our reason is all the same, that it would take an absurdly elaborate and wide conspiracy to hide a bomb and if you were going to use a bomb you might as well just openly use a bomb and claim terrorists did it. That's not science, just logic and common sense using the premise that it would take a extremely large and loyal and clever group to pull that off and that they'd presumably be smart enough to just rent/steal a truck that pointed at a known terrorist and skip the needlessly complex plane ramming, or all the other convoluted stuff in the various other theories. No science involved for that for Average Joe.
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein

King of Cairhien 20-7-2
Chancellor of the Landsraad, Archduke of Is'Mod
This message last edited by Isaac on 21/09/2011 at 11:29:58 PM
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We really need to have Logic as a course in high schools. - 20/09/2011 06:50:36 AM 1327 Views
Logic classes would be good in schools. - 20/09/2011 10:23:56 AM 876 Views
Ugh. - 20/09/2011 11:30:59 AM 901 Views
Re: Ugh. - 21/09/2011 12:03:31 AM 828 Views
this is a controlled demolition - 21/09/2011 12:20:09 AM 947 Views
That is an incredibly stupid argument. - 21/09/2011 01:12:38 AM 880 Views
Asking questions is never wrong. - 20/09/2011 12:22:22 PM 776 Views
Re: Asking questions is never wrong. - 20/09/2011 11:57:04 PM 945 Views
Agreed - 20/09/2011 01:09:40 PM 836 Views
There is compelling evidence that 9/11 was not what it seemed - 20/09/2011 03:06:58 PM 890 Views
No, there is not. - 20/09/2011 03:19:43 PM 973 Views
Well, the circumstances were odd at least - 20/09/2011 03:26:40 PM 858 Views
As far as conspiracies go ... - 20/09/2011 03:36:35 PM 952 Views
what would be the motive for the US doing something that stupid? - 20/09/2011 04:40:31 PM 769 Views
I'm not sure you got my gist. - 20/09/2011 04:46:28 PM 811 Views
I don't think there is any evidience that Bush wanted to attack Iraq before 9-11 - 20/09/2011 05:21:09 PM 834 Views
Um. Well, sure, that would be true. If you ignored all the evidence. - 20/09/2011 05:45:23 PM 891 Views
Well if you had argued that some Bush advisers wanted to attack Iraq I would have agreed - 20/09/2011 06:35:07 PM 873 Views
But that's what I DID argue. - 20/09/2011 06:47:17 PM 856 Views
sorry but you need to be more precise in your terms - 21/09/2011 02:37:36 PM 882 Views
I've always seen them as separate. - 21/09/2011 03:33:14 PM 722 Views
and that is why I decided to drop it - 21/09/2011 04:07:02 PM 874 Views
Heh. - 21/09/2011 04:15:34 PM 825 Views
And the explicit statement of a Bush Cabinet member. - 21/09/2011 06:59:47 AM 930 Views
I'm still annoyed. - 21/09/2011 01:58:38 PM 763 Views
Admitting error is a sign of weakness; Don Draper said so. - 21/09/2011 05:37:31 PM 791 Views
In addition: - 20/09/2011 05:57:33 PM 956 Views
sorry but that is nothing more than a simple statement of fact - 20/09/2011 06:40:51 PM 904 Views
This is very frustrating. - 20/09/2011 07:05:48 PM 853 Views
For the war on terror? - 20/09/2011 04:49:12 PM 888 Views
And what was the war on terror supposed to accomplish? - 20/09/2011 05:12:11 PM 835 Views
That contradicts the evidence. - 20/09/2011 06:15:48 PM 860 Views
Excuse me? - 20/09/2011 08:22:21 PM 930 Views
Huh? - 20/09/2011 08:57:14 PM 906 Views
the problem with any other theory is the make no sense - 20/09/2011 04:36:02 PM 830 Views
Contemplate this.... - 20/09/2011 04:27:52 PM 851 Views
You just did not go Star Trek on me - 20/09/2011 04:44:28 PM 868 Views
And how did you know... - 20/09/2011 05:17:10 PM 947 Views
Re: And how did you know... - 21/09/2011 12:16:26 AM 934 Views
humans tend to be very bad at critical thinking - 20/09/2011 04:58:43 PM 793 Views
Won't help - 20/09/2011 08:15:36 PM 863 Views
Make 'em all take debate. - 20/09/2011 08:23:37 PM 828 Views
Would madam like a cane? - 20/09/2011 09:19:53 PM 943 Views
Maybe a walker with tennis balls on the bottom. *NM* - 20/09/2011 10:33:39 PM 394 Views
Do you think it would help? - 21/09/2011 12:09:42 AM 823 Views
Re: We really need to have Logic as a course in high schools. - 21/09/2011 12:10:08 AM 839 Views
Yeah, and the 100,000 pounds of sudden extra weight slammed into the towers at 400 mph...? - 21/09/2011 01:05:18 AM 839 Views
Not actually the best example - 21/09/2011 01:56:03 AM 816 Views
what about the hole it cut into the frame of the building? - 21/09/2011 03:23:07 AM 854 Views
Wouldn't make much difference - 21/09/2011 04:08:27 AM 833 Views
OK thanks *NM* - 21/09/2011 02:55:52 PM 434 Views
Re: Yeah, and the 100,000 pounds of sudden extra weight slammed into the towers at 400 mph...? - 21/09/2011 03:02:19 AM 874 Views
But how else would they fall down? - 21/09/2011 07:42:27 PM 733 Views
You would force Euler on to the masses? - 21/09/2011 03:21:40 PM 898 Views
You could still argue. - 21/09/2011 04:06:51 PM 762 Views
I didn't mean to imply that it is no fun to argue with a like-minded person - 21/09/2011 04:15:47 PM 796 Views
Eh, nobody uses pure logic all of the time anyway. - 21/09/2011 10:43:51 PM 860 Views
Or they could just do more math. Cold, hard, beautiful math. - 21/09/2011 04:01:05 PM 779 Views
I love geometry proofs. - 21/09/2011 04:10:57 PM 917 Views
Me too <3 proofs! *NM* - 21/09/2011 07:55:38 PM 427 Views
For pure enjoyment, here's a non math version. - 21/09/2011 10:10:40 PM 794 Views
+1 *NM* - 21/09/2011 07:59:57 PM 368 Views
Now we are talking... Everyone can benefit from some basic Euclid. - 21/09/2011 08:32:17 PM 1038 Views
Ha. Ha. - 21/09/2011 09:56:38 PM 840 Views
As a follower of Cthulhu, I strongly disagree. - 21/09/2011 11:13:55 PM 1007 Views
I really and truly appreciate your love of pure math for math's sake, but... - 21/09/2011 11:10:03 PM 812 Views
Well, it requires a lot more science to really dispute things than HS can give someone - 21/09/2011 11:28:29 PM 843 Views

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