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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 1424 Views
Logic classes would be good in schools. - 20/09/2011 10:23:56 AM 959 Views
Ugh. - 20/09/2011 11:30:59 AM 1001 Views
Re: Ugh. - 21/09/2011 12:03:31 AM 926 Views
this is a controlled demolition - 21/09/2011 12:20:09 AM 1043 Views
That is an incredibly stupid argument. - 21/09/2011 01:12:38 AM 974 Views
Asking questions is never wrong. - 20/09/2011 12:22:22 PM 883 Views
Re: Asking questions is never wrong. - 20/09/2011 11:57:04 PM 1053 Views
Agreed - 20/09/2011 01:09:40 PM 921 Views
There is compelling evidence that 9/11 was not what it seemed - 20/09/2011 03:06:58 PM 983 Views
No, there is not. - 20/09/2011 03:19:43 PM 1088 Views
Well, the circumstances were odd at least - 20/09/2011 03:26:40 PM 955 Views
As far as conspiracies go ... - 20/09/2011 03:36:35 PM 1053 Views
what would be the motive for the US doing something that stupid? - 20/09/2011 04:40:31 PM 859 Views
I'm not sure you got my gist. - 20/09/2011 04:46:28 PM 908 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 928 Views
Um. Well, sure, that would be true. If you ignored all the evidence. - 20/09/2011 05:45:23 PM 996 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 964 Views
But that's what I DID argue. - 20/09/2011 06:47:17 PM 947 Views
sorry but you need to be more precise in your terms - 21/09/2011 02:37:36 PM 994 Views
I've always seen them as separate. - 21/09/2011 03:33:14 PM 813 Views
and that is why I decided to drop it - 21/09/2011 04:07:02 PM 977 Views
Heh. - 21/09/2011 04:15:34 PM 922 Views
And the explicit statement of a Bush Cabinet member. - 21/09/2011 06:59:47 AM 1044 Views
I'm still annoyed. - 21/09/2011 01:58:38 PM 848 Views
Admitting error is a sign of weakness; Don Draper said so. - 21/09/2011 05:37:31 PM 889 Views
In addition: - 20/09/2011 05:57:33 PM 1056 Views
sorry but that is nothing more than a simple statement of fact - 20/09/2011 06:40:51 PM 986 Views
This is very frustrating. - 20/09/2011 07:05:48 PM 938 Views
For the war on terror? - 20/09/2011 04:49:12 PM 992 Views
And what was the war on terror supposed to accomplish? - 20/09/2011 05:12:11 PM 932 Views
That contradicts the evidence. - 20/09/2011 06:15:48 PM 959 Views
Excuse me? - 20/09/2011 08:22:21 PM 1024 Views
Huh? - 20/09/2011 08:57:14 PM 995 Views
the problem with any other theory is the make no sense - 20/09/2011 04:36:02 PM 927 Views
Contemplate this.... - 20/09/2011 04:27:52 PM 950 Views
You just did not go Star Trek on me - 20/09/2011 04:44:28 PM 969 Views
And how did you know... - 20/09/2011 05:17:10 PM 1039 Views
Re: And how did you know... - 21/09/2011 12:16:26 AM 1033 Views
humans tend to be very bad at critical thinking - 20/09/2011 04:58:43 PM 891 Views
Won't help - 20/09/2011 08:15:36 PM 973 Views
Make 'em all take debate. - 20/09/2011 08:23:37 PM 922 Views
Would madam like a cane? - 20/09/2011 09:19:53 PM 1059 Views
Maybe a walker with tennis balls on the bottom. *NM* - 20/09/2011 10:33:39 PM 440 Views
Do you think it would help? - 21/09/2011 12:09:42 AM 917 Views
Re: We really need to have Logic as a course in high schools. - 21/09/2011 12:10:08 AM 953 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 921 Views
Not actually the best example - 21/09/2011 01:56:03 AM 912 Views
what about the hole it cut into the frame of the building? - 21/09/2011 03:23:07 AM 931 Views
Wouldn't make much difference - 21/09/2011 04:08:27 AM 942 Views
OK thanks *NM* - 21/09/2011 02:55:52 PM 487 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 964 Views
But how else would they fall down? - 21/09/2011 07:42:27 PM 831 Views
You would force Euler on to the masses? - 21/09/2011 03:21:40 PM 987 Views
You could still argue. - 21/09/2011 04:06:51 PM 864 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 882 Views
Eh, nobody uses pure logic all of the time anyway. - 21/09/2011 10:43:51 PM 952 Views
Or they could just do more math. Cold, hard, beautiful math. - 21/09/2011 04:01:05 PM 877 Views
I love geometry proofs. - 21/09/2011 04:10:57 PM 1002 Views
Me too <3 proofs! *NM* - 21/09/2011 07:55:38 PM 473 Views
For pure enjoyment, here's a non math version. - 21/09/2011 10:10:40 PM 911 Views
+1 *NM* - 21/09/2011 07:59:57 PM 412 Views
Now we are talking... Everyone can benefit from some basic Euclid. - 21/09/2011 08:32:17 PM 1139 Views
Ha. Ha. - 21/09/2011 09:56:38 PM 932 Views
As a follower of Cthulhu, I strongly disagree. - 21/09/2011 11:13:55 PM 1120 Views
I really and truly appreciate your love of pure math for math's sake, but... - 21/09/2011 11:10:03 PM 907 Views
Well, it requires a lot more science to really dispute things than HS can give someone - 21/09/2011 11:28:29 PM 927 Views

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