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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 1379 Views
Logic classes would be good in schools. - 20/09/2011 10:23:56 AM 918 Views
Ugh. - 20/09/2011 11:30:59 AM 954 Views
Re: Ugh. - 21/09/2011 12:03:31 AM 872 Views
this is a controlled demolition - 21/09/2011 12:20:09 AM 995 Views
That is an incredibly stupid argument. - 21/09/2011 01:12:38 AM 933 Views
Asking questions is never wrong. - 20/09/2011 12:22:22 PM 839 Views
Re: Asking questions is never wrong. - 20/09/2011 11:57:04 PM 1001 Views
Agreed - 20/09/2011 01:09:40 PM 880 Views
There is compelling evidence that 9/11 was not what it seemed - 20/09/2011 03:06:58 PM 933 Views
No, there is not. - 20/09/2011 03:19:43 PM 1026 Views
Well, the circumstances were odd at least - 20/09/2011 03:26:40 PM 905 Views
As far as conspiracies go ... - 20/09/2011 03:36:35 PM 1007 Views
what would be the motive for the US doing something that stupid? - 20/09/2011 04:40:31 PM 822 Views
I'm not sure you got my gist. - 20/09/2011 04:46:28 PM 865 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 881 Views
Um. Well, sure, that would be true. If you ignored all the evidence. - 20/09/2011 05:45:23 PM 942 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 922 Views
But that's what I DID argue. - 20/09/2011 06:47:17 PM 900 Views
sorry but you need to be more precise in your terms - 21/09/2011 02:37:36 PM 939 Views
I've always seen them as separate. - 21/09/2011 03:33:14 PM 764 Views
and that is why I decided to drop it - 21/09/2011 04:07:02 PM 933 Views
Heh. - 21/09/2011 04:15:34 PM 872 Views
And the explicit statement of a Bush Cabinet member. - 21/09/2011 06:59:47 AM 999 Views
I'm still annoyed. - 21/09/2011 01:58:38 PM 806 Views
Admitting error is a sign of weakness; Don Draper said so. - 21/09/2011 05:37:31 PM 845 Views
In addition: - 20/09/2011 05:57:33 PM 1010 Views
sorry but that is nothing more than a simple statement of fact - 20/09/2011 06:40:51 PM 946 Views
This is very frustrating. - 20/09/2011 07:05:48 PM 898 Views
For the war on terror? - 20/09/2011 04:49:12 PM 944 Views
And what was the war on terror supposed to accomplish? - 20/09/2011 05:12:11 PM 889 Views
That contradicts the evidence. - 20/09/2011 06:15:48 PM 914 Views
Excuse me? - 20/09/2011 08:22:21 PM 974 Views
Huh? - 20/09/2011 08:57:14 PM 946 Views
the problem with any other theory is the make no sense - 20/09/2011 04:36:02 PM 869 Views
Contemplate this.... - 20/09/2011 04:27:52 PM 898 Views
You just did not go Star Trek on me - 20/09/2011 04:44:28 PM 914 Views
And how did you know... - 20/09/2011 05:17:10 PM 995 Views
Re: And how did you know... - 21/09/2011 12:16:26 AM 989 Views
humans tend to be very bad at critical thinking - 20/09/2011 04:58:43 PM 852 Views
Won't help - 20/09/2011 08:15:36 PM 925 Views
Make 'em all take debate. - 20/09/2011 08:23:37 PM 869 Views
Would madam like a cane? - 20/09/2011 09:19:53 PM 1014 Views
Maybe a walker with tennis balls on the bottom. *NM* - 20/09/2011 10:33:39 PM 420 Views
Do you think it would help? - 21/09/2011 12:09:42 AM 868 Views
Re: We really need to have Logic as a course in high schools. - 21/09/2011 12:10:08 AM 897 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 885 Views
Not actually the best example - 21/09/2011 01:56:03 AM 862 Views
what about the hole it cut into the frame of the building? - 21/09/2011 03:23:07 AM 893 Views
Wouldn't make much difference - 21/09/2011 04:08:27 AM 900 Views
OK thanks *NM* - 21/09/2011 02:55:52 PM 466 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 919 Views
But how else would they fall down? - 21/09/2011 07:42:27 PM 784 Views
You would force Euler on to the masses? - 21/09/2011 03:21:40 PM 945 Views
You could still argue. - 21/09/2011 04:06:51 PM 818 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 841 Views
Eh, nobody uses pure logic all of the time anyway. - 21/09/2011 10:43:51 PM 911 Views
Or they could just do more math. Cold, hard, beautiful math. - 21/09/2011 04:01:05 PM 822 Views
I love geometry proofs. - 21/09/2011 04:10:57 PM 961 Views
Me too <3 proofs! *NM* - 21/09/2011 07:55:38 PM 450 Views
For pure enjoyment, here's a non math version. - 21/09/2011 10:10:40 PM 865 Views
+1 *NM* - 21/09/2011 07:59:57 PM 393 Views
Now we are talking... Everyone can benefit from some basic Euclid. - 21/09/2011 08:32:17 PM 1085 Views
Ha. Ha. - 21/09/2011 09:56:38 PM 883 Views
As a follower of Cthulhu, I strongly disagree. - 21/09/2011 11:13:55 PM 1067 Views
I really and truly appreciate your love of pure math for math's sake, but... - 21/09/2011 11:10:03 PM 865 Views
Well, it requires a lot more science to really dispute things than HS can give someone - 21/09/2011 11:28:29 PM 883 Views

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