tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18032239.post114166500859606192..comments2011-07-08T23:32:11.622+01:00Comments on Richard's Politics Blog: Michael Crichton talks senseRichard Gadsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10545595590359552775noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18032239.post-1141749993737753082006-03-07T16:46:00.000+00:002006-03-07T16:46:00.000+00:00OK I've read Chrichton's piece now too. He's quite...OK I've read Chrichton's piece now too. He's quite right about needing good science rather than recieved wisdom. And it seems he could do with some of his own medicine.<BR/><BR/>Second hand smoke harmless? Yeah, right.<BR/><BR/>Contrarian science has just the same weaknesses as environmental science. Stuff people hear and want to believe gets elevated to dogma, and corrupted in the process.<BR/><BR/>This is probably fairly inevitable when political will needs to be applied to some goal that is technically difficult, whether it is because of the science or the economics, or some other technical discipline.<BR/><BR/>Mere punters, politicians and journalists don't have the technical ability to do any better than receiving wisdom and spreading it.Joe Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380362092159905533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18032239.post-1141727473041336762006-03-07T10:31:00.000+00:002006-03-07T10:31:00.000+00:00What Creationists are demanding of science is not ...What Creationists are demanding of science is not Popperian doubt, but special pleading. They certainly don't apply any Popperian rigour to their own fanciful notions.<BR/><BR/>Evolution is not just the best explanation of what we see in the natural world, it is the only explanation.<BR/><BR/>Creationism insists that there is no explanation because it doesn't like the explanation. Asserting intelligent design as an alternative to evolution is no different to asserting intelligent falling as an alternative to gravity.<BR/><BR/>Creationists accuse scientists of dogmatism and intolerance, and you repeat those accusations. There may be the odd case of course, but not in any way that is important to the debate. If you think otherwise, perhaps you can provide a quote or two?Joe Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380362092159905533noreply@blogger.com