7 November 2008

Leave science alone

Here is a 21st century phenomenon: religious morons (ab)using science to prove that god exists, and, more specifically, the particular version of the god they believe in. I shall come back to this important new technique of religious bigots, but, for now, here is an example. The book of some R. D. Duncan discusses "[t]he periodic table of elements presented as never before! The tiniest elements that make up the world are more than just scientific odds and ends. Each and every one is an opportunity to celebrate the power, wisdom, order, and ingenuity of our Creator!". I searched to find out about the qualifications of this Duncan, but I had no luck. Surely, knowledge of Chemistry if not important for such books. But a dose of idiocy and blind faith certainly is. What a bunch of balloney!

But, hang on a minute. If you think this is to hard to digest, then how about the easier version, God’s Design for Chemistry, designed for grades 3–7, or the even easier one, God’s Design for Life, for grades 1-6 (both published by Answers in Genesis–US)?

If this is not mind-fucking, then what is?

Fine, one could argue, let those religious bigots, like Duncan, publish their books and circulate it amongst their circles. These authors have no scientific credentials, so they won't be taken seriously. But a more major problem is posed by those who do have scientific credentials and do try to promote (their version of) god and (their version of) religion by (ab)using their scientific titles in order to deceive laymen? An example of people in this category is Dr John Lennox of Oxford, who, by claiming his authority as a mathematician (an algebraist in fact working on finite groups), produces naive and childish arguments and books to prove that science implies that (his
version of) god exists and that (his version of) religion is true. More on this soon...

1 comment:

  1. This IS supposed to be about the promotion of rigour isn't it? Not childish name calling.....

    ReplyDelete




T H E B O T T O M L I N E

What measure theory is about

It's about counting, but when things get too large.
Put otherwise, it's about addition of positive numbers, but when these numbers are far too many.

The principle of dynamic programming

max_{x,y} [f(x) + g(x,y)] = max_x [f(x) + max_y g(x,y)]

The bottom line

Nuestras horas son minutos cuando esperamos saber y siglos cuando sabemos lo que se puede aprender.
(Our hours are minutes when we wait to learn and centuries when we know what is to be learnt.) --António Machado

Αγεωμέτρητος μηδείς εισίτω.
(Those who do not know geometry may not enter.) --Plato

Sapere Aude! Habe Muth, dich deines eigenen Verstandes zu bedienen!
(Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!) --Kant