Category: Science, worldview issues and society
Stirring the pot: on the apparent mathematical ordering of reality, and linked worldview/ philosophical/ theological issues . . .
| February 25, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Creationism, ID Foundations, Mathematics, Science, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology, Science, worldview issues and society, Stirring the pot (tentative thoughts/explorations) |
This morning, in the Gonzalez video post comment exchange, I saw where Mung raised a question about how Young Earth Creationists address the Old Cosmos, Old Earth implications of the view raised. I thought it useful to respond briefly, but then the wider connexions surfaced. I would like to stir the pot a bit [–>… more
Now, draw me one — of square circles and contradictions in terms (being a challenge to those who play rhetorical games with contradictions and confusions in order to reject the design inference)
| February 12, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Functionally Specified Complex Information & Organization, ID Foundations, Logic and First Principles of right reason, Science, worldview issues and society |
The Online Dictionary’s Thesaurus tells us: contradiction in terms – (logic) a statement that is necessarily false; “the statement `he is brave and he is not brave’ is a contradiction” As a capital, classic example, say the following words: “Square Circle” Now, riddle me this, riddle me that, guess me this riddle and perhaps not:… more
VIDEO: The Feb 1, 2013 Craig- Rosenberg debate: “Is Faith in God Reasonable?”
| February 2, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Philosophy, Science, worldview issues and society, Video |
Thanks to Bornagain 77′s diligence, we are able to bring to UD’s readership, this important debate on the reasonableness (or otherwise) of theistic faith in an era dominated by Science, with Scientism an influential worldview rooted in the prestige of science: embedded by Embedded VideoYouTube Direkt (NB: The debate proper begins at 4 10 mins… more
On a case study of the willful closed-mindedness produced by the selective hyperskepticism of the New Atheist mindset
| January 29, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, ID Foundations, Science, worldview issues and society, Selective Hyperskepticism, Society |
A couple of days back, we saw where Cornelius Hunter put up one of his dual post comments here at UD; on the recent proposal to set up a Darwin Day celebration. In glancing at the commentary at his personal blog, I came across the following highly revealing exchange involving one of the most virulent… more
A video challenge to the evolutionary materialist world-picture that is often presented in the name of big-S Science
| January 15, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Multiverse, Popular culture, Science, science education, Science, worldview issues and society, Video |
Our indefatigable Bornagain 77 has provided a link to a video documentary, The Signs: embedded by Embedded VideoYouTube Direkt (NB: Cf. notices at the linked. Of course, this is a challenge, showing it is not tantamount to endorsing everything claimed therein — such as, some claims on the Golden Ratio. {Added, 01:16: At the 1 hr… more
Wiki’s F – - on ID, 7: The polarising false narrative about “Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design”
| January 14, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under academic freedom, Atheism, Functionally Specified Complex Information & Organization, ID Foundations, Science, science education, Science, worldview issues and society |
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(To comment, kindly go here) The title of this post is taken from a 2004 book by Forrest and Gross, which further intensifies the earlier accusation that Intelligent Design is “Creationism in a cheap tuxedo.” Given the agenda-driven hatchet job on Intelligent Design presented as a neutral point of view objective survey of Intelligent Design… more
Wiki’s F – - on ID, 6: Is all of this focus on the Wiki ID article mere tilting at a windmill that is pointless and so should be ignored?
| January 11, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Culture, Darwinism, ID Foundations, Intelligent Design, Popular culture, science education, Science, worldview issues and society, Society |
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( To comment, kindly go here) One of the objections to the markup of the Wiki ID article is that this is tilting at a windmill. I disagree. It should already be plain that the Wiki article is representative of a standard set of talking points used to polarise the unwary against design theory, and… more
Wiki’s F – - on ID, 5: Subtly distorting the truth on Discovery Institute’s policy on Education in public schools, multiplied by a failure of due disclosure on judge Jones’ Kitzmiller/ Dover ruling
| January 10, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Constitution, Courts, Creationism, Darwinism, ID Foundations, Popular culture, Religion, Science, science education, Science, worldview issues and society |
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( To comment, kindly go here) Last time, we showed how Wikipedia’s article on Intelligent Design flagrantly distorts the history of the origins of ID as a modern movement. Today, our focus is on a subtler distortion: From the mid-1990s, intelligent design proponents were supported by the Discovery Institute, which, together with its Center for… more
The Magician’s Twin — C[live] S[taples] Lewis and the case against Scientism
| January 9, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Philosophy, Popular culture, Religion, Science, science education, Science, worldview issues and society, Video |
First, let’s watch: embedded by Embedded VideoYouTube Direkt Then, having watched, let us now discuss, in light of the ongoing debate on the rationality of scientism-rooted a priori evolutionary materialist atheism, here. Also, the issues that come up as our civilisation metaphorically stands on the deck of a ship in Fair Havens and contemplates what… more
Movie night: Jay Richards on Signs of Design from Physics and Astronomy
| January 6, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Cosmology, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Science, worldview issues and society, Video |
Here: embedded by Embedded VideoYouTube Direkt while there is a rather long run-up that includes defining sci and ID, note especially 32:20 on. What do you think? END more
Wiki’s F – - on ID, 4: Correcting a widely circulated propagandistic false history of the origins of intelligent design as a scientific school of thought
| January 5, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Courts, Creationism, Darwinism, Functionally Specified Complex Information & Organization, ID Foundations, Science, science education, Science, worldview issues and society |
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(To comment cf. here) Just now, I see where an objector to ID was saying that I a am tilting at windmills to take time to take apart the introduction to Wikipedia’s anti-ID hit piece presented as a NPOV review of ID from significant and credible sources. It bears remembering, then, that by Wiki’s admission… more
Wiki’s F – - on ID, 3: The pseudoscience false accusation vs the demarcation challenge for origins sciences
| January 4, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Creationism, Culture, Darwinism, Design inference, Education, Functionally Specified Complex Information & Organization, ID Foundations, science education, Science, worldview issues and society |
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(To comment, go here) As we continue to mark up the Wikipedia introductory remarks on ID in its dismissive article, the next focal issue on failure to achieve the vaunted NPOV or carry out responsibilities of truthfulness, warrant and fairness, is: Intelligent design is viewed as a pseudoscience by the scientific community, because it lacks… more
Wiki’s F – - on ID, 2: Wiki’s ideologically driven corruption of the definitions of science and its methods
| January 2, 2013 | Posted by kairosfocus under Cosmology, Creationism, Culture, Darwinism, Design inference, Education, Evolution, Functionally Specified Complex Information & Organization, ID Foundations, Media, science education, Science, worldview issues and society |
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As we continue to mark up the Wiki article on ID, the next thing to notice is how the anonymous contributors have projected unto ID, an accusation of trying to redefine science and its methods in service to supernaturalistic creationism: Intelligent design (ID) is a form of creationism promulgated by the Discovery Institute . .… more
Another F double minus: Continuing to correct Wikipedia’s article on ID
| December 30, 2012 | Posted by kairosfocus under ID Foundations, Intelligent Design, Popular culture, science education, Science, worldview issues and society, Society |
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Yesterday, we saw how Wikipedia is one of the most influential sites on the Internet, how it vaunts itself on its commitment to NPOV, a neutral point of view: Editing from a neutral point of view (NPOV) means representing fairly, proportionately, and as far as possible without bias, all significant views that have been published… more
They said it: contrasted introductions to (and definitions of) Intelligent Design at Wikipedia and New World Encyclopedia
| December 29, 2012 | Posted by kairosfocus under Darwinism, Education, ID Foundations, Intelligent Design, Philosophy, science education, Science, worldview issues and society |
News has just put up a post with the Meyer lecture on intelligent design (with a close focus on the pivotal case, origin of life, the root of Darwin’s tree of life analogy). I responded here, in light of the history of ideas issues raised by the lecture as well as the question of why… more
FOR RECORD: A follow up on the implications of turning schools into soft targets in an age of mass attack events
| December 22, 2012 | Posted by kairosfocus under Ethics, News, Off Topic, Science, worldview issues and society |
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While it is Christmas and we all hope to turn our attention to more pleasant matters, unfortunately there are some concerns that will not wait. So, pardon a few moments to address such. But first , let me wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Now, in the past few days,… more
Noted philosopher William Lane Craig responds to the American Humanist Association “Kids without God” web site
| December 14, 2012 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Philosophy, Popular culture, Religion, Science, science education, Science, worldview issues and society |
As I have just noted, the AHA has put up a blog promoting its brand of evolutionary materialist naturalism to children: . . . the AHA has a web site that promotes its brand of naturalism — in effect, atheism rooted in evolutionary materialism, but with the attempt to promote human values and being “good… more
NOTICE: On the “Gish Gallop” false accusation tactic and fallacious dodge
| December 4, 2012 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Darwinism, language, Popular culture, Science, worldview issues and society |
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In a recent comment clipped by GP in the Jerad thread, Keiths has used the rhetorically dismissive term “Gish Gallop.” Let me cite: KS: . . . with gpuccio it is sometimes possible to zero in on the crux of a disagreement. You can’t do that with Gish Gallopers. Now, as I will shortly show,… more
The island that (maps notwithstanding) simply wasn’t there . . .
| November 23, 2012 | Posted by kairosfocus under academic freedom, Culture, Education, Evolution, ID Foundations, Origin Of Life, Science, science education, Science, worldview issues and society, Society |
This morning, I ran across a news item on the “undiscovery” of Sandy Island off Australia: Most explorers dream of discovering uncharted territory, but a team of Australian scientists have done the exact opposite. They have found an island that doesn’t exist. (vid at the linked) This led me to think about the institution of… more
NOTICE: A few corrective remarks for some hostile scrutinisers from Anti Evo etc.
| November 21, 2012 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Courts, Popular culture, Religion, Science, worldview issues and society, Society |
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I have noticed that the usual hostile scrutinisers at some objector sites are back on their Saul Alinsky, dismissive mockery and well-poisoning tactics. (I suppose they have not liked the situation where in recent weeks we have had some useful and reasonably civil exchanges here at UD under living room rules, giving the lie to… more