4 ms·
Martin Rees, I'm calling you out: "even though the concept may not yet have percolated all parts of Kansas, and Alaska." That's pretty cold, man. And since wh
by fennecfoxen 15y ago
Martin Rees, I'm calling you out:
"even though the concept may not yet have percolated all parts of Kansas, and Alaska."
That's pretty cold, man. And since when is beating up on one's socio-political opponents to feed our prejudices and toot our own horns a scientific attitude? Yes, even when you happen to be right.
I mean, Dawkins I can expect that from, but from the President of the Royal Society / Master of Trinity College, Cambridge?
You need to scroll down the page and read that next bit there about cognitive humility, jerk.
- stfu 15y agoMakes a fascinating read but it is sad how some of these highly reputed thinkers proclaim their personal views as the sole truth. Their attitude reminds me on politicians with their same old black and white demagogy.
- coolgeek 15y agoYou might have a point if he was discussing a political issue. But he's calling out people of national - if not global - stature, who wear scientific illiteracy as a badge of honor. Their stance on such issues gives gives millions of other similarly uninformed people the rationale for adopting such views as their own. Not only is he right on the issue (the age of the earth, and the universe), but he's morally right for calling them out.
- jerf 15y agoSuch people are not isolated to Alaska and Kansas, and in fact strutting around preening about how much better they are than Alaskans and Kansasans turns out to frequently be a dodge for hiding other unscientific beliefs that merely happen to be fashionable where they are located. Do not consult any part of the political spectrum for scientific truth.
- mikeash 15y agoHis overall statement there is that evolutionary time is now part of common culture. It only seems reasonable to mention exceptions to this. In fact, not doing so would be rather cherry-picking, don't you think?
- csallen 15y agoWhat? When did Rees identify anyone as a socio-political opponent? What prejudices does he have? Where did he toot his own horn? You seem to have read a completely different article than I did. All he said was that evolutionary theory hasn't been fully accepted in some areas. I'm perplexed that you're so offended by that statement.
- mebesilly 15y agoRE: Martin Rees'statement: ¨The stupendous time-spans of the evolutionary past are now part of common culture and understanding — even though the concept may not yet have percolated all parts of Kansas, and Alaska.¨ Sounds perfectly justified. It is common knowledge that those benighted parts of the world still have a large number of ignorant creationists.