[FoRK] This is the problem...

[Dr. Ernie Prabhakar]

Hi Daniel,

On Jan 11, 2008, at 10:58 AM, Daniel Grisinger wrote:
> if they were actually going to perform a rigorous examination of the  
> data available, taking into account the need to square the  
> phenomenally correct predictive ability of our current theories in  
> physics, chemistry, geology, and biology

True.

> with the fact that their mythology says such predictions can't be  
> possible,

Excuse me?

Sure, there are lots of anti-intellectual, anti-scientific  
Christians.  But there's an awful lot of serious, practicing  
scientists who are also serious, practicing Christians.  And some of  
them actually work pretty darn hard to come up with coherent epistemic  
models of reality.

> It may end up as an exercise with some merit.

Why not give it a shot?

Of course, that would require actually, y'know, *learning* something  
about the history and philosophy of science.  And the role that  
religious beliefs _actually_ played in the development of modern  
science, rather than just the modern caricature (from both sides) that  
we've ended up with.

> of course, that isn't what they're doing.  but you know that.

Sure, that may not be what "they" are doing, but it is exactly what  
*I* am proposing we do.  Why not give it a shot?

-- Ernie P.