SpaceBanter.com - View Single Post - The Expanding Earth and Mind and other paradox

**Kermit**

wrote:
Kermit wrote:
will1 wrote:
I once had a friend that had talent and truly wanted to publish. He could
write,his mind was full of ideas, and for all practical
purposes, he believed he was a writer.
snip sad but common story

Regards, Will E.

All true. But our "job" here in talk.origins is to confront the
anti-science minions of darkness and confusion and keep them out of the
hair of folks wanting to do or discuss real science in informal fora.

Personally, I am not a scientist, and this is one small way I can
contribute to civilization. It is not incidental that I learn to think
and speak more clearly on these issues, and develop the tools I need to
confront (in the big blue room) my fellow citizens who sometimes seem
hell-bent on destroying the little progress we've made in the last
couple of lifetimes.

And why do you think the progress in the
last hundred years has been so minimal?

What makes you think it has been minimal? I think it's been grand. It
could have been better.

Is the Earth in better or worse shape because
of the our en'light'ened science?

I hope it will be better soon; but it will take changes in the way we
collectively think. And I don't mean by rejecting mainstream science, I
mean by behaving responsibly (ir not toward the planet, at least to the
future generations).

As a non-scientist, why are you in a position
to do a 'job' defending positions taken which preclude
investigations in other directions than those deemed
'right'?

Not being a scientist *limits me in what I can do, not enables me. I
can't teach science, for example, or investigate this scientific puzzle
or that one. But I can fight scientific illiteracy in the general
population. I *do have a day job.

Quack science causes death, misdirects the little money available for
research and practical applications, and delays learning. It
contributes to general scientific illiteracy, and social decisions are
disastrous enough from greed and fear and ignorance; we don't need
wrong information famuddying the waters.

One example: Tom Bethell, author of "Politically Incorrect Science",
had convinced the former president of South Africa that HIV did not
cause AIDS. The result was a delay of years for effective treatment for
the disease, and steps for controlling the epidemic.

Plus, knowledge is valuable for its own sake.

John

And we have a had a few folks show up who were simply misinformed and
ignorant, and when pointed in the right direction, or had a few
misconceptions cleared up, joined us in defending and presenting the
scientific method. The effort is not wasted.

Kermit