Thus it was written in the epistle of Wirt Atmar,
>
> I feel the same about this discussion as I did with the initial discussions
> of evolution here. I was floored (and truly surprised) by the reactions that
> occurred with that first discussion. Everyone I've known and associated with
> for the last 30 years neither questions the reality nor the pervasiveness of
> the phenomenon of evolution; it pervades every aspect of their daily lives
> and the evidence of its reality is only perhaps surpassed by the notion that
> gravity exists as a similarly real phenomenon.
>
> Clearly there is more parochialism and intellectual isolationism in the
> United States than I think any of my university associates would ever tend to
> believe, and most disappointingly, that parochialism exists in very bright
> and intelligent adults. Quite obviously, large groups of people are simply
> not talking to one another. Or are talking past one another. Or are only
> talking to those who reinforce their specific preconceptions.
In a recent discussion with donna, I noted that one is wise not to
underestimate the ability if people to believe what they want to believe in
spite of all evidence to the contrary. Further, I was amused to note that
very likely Wirt was noting that tendency in me wrt Creation as I was
simultaneously noting that tendency in him wrt Evolution :-). If I might quote
the great Holmes (well, one of them -- Oliver Wendell, not Sherlock):
Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things
that are not so.
-- Holmes, Oliver Wendell
It leads one to be very cautious in writing off another's understanding and to
return once again to reconsider one's own beliefs. Begging the pardon of those
not affected by the upcoming election, I would like to note here that I went
into this election time as an undecided, doing my best to study out which of
the candidates would be the best choice and I have come to what seems to me to
be the obvious conclusion (and no, I'm not going to divulge that here, it's not
important to this discussion). A couple of days ago I spent some time in
earnest conversation with a friend of mine--a highly intelligent young lady who
had also spent quite a bit of time searching out the answer to the question.
For her the answer was equally clear and, interestingly enough, different than
mine.
I find it also very interesting to discover that the "parochialism and
intellectual isolationism" is, at least according to the above report, more
rampant in the scientific community with which Wirt has associated in the past
30 years than in the religious communities in which I have spent my time. I
would not have expected that off-hand.
Wirt's comments about miscegenation are quite valid, though he perhaps is not
aware of how current an issue this is. I am still very aware of the
black-white couples on campus, not because I am in any way against them. I
figure that stirring up the gene pool is beneficial to us all :-). Rather,
I know of the pain that can go with such a choice and that there are still
those who would cause them that pain :-(. By the by, it is worth note that on
the November 7 ballot in Alabama is an amendment to abolish the prohibition of
interracial marriages:
http://www.dnet.org/My_State/Subject.dnet/AL&SubjectHolder=1851&ElectionActivityID=25276&type=Ballot%20Measure
and/or
http://arc-sos.state.al.us/PAC/SOSACPDF.001/A0000096.PDF
Ted
--
Ted Ashton ([log in to unmask]), Info Sys, Southern Adventist University
==========================================================
Mathematical discoveries, small or great are never born of spontaneous
generation. They always presuppose a soil seeded with preliminary knowledge
and well prepared by labour, both conscious and subconscious.
-- Poincare, Jules Henri (1854-1912)
==========================================================
Deep thoughts to be found at http://www.southern.edu/~ashted
|
