[net.origins] SOR #3 comments

rlh@cvl.UUCP (Ralph L. Hartley) (12/11/84)

(Ray Miller)
> ps.  I repeat:  where are the SOR #3 pamphlet criticisms?  I'm almost
> ready with #4 and I don't want to post it until I've seen the results
> of #3.

I don't quite see the point of commenting on the SOR pamphlets. All the
arguments they contain have been posted to the net before and most have
been rebutted quite well. However the SOR pamphlets do not reflect
this; arguments containing fatal flaws are reproduced in exactly their
original form even though the flaws have been repeatedly pointed out.
It seems that you are more interested in converting people to YOUR
point of veiw than you are in providing people with complete and
accurate information. You seem to think that winning the argument is
more inpotant than discovering the truth. I suspect that is is because
of this attitude that creationist papers never get published in
scientific journals and are often returned without being read. Note
that even wilder theories (such as Hoyle's) DO get published sometimes.
The problem with creationists (and UFO nuts) is that they have not
interest in evidence that contradicts their theory. How can you publish
something written by someone you cannot trust?

By the way, There is an interesting out of context quote in SOR #3.

> Derek Ager, past president of the British Geological Association,
> wrote:  ``It is a problem not easily solved by the classic methods of
> stratigraphical paleontology, as obviously we will land ourselves
> immediately in an impossible circular argument if we say, firstly that
> a particular lithology is synchronous on the evidence of its fossils,
> and secondly that the fossils are synchronous on the evidence of the
> lithology'' [3].

The interesting point is that you quote the statement of the problem
and totally ignore the rest of the book which deals with it's solution.
Clearly having read the book to find the above quote (assuming that you
DID read the book and didn't just copy the quote from some other
creationist) you should know the answer as well. It is also interesting
that you interpret the quote incorrectly. Ager says

	If were not careful we would be guilty of circular reasoning.
	So let us take care.

And you iterpret this to mean

	The reasoning of geologists is circular.

What it proves is exactly the oposite

	Geologists are carefull to avoid circular reasoning.

If only creationists would take equal care they might be taken more
seriously. (or there might not BE any creationists)

				Ralph Hartley
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