tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post2804069892658178265..comments2023-09-06T01:53:41.634-07:00Comments on doug's Site: Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life Doug's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09219952832674415239noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-65325253938386806952011-10-02T10:06:04.000-07:002011-10-02T10:06:04.000-07:00All too true. All too true. doug noakeshttp://dnoakes.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-56246996233439809822011-10-02T09:49:25.000-07:002011-10-02T09:49:25.000-07:00Cancer took out a mind I wish were still around.Cancer took out a mind I wish were still around.Stephen Fausthttp://sfmystery.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-4237794761263758032011-10-01T23:06:32.000-07:002011-10-01T23:06:32.000-07:00Yes, Gould certainy was a worthy to figure to sta...Yes, Gould certainy was a worthy to figure to stand on the shoulders of giants and increase scientific understanding to his peers and to a broader audiance through books, open lectures and television documentaries . I especially appreciate his engaging style of writing, one that made these theories clear to a layman like myself.<br /><br />Thanks Stephen. doug noakeshttp://dnoakes.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-519142042478339502011-10-01T21:07:10.000-07:002011-10-01T21:07:10.000-07:00I remember the part he played in the development o...I remember the part he played in the development of Punctuated Evolutionary Theory, explaining why major evolutionary advances were made following extinction events and not slowly as Darwin envisioned.Great review Doug.Stephen Fausthttp://sfmystery.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-32671186771771389262011-10-01T19:39:00.000-07:002011-10-01T19:39:00.000-07:00I imagine you and a couple others (like Will) have...I imagine you and a couple others (like Will) have a done a great deal more academic and plain old shovel and pick-ax work on these issues than I have, AA. <br /><br />Yes, the American journalist Chris Hedges and others have pointed out in interviews and papers that Dawkins and some--certainly not all--prominent atheists in the media have made their personal "lack of faith" into a mirror image belief- systemm an irony indeed! They attempts to mow down the fundementalists in faith and all other believers by association. Even those who seek intelligent answers without abandoning their places of worship. (And verbally attack those like Dr. Gould who did not believe as others did yet respected them for having sound minds.) <br /><br /> I believe Our Creator (or Nature, if you prefer) did not give us the power of thought to ever be quite so smug as these pontificate come off on radio and television programs. <br /><br />But, to that other point, "magisterium" I agree can become too hide-bound, rigid and authoritarian. The goals could become protection of cherished institutions. As you point out in the media with the recent clamour over the possible super-speed of sub-atomic neutrinos, even Albert Einstein's great leaps over the old and majestic Newtonian universe are not beyond challenge with our newest technologies. We shall see where that goes. <br /><br />I forgot to neglected to mention Gregor Mendel's experiments with plants, another case of a cross-pollination with a fellow with a foot in both religion and science worlds. Well put. <br /><br />The idea of "religious concepts coming through the back door" does irk me, AA. I really don't care, to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, if my neighbor believes in twenty gods, one God, or no God at all, so long as he doesn't attack my dog or pick my wallet. <br /><br /> On the other hand, I sometimes wonder if these bozos who promote a six-day earth or that dinosaurs are actually recent creatures who played tag with homo sapiens and other claptrap are actually agents of Dawkins and Company, Ltd. I'd like to think that such scientific illiteracy was a cover job, some sort of black ops academic "False Flag" operation. Alas, I have no such proof and have to fall back on it being personal wishful thinking. <br /><br />I believe "creation museums" and the like (which actually exist in places like Kentucky) do more to destroy the prospects of faith in a young and bright human mind than all the books and lectures that dominant handful of militant athiests could ever present. <br /><br />A wise friend of mine reminded me a couple days back that many 21st century humans can be as gullible as those characters that Huck and the escaped slave Jim encountered on that Mississippi River raft in Mark Twain's classic book, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". American Presidential politics is enough to turn one into a curmudgeon for life, not to change the subject. <br /><br />What fun the old master of American literature would have had today seeing folks celebrating mechanical dinosaurs hopping about with "cave people" at an American theme park! <br />Personally I'd likely find it dispiriting. <br /> <br /><br />Thanks for resending those links,AA. I will certainly revisit your research and efforts there. I bow to your rigor on these subjects I tried to raise and thanks as always for adding so much to my cursory reviews.doug noakeshttp://dnoakes.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-91807569302970974522011-10-01T19:15:27.000-07:002011-10-01T19:15:27.000-07:00I heartily agree Will. I heartily agree Will. doug noakeshttp://dnoakes.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-68295383802364066532011-10-01T19:15:03.000-07:002011-10-01T19:15:03.000-07:00You're welcome Christy.You're welcome Christy.doug noakeshttp://dnoakes.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-91664288679499259992011-10-01T19:03:55.000-07:002011-10-01T19:03:55.000-07:00Stephen Jay Gould is missed - he thought, and that...Stephen Jay Gould is missed - he <i>thought</i>, and that's thin on the ground.Astra Navigohttp://astranavigo08.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-63062704256825064752011-10-01T14:19:36.000-07:002011-10-01T14:19:36.000-07:00Fascinating review, Doug. Thanks!!Fascinating review, Doug. Thanks!!Christy Kidhttp://christykid.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2503771624520315711.post-4507404775641784672011-10-01T13:44:51.000-07:002011-10-01T13:44:51.000-07:00Interesting stuff here Doug, I am glad you have ha...Interesting stuff here Doug, I am glad you have had an opportunity to challenge Richard Dawkins on the radio recently, I have been having a one sided debate with Professor Dawkins since 1980 when I first took issue with the concept of the 'Selfish Gene' which I consistently critiqued throughout my academic career as both student and tutor. <br /><br />Without going into that too much here I have to say that I have difficulties with the concept of 'Magisterium' whether that be religious or scientific. As a matter of fact one of my criticisms of Dawkins is that his radical scientism is actually a religion in itself, but I have difficulties with the notion of the authoritative 'master' as the font of wisdom as conceived by the Catholic notion of magisterium per se.<br /><br />I have always been sceptical of the 'Magi' in both religious and secular spheres, although I can see why Professor Gould would be invited to the Vatican and I also see his reported discourse with Jesuit scientists as a meeting of peas in a pod (Gregor Mendel's peas perhaps, but peas all the same).<br /><br />Actually, as synchronicity would have it, exactly 3 years ago to this very day I posted a blog on a subject quite closely related to this discussion which I entitled 'Cosmic Ancestry....is God a Virus?' where I attempted to raise some questions about the validity of Darwinian theories of evolution that would I think have the distinction of being equally controversial to Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins and the un-named Jesuit scholars.<br /><br />You were also kind enough to make a comment on that post at the time Doug. I have linked to it here <a href="http://aaranaardvark.multiply.com/journal/item/111" rel="nofollow">http://aaranaardvark.multiply.com/journal/item/111</a><br /><br />However, as the never ending miracle of synchronicity has demonstrated once more that my references to CERN in that earlier post have cropped up again in recent days in such a way as to cast doubt upon the magisterium of Einstein's theoretical physics.<br /><br />As you will no doubt know, CERN claims to have clocked sub-atomic particles or neutrinos travelling faster than the speed of light. If this is proved to be true then Einstein's theory will indeed be disproved. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=350565">http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=350565</a><br /><br />Obviously this is all very much early days, it was only reported for the first time last week so we can't go rushing off claiming Einstein to be in trouble, but it does raise interesting questions to me about he concept you have dealt with here namely Non-Overlapping Magisterium Arena.<br /><br />I have postulated that there is a curse on both the houses of science (or more correctly 'scientism') and religion which I attempted to further explore through the Cosmic Ancestry hypothesis, which of course gives no succour whatsoever to the 'creationists' who are not even 'warm' so far as the meaning of existence is concerned in my opinion. <br /><br />But I do think it is interesting that we should be having this discussion on the third anniversary of that post that played with the notion that Darwin and Einstein could have failed the magisterium test and that CERN may give us evidence that this is in fact the case.<br /><br />This would suggest I believe that my own atheism is rather more rigorous than that of Professor Dawkins, who has in my view, smuggled religious concepts back into the discussion by the back door.<br /><br />Interesting times we are living through, thanks for posting this thought provoking review of Gould's position and particularly a very big thank you for challenging Dawkins live on air, I take my hat off to you Doug.Aaran Aardvarkhttp://aaranaardvark.multiply.comnoreply@blogger.com