Thursday, June 21, 2018

Fruits of Ignoring Deliberate Deception

Since no one's looking at my ConfrontingScienceContrarians.blogspot.com, I figure may as well also post this over here.  It all started with an off-the-wall assertion made by a Creationist(s) regarding the Geologic Column.  

. . .   Psalm1Tree, a YouTube drive-by shooter, inspired me to write a column for the FourCornersFreePress which in turn caused me to compose the previous three "pre-footnotes" - "meeting" James Hutton, William Smith, Blakey and Ranney.   I won't be posting the column until after the first of month{the complete column has been posted }, still the previous three footnotes demand some sort of follow up, so I'm sharing a key portion of what I'm trying to get across in this month's FCFP column. 
... Unfortunately, after decades of ignoring such belligerent denial of reality about important aspects of our life and planet, in the service of GOP political war strategies, it has become so insidious and commonplace that we find our government increasingly controlled by Republicans who feel empowered to blatantly disregard obvious down to Earth physical realities on personal whim. 
Justified only by a hubristic conceit that they are doing “God’s duty,” when in honesty they are all about pursuing their own EGO’s bidding. 
Since it matters to me,
I decided to engage Psalm with a short video that rationally explains what the geologic column is all about. Then came my second shock,
I was not prepared for the dozens of videos dedicated to childish denials of the "geologic column” that Google's YouTube search algorithm threw between my search topic and reliable serious information.  
The handful of videos I sampled religiously broke the First Law of Constructive Debate, that is: Honestly represent your opponents’ position! 
Instead they painted a deliberately misleading fictional cartoon.  Thus custom fabricating an easy target for battering to death.  
Finally, my persistence brought me to a few serious videos by scientists who actually study these matters. The difference in tone was refreshing. Rather than opining and attacking conjured up enemies, they focus on explaining their own work and results. Often discussing competing theories to give as complete a picture as possible. They even describe weakness in their own work and point out further questions needing clarification.  
Why? Well, because that’s how science is done. Everyone’s goal is learning and fidelity to physical facts is the gold standard.  
Science is a world where Free Speech doesn’t mean its okay to lie and slander with malicious intent! 
Informed constructive skepticism is the rule. 
Dishonest deceptive bluster and bullying is a crime! ... 
{to be continued at - 
https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/07/explaining-geologic-column-to-psalm1tree.htm 
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