The Parting of Ways
What I sense to be the backdrop
against which scordova proceeds is the North American polarization that acrimoniously divorces the public and private domains. This general polarization makes itself
felt in a variety of more specific ways which particularly include a polarization
between the publicly funded academic establishment and the privately funded
communities in which we find a broad church of technocrats, industrialists, political
right-wingers, independent academics and religious fundamentalists. This
in turn manifests itself in specific issue polarization such as the
evolution vs. God dichotomy. Another issue dichotomy is anthropogenic climate change
vs. non-anthropogenic climate change – the latter point of view tending to be favored
by the laissez faire techno-industrialists who help fund independent academies and academics.
I am myself of the opinion that
people like scordova and (Paul Nelson) are worth giving a hearing; it helps if one
is able to keep two conflicting but tentative conclusions in one’s head at the
same time. However, the rejection of the culture represented by UD posters
by mainstream academics makes these posters not only tetchy, but also, in some cases, passionately anti-establishment – read, for example, some of UD's contributors like Cornelius
Hunter and Denise OLeary – they're really mad with the evolution touting establishment! And when they are not mad with it they, like scordova, are at the very least deeply distrustful of it.
Polarization means that opposing
sides tend to assume that “If you are not
working with us you are working against us”. In particular the private
anti-establishment persuasion are fertile ground for paranoia and conspiracy theory: This makes a dispassionate impartiality difficult if not impossible to implement. In this connection I myself have my limits: although I feel comfortable with YECs like Paul
Nelson and scordova I draw the line with the exclusivity of the heretic hunting, fire and brimstone fundamentalists;
their paranoia and elite religionism makes trusting relationships all but impossible.
Addendum 14/07/13
This link, freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/07/13/who-needs-science-when-youve-got-technology/ on PZ Myers' blog may be data relevant to the above: It's about a correspondent who sets "technology" over and against "science": The latter is seen as skeptical and intellectual, whereas the former practical and useful (and, may I add in many cases privately funded!)
Addendum 14/07/13
This link, freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/07/13/who-needs-science-when-youve-got-technology/ on PZ Myers' blog may be data relevant to the above: It's about a correspondent who sets "technology" over and against "science": The latter is seen as skeptical and intellectual, whereas the former practical and useful (and, may I add in many cases privately funded!)
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