A commentor on Huffington Post today brought up the "wonderfully intelligent" arguments of Intelligent design. My reply is not comment length and so I posted it here. I hope that for anyone confused about science, religion, and evolution, it can help to clear up the confusion that has been created by the ID propagandists. Although I can't find the link right now, anyone interested in a wonderful satirical exposition of this nonsense should read The Onions article on the theory of gravitation being replaced by the theory of Intelligent Falling. It is wonderful.
Here is my response to the post which basically just repeats the nonsense that ID has repeated to attempt to confuse people about science and evolution..................
Brighterside, some have made comments about your writing that bordered on cruel. I will try to be as nice as possible, but you should know that the "problems" you cite concerning evolution and THE ENTIRELY SEPARATE ISSUE OF THE ORIGIN OF LIFE, are talking points, they are not real issues. I hope that if nothing else you can learn today that evolution has absolutely nothing, zero, nada, zip to say about the origin of life. You are talking about a completely different aspect of science and calling it evolution. If you do this people will always be able to correctly say that you don't know what you are talking about. If you broadcast that you don't know what you are talking about in these ways, you will receive much derision and scorn and you'll deserve it.
Ignorance is not knowing something you should know. Nescience is not knowing something you wouldn't be expected to know. If you are not a scientist and you keep your unfounded ideas to yourself you are merely nescient, as are many people about science. Then your response to this issue would be "I don't know enough about science so I rely on the experts (in science) to inform me." If you begin to broadcast the fact that your uninformed imaginings should be just as important to scientists as real science then you cross the line into ignorance and you should be prepared to have that label appropriately attached to you.
I, for example, know science but I know little about auto mechanics. If a mechanic looks at my car and concludes that the battery is dead they might offer to replace the battery. Ah, but here is your objection and so we must say that isn't the only possibility! There could be a supernatural being living in my battery who has merely taken the day off to visit family in Fresno. Can you prove to me that that is not the REAL problem with my battery? I should. of course, insist that my mechanic check to see if my battery god has maybe left a note, maybe the number of his family in Fresno. We could ask when he's coming back! Then my car will be healed. To some people this sounds silly but that would only be the scientifically minded boobs.
My auto mechanic might, (before calling an ambulance to take me to the ER for psychiatric evaluation) correctly tell me that he or she has no idea about battery gods but the whole process really does work well without the invocation of any supernatural forces. He or she might say it is pretty simple; I take the old battery out, put the new battery in and you are good to go. They might tell me that whatever I might believe about who or what is living in my battery really doesn't relate to auto mechanics. He or she is probably a nice person so I think they would offer to let me keep the old battery if I really believed I had a special friend living inside.
How do you think your mechanic would respond to the suggestion that there really should be a debate about the gaps in battery science and the possibility that your battery god should be invoked to fill those gaps? Aren't there advances in battery science every year? Doesn't that prove that we really know nothing about batteries? After all you just put a pile of metal together with some special water and my car magically starts? Come on, who is stupid enough to believe that could happen without the intervention of the battery god? Really! Metal and water and then my car somehow comes to life. Can you believe that auto mechanics believe such rubbish? Of course you and I know that this would be impossible without the intervention of the battery deity. Its just common sense. Why do you think auto mechanics don't see this obvious truth? There in a nutshell are your objections to science. They make sense, right?
How do you think he or she would react to your suggestion that the teaching of auto mechanics is incomplete if we don't have a debate about whether the battery makes electricity in the way science has shown it does or whether the battery needs our supernatural being to work. Then, of course, we must debate your god's influence on the radiator and the fan belts and most importantly the air bags. Can't any person with half a brain see that it could only be by the direct intervention of (fill in the name of any of hundreds of deities) that they could know just when to deploy to save our life? Smart people can see this, correct? While the auto mechanics cling foolishly to talk of sensors and relays and explosive deployment devices, you and I know that it is only by the will of allah, krishna, jesus, etc., that such a miraculous event could unfold. Why wouldn't the auto mechanics join us in such an important debate? I mean sure, they could spend their time using science to make even safer cars but why do that when the issue of divine intervention in automobile function remains unsettled?
How do you think auto mechanics would respond to the idea that the battery deity theory should be taught alongside the scientifically based understanding of how batteries work? How do you think they would respond if you told them your ideas about the battery deity aren't really religion, the battery deity is obviously an auto mechanics issue, not an issue of belief!
How would you suggest that your auto mechanic begin the process of looking for your battery god? Does he look for only yours or does he look for all deities created by earthlings? Is he required to scour the psychiatric wards and look for everyone's imaginary friends? How exactly do you suggest the mechanics begin this search in a scientific manner?
I think that your auto mechanic would say this, "You know lady/sir, you want a new battery or not. I don't care who you think lives in your battery. You can believe the pope is in their if you want but I can only tell you about what's real. Your battery is dead. You want it fixed? Please tell me now and move on. I have more important work to do then discuss Batterio the almighty battery god with you."
This is what scientists are saying to you. Do you want to know how reality works? We'll tell you what we know. Does any of it require the invocation of supernatural forces? No. Are you free to believe whatever you want about supernatural forces? Yes, you are. Just don't come tell us it has something to do with science and should be taught as science. And be aware that if you want to use the advance of science as a criticism you will be sad to discover that the outcome of scientific advance has usually been to fill in another area purported to be supernatural with a natural explanantion. So if history be your guide then you would have to put your money on the fact that the "gaps" where you would like to insert your imaginary friend will also someday be filled in by science. You can argue with your other non-reality based friends about whether the battery god is really the father or allah or great spirit or agni or jesus and make lots of beautiful wars over it. But please don't come tell us we need to dialogue with you about your imaginings. You've all made up different beings with different likes and dislikes and different rules. You want us to look for the god of everyone's imagination? Should medical science begin a dialogue on Vulcan physiology? Perhaps the alien species of Battlestar Gallactica should be the focus of medical school curricula? Perhaps doctors have better ways to spend their time?
Let us stick to reality. When we teach science, let us stick to reality. When you get your kids home you can undo whatever you wish, tell them that it is only through the intervention of the flying spaghetti monster that cars can transport us from one place to the next. You are free to do this! Scientist aren't going to go door to door with textbooks in their hands trying to convince you otherwise. Anyway, we don't like to wear black pants and white shirts. It reminds us of when we worked as busboys to pay for college.
Do you understand any better? If not, then have this conversation with your mechanic the next time your car breaks down. Ask him or her why they aren't considering the supernatural possibilities for your car's dysfunction. Ask them to dialogue with you about the impossibility of something as complex as cars without the intervention of your favorite deity. Ask them how they can accept that a blob of metal mixed with magic water somehow creates the miracle of life in your car. Ask them why auto mechanic school doesn't engage this important debate.
Before you do take these precautions. Line up a new mechanic and write your name in your underwear so they aren't stolen on the psych ward. When you are discharged from the hospital, come back and tell us about your experience with bringing an intelligent approach to auto mechanics. If you wish to continue to dialogue about science, I would suggest these steps.
Learn what science is and what it isn't.
Learn what religion is and how it differs from science.
Learn what evolution is and what it isn't.
Learn that what you think may be possible and what is real may differ.
If you learn these 4 simple things, you will have nothing further to say about science, evolution and religion. But if you continue to remain willfully ignorant of those 4 issues that are essential to your arguments and yet are entirely misunderstood by you, you will meet with scorn and derision from people who have taken the time to understand these issues.
I will tell you emphatically, you should not listen to me if I tell you I have some great idea for repairing your car. You should also understand the limitations of your knowledge in the area of science and vow to avoid making ignorant statements about things you know nothing about. We all should.
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