Re: Contempt for Creationism


"Friar Broccoli" <EliasRK@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Deadrat wrote:
"Robert J. Kolker" <nowhere@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Bob Kolker


[... snip ...]


I agree (and very articulately put, by the way).

[... snip ...]


Deadrat

I am curious to know your internal justification for engaging
in friendly discours with our resident advocate for mass murder?

1. I don't take Bob that seriously. Not because I don't take genocide
seriously, but because Bob's notions are so absurd that they serve as an
opportunity to demonstrate the illogic of his position. They are, in fact,
almost self-refuting. Bob has, I believe, identified himself as Jewish,
at least culturally or ethnically. So we have a Jew ostensibly in favor of
mass murder. Far more dangerous, I think, are those who argue that a
President of the United States may disobey the law to detain and torture
a few thousand people who are our enemies (in part) by virtue of our
treatment of them.

2. I don't take you that seriously. I believe that you squander whatever
moral weight you carry by a campaign to ostracize (and thus publicize)
someone who's views are best held to the cold fire of contempt and reason.
Remember that Bob isn't claiming to organize a militia or even a propaganda
effort against Moslems. His is the frightened child's wish that he could make
all the bad people go away.

3. I don't take myself that seriously. Who cares what I think? Do you?
Really? Then let me say that I consider (and with the agreement of Bob's
own ethical tradition) that he commits the gravest of transgressions by
cursing a community. This is not because of the individual weight of his
words but the cumulative practical impossibility of atoning for them.

4. I don't take usenet that seriously. This is not the last arena of political
and moral action. This is the first refuge of the kook. Don't believe me?
Circumspice.

Lastly, I want to talk (although not necessarily exclusively) about science.
I may hardly lecture the fundies about ad hominem arguments and then refuse
to comment on an insightful criticism of one of my posts because Bob was
the critic. Perhaps, it's the cordiality of my parenthetical comment that garners
your disapproval. How would you wish me to respond.

"I agree (and very articulately put, by the way, you miserable, genocidal ***)"?

Cordially;

Thank you. I believe I'll have a crème de menthe.

Deadrat


Friar Broccoli
Robert Keith Elias, Quebec, Canada Email: EliasRK (of) gmail * com
Best programmer's & all purpose text editor: http://www.semware.com

--------- I consider ALL arguments in support of my views ---------


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