Tag Archive

Scientism Commits Suicide… Twice

Published on April 5, 2020 By sirrahc

“Only science gives reliable truth.” — believers in scientism Have you ever heard of a self-refuting view or idea? This is an idea that, when examined, actually defeats itself. It commits suicide. There are different types of self-refuting ideas, and some are easier to recognize than others. For example, if someone says, “All English sentences […]

A Concerned Plea to Scientists and Educators

Published on December 17, 2017 By sirrahc

“[Y]ou should not fool the laymen when you’re talking as a scientist…. I’m talking about a specific, extra type of integrity that is [more than] not lying, but bending over backwards to show how you’re maybe wrong, that you ought to have when acting as a scientist. And this is our responsibility as scientists, certainly […]

NASA's JPL vs. Intelligent Design

Published on April 25, 2010 By sirrahc

You remember that documentary called “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed“? That was the one that came out a year or two ago, hosted/narrated by Ben Stein, that looked at incidents where educators and scientists were ridiculed, denied tenure, and sometimes fired simply for believing that there might be evidence of design in nature. Well, here’s another […]

World’s Highest Energy Particles (and No Black Hole Apocalypse)

Published on April 22, 2010 By sirrahc

Seven TRILLION electron volts! (7,000,000,000,000 eV) Or, 7 teraelectron volts. (7 TeV) Holy bug-zapper, Batman, that sounds like a lotta juice! If only we could bottle it, that would be one great “alternative” source of energy. Hold on, cowboy! We’re talking electrons, here. You know how small those things are, right? Fact is, one mosquito […]

Bad Bongo!: Are Chimps Moral? (Part 3 of 3)

Published on April 13, 2010 By sirrahc

Last time (Part 1 & Part 2), Beckwith & Koukl demonstrated how the evolutionary approach to explaining morality actually denies it. Now, for an even bigger problem… Why Should I? This third observation uncovers the third and most serious objection to the idea that evolution is adequate to explain morality. One question can never be […]

Bad Bongo!: Are Chimps Moral? (Part 2 of 3)

Published on April 12, 2010 By sirrahc

In my last post (Part 1), Koukl & Beckwith explained why morality entails more than mere conduct; motive and intent are also parts of the equation. Denial by Neo-Darwin This leads us to the second problem, which runs much deeper than the first. When morality is reduced to patterns of behavior chosen by natural selection […]

Bad Bongo!: Are Chimps Moral? (Part 1 of 3)

Published on April 11, 2010 By sirrahc

Every once in awhile, you hear someone trying to describe how evolution/Darwinism — really, the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis — explains “morality”. Often the explanations involve recent observations of “morals” (or the rudiments thereof) among one or another type of animal — elephants, whales, birds, cats, dogs, apes, etc. But, IMHO, there is always something missing. The […]

"Liftoff!" with Training Wheels

Published on March 26, 2010 By sirrahc

Some of you may remember back in December when I mentioned the public unveiling of Virgin Galactic’s first SpaceShipTwo craft — soon to be “the world’s first commercial spaceship.” Now christened the VSS Enterprise (yeah!), the ship is back in the news with another historic milestone. Mounted on a pylon between the twin fuselages of […]

Final(?) Word on Ida

Published on March 21, 2010 By sirrahc

She’s back in the news, but just barely. That 47 million-years-old skeleton of what may be the earliest-known primate, Darwinius masillae (aka “Ida”), is getting some more attention — at least, in scientific circles. As you may recall (go here, then come back), there was a lot of hype last year when Ida was revealed […]

On the Origin of Religion

Published on March 9, 2010 By sirrahc

Modern theories abound… Whether based on the latest evolutionary hypothesis or sheer outrage at the thought of a God who is both loving and demands justice, modern conclusions about the origin of religion run the gamut. They include “Religion is Good”, “Religion is Bad”, “Religion Doesn’t Matter”, and “Religion Can Be Explained by X”. In […]