Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Always Nice When...

...your opponent holds their nuts out in front of you so you can give them (the nuts) a good solid kicking. Case in point: LGF siding with the ADL on Ben Stein's new movie Expelled. I normally like LGF, and this doesn't change my mind, but when Charles supports writing like this:
Hitler did not need Darwin to devise his heinous plan to exterminate the Jewish people and Darwin and evolutionary theory cannot explain Hitler’s genocidal madness.
Like, that's interesting. According to Darwin and evolutionary theory, we are the way we are because that's the way we evolved, no? Now, that doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with evolutionary theory, nor that the theory caused the H-man to go crazy, but that's not what the quote up there says. It says that "evolutionary theory cannot explain Hitler's genocidal madness."

Well, which is it? Is evolutionary theory any good for anything, or isn't it? What use is theory that says we are the way we are because that's the way we evolved, except when it can't say that we are the way we are because that's the way we evolved?

The problem with Hitler, supposedly, was that he used evolutionary theory to justify his actions. He claimed without proof that the Aryan race was superior and so should go on while the inferior races could morally be exterminated.

While to any normal person this would be seen as an abomination... but if evolution is correct AND there is no God/absolute moral code, then there really wouldn't be anything wrong with people from one race destroying those from another. It's all just part of the evolutionary process you know... survival of the fittest and all.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

OH, now you've done it. Defending Ben Stein (who is now a complete imbecile regardless of how intelligent he appeared to be prior to Expelled) automatically makes you an acolyte of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Some LGFer or Derbyshire apprentice will swoop in to explain to you in patronizing terms that Darwin was discussing NATURAL SELECTION.
Of course, from a purely secular viewpoint, EVERYTHING IS NATURAL! (you know: supernatural = null value).
Good luck.

5/02/2008 7:21 PM  
Blogger Kevin said...

The problem with Hitler, supposedly, was that he used evolutionary theory to justify his actions. He claimed without proof that the Aryan race was superior and so should go on while the inferior races could morally be exterminated.

While to any normal person this would be seen as an abomination... but if evolution is correct AND there is no God/absolute moral code, then there really wouldn't be anything wrong with people from one race destroying those from another. It's all just part of the evolutionary process you know... survival of the fittest and all.


Just...

Wow.

You really have a hard-on for evolution, don't you?

Here's clue #1 - evolution is not a process of consciousness. In fact, when human beings deliberately interfere, they fuck up evolution.

Asteroid striking Earth 65 million years ago, wiping out 90% of the extant species and giving rise to the mammals? Evolution. Human beings exterminating part of our population (resulting in no speciation), NOT evolution. Last I checked, Jews mating with Gentiles still resulted in viable, fertile offspring.

Further: While to any normal person this would be seen as an abomination...

There were a whole lot of abnormal people around back then. Of course, that would be by definition, since "normal" roughly equates to "mathematical mean."

But I suspect you meant "religious" given your personal biases.

Yup. The anti-Darwinists are just as irritating as the anti-theists.

5/03/2008 10:42 AM  
Blogger carnaby said...

Here's clue #1 - evolution is not a process of consciousness. In fact, when human beings deliberately interfere, they fuck up evolution.

Ha, says you. Thpppt! Truth is that I really don't care, and do not see the importance. It is interesting... life is interesting, but at the end of the day evolution/creation makes no difference to me at all. I don't care which one is correct, but I do enjoy watching both sides get their nipples twisted over it.

But I suspect you meant "religious" given your personal biases.

Whatever the case is, I do not think that evolution and religion are incompatible. I definitely do subscribe to the notion of social evolution, not my fault that some of the big evolution weenies/lefties don't.

5/04/2008 6:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hate to say I told you so, but:

Here's clue #1 - evolution is not a process of consciousness. In fact, when human beings deliberately interfere, they fuck up evolution.

If evolution is correct, then humans CAN'T fuck it up because we are part of "natural selection."

If it's evolution for neaderthals to wipeout cro-magnon, then it's also evolution for homosapiens to wipe out the Dodo or the spotted owl.

5/04/2008 5:52 PM  
Blogger MadRocketScientist said...

"...but if evolution is correct AND there is no God/absolute moral code..."

That assumes that God issues a moral code, rather than the moral code being a product of social evolution.

5/13/2008 10:06 AM  

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