Darwin's Day

[HMS_Beagle]

Isaac Newton
Albert Einstein
Neils Bohr
Louis Pasteur
Werner Heisenberg
Max Planck

All have had far reaching impact on modern science, at least equal to Darwin.

In your opinion, but apparently not to anyone else willing to go to bat for them.

Why did you cut out the religious associations that support Darwin Day and only list the Freethought ones?

Since I am not a fan of YE Creationism your foolish smear does not relate to me. I don't usually agree with Jorge, and I don't agree with his whole post. It is nevertheless true that while Darwin has had an impact on science, that impact is highly exaggerated. And atheism is the major force behind the celebration.

I am not aware of any major (or even minor) celebration aimed at any of the other more important scientists of history. The lack of government support is irrelevant.

Maybe you didn't see my earlier post. Darwin Day wasn't started by and isn't sponsored by the Government. It was started as a grassroots movement 20 years ago by a couple of scientists and has spread across the global scientific community.

The only reason I can see that the other folks you listed don't have similar accolades is that no one thought them important enough to warrant a lobbying effort on their behalf. If it means that much to you then instead of merely griping about them darn atheists why don't you start the ball rolling yourself? I'll sign the petition.

[Jedidiah]

Why did you cut out the religious associations that support Darwin Day and only list the Freethought ones?

Because I don't know of any. You list them.

Maybe you didn't see my earlier post. Darwin Day wasn't started by and isn't sponsored by the Government. It was started as a grassroots movement 20 years ago by a couple of scientists and has spread across the global scientific community.

Exactly why I wrote that government involvement was irrelevant.

The only reason I can see that the other folks you listed don't have similar accolades is that no one thought them important enough to warrant a lobbying effort on their behalf.

I really doubt that is the reason. I believe that it is the atheist influence. Is that absolute? No, it is just what I believe based upon the hoopla that goes on around it.

If it means that much to you then instead of merely griping about them darn atheists why don't you start the ball rolling yourself? I'll sign the petition.

It means nothing to me. I don't see any value in such a celebration about anyone. If you start a petition I won't bother with it.

[Carrikature]

Because I don't know of any. You list them.

All it takes is going as far as the wikipedia article...

Many Christians who support the concept of evolutionary creation, such as the Biologos Foundation and GC Science, celebrate Darwin Day, believing that evolution was a tool used by God in the creation process.

...

In 2004, Michael Zimmerman, a professor of biology and dean of the College of liberal arts and sciences at Butler University, founded the Clergy Letter Project[38] in which over 11,100 clergy, as of 18 April 2008, have signed a declaration that a person of faith does not have to choose either belief in God or belief in evolution. In 2006 Zimmerman developed the Evolution Sunday movement. In 2007 lectures and sermons were presented to roughly 618 congregations across the United States and 5 other countries, on Darwin's birthday.[39] Evolution Sunday is intended to show that faith and evolutionary science are compatible in many religious traditions. In 2008, Evolution Sunday was expanded to an Evolution Weekend to incorporate a wider range of faith traditions and 814 congregations from 9 countries participated.

As said before, the movement is more due to sheer ignorance regarding evolution. None of those other scientists you named currently enjoy anywhere near the same level of rejection and hate.

[rogue06]

The only reason I can see that the other folks you listed don't have similar accolades is that no one thought them important enough to warrant a lobbying effort on their behalf. If it means that much to you then instead of merely griping about them darn atheists why don't you start the ball rolling yourself? I'll sign the petition.

One possible reason for celebrating the contributions of Darwin could be that no other scientist is subject to the vicious, virulent personal attacks that he is subject to which would at some point logically result in a push back.

[phank]

One possible reason for celebrating the contributions of Darwin could be that no other scientist is subject to the vicious, virulent personal attacks that he is subject to which would at some point logically result in a push back.

I think this nails it. If religious fundamentalists were fueling a permanent round-the-clock smear campaign against van Leeuwenhoek, we would almost surely have a van Leeuwenhoek day. I don't think Darwin's accomplishments were all that much more fantastic than Jedidiah's other scientists, but the religious failure to attack any of them means there's no reason to defend any of them. And since the attacks against Darwin are invariably religious and not scientific, you would expect the defense to be mounted against religious rather than scientific attacks.

[Carrikature]

I think this nails it. If religious fundamentalists were fueling a permanent round-the-clock smear campaign against van Leeuwenhoek, we would almost surely have a van Leeuwenhoek day. I don't think Darwin's accomplishments were all that much more fantastic than Jedidiah's other scientists, but the religious failure to attack any of them means there's no reason to defend any of them. And since the attacks against Darwin are invariably religious and not scientific, you would expect the defense to be mounted against religious rather than scientific attacks.

Exactly.

[Jorge]

And this statement does not address the argument he made at all, which was that this was a formal example of the ad hominem fallacy.

Nonsense! I cannot stop you from making such ridiculous allegations.

Jorge

[Jorge]

The main contribution behind establishing the science of evolution was beginning the process of peer review of research, which he delayed the publication of his book a number of years to have it peer reviewed by his colleagues. This began the standard followed by peer review of research before publication. The proposal of the necessity of falsification by scientific methods was also significant part of his work. He made numerous predictions needed to be verified in future research. He has a very good record in that most of his predictions have sense been verified through falsification.

"He has a very good record in that most of his predictions have sense [sic] been verified through falsification."

Are you on the same PLANET as the rest of us? If so, then you are deluded and, as I had stated in a previous post, you people ignore what is plainly in sight.

Jorge

[Jorge]

I'm always fascinated by the religious mindset. Religion being pure ideology, entirely fabricated for emotional reasons, the true religious believer cannot help but think that all the enterprises of the human mind must work this same way. If the facts are offensive, well, it's because those heathens discovering the facts are biased and ideological. The concept of a discipline rooted in reality is simply not accessible to the religious mind. ALL disciplines are rooted in Religious Truth - namely, mine!

It will never cease to amaze me that you people actually live under the delusion of being "a-religious" (without religion). Listen up, phank, you and your ilk are amongst the most religious people on the face of the planet. You practice the same blind faith as do the Snake Worshipers in Bali. The astonishing thing is how you refuse to own up to this. Talk about living in denial. Geesh!

Jorge

[seasanctuary]

I suspect that the actual force behind Darwin Day is the need by Universities to overcome the misunderstandings and knowledge gaps caused by the distortion and omission of evolution in creationist-favouring US schools. Ironic.

This is what I was going to say. If there were a bunch of people denying general relativity because it conflicted with their religious beliefs, and were telling their children that science is Satan's tool to destroy souls, then we probably would have an Einstein day.

[HMS_Beagle]

I see we've had another round of drive-by insults and evasion of questions by the village Jorge.

That only happens on days that end in "Y".

[Jorge]

Have you heard of the expressions "Ad hominem" and "Abusus non tollit usum"? If not, Google 'em.

You're welcome.

Sincerely,

Santa

TRANSLATION : "I could not understand what Jorge wrote - it swooshed over me - and so I will act as a juvenile delinquent, toss some high-sounding terms and quickly exit the scene."

Way to go, Santa!

Jorge

[Jorge]

I see we've had another round of drive-by insults and evasion of questions by the village Jorge.

That only happens on days that end in "Y".

POT ... KETTLE ... BLACK .......... ya think?

Jorge

[phank]

Who let the dog out?

[Roy]

TRANSLATION : "I could not understand what Jorge wrote - it swooshed over me - and so I will act as a juvenile delinquent, toss some high-sounding terms and quickly exit the scene."

Jorge would never do that - he only uses kindergarten terms when quickly exiting the scene.

Roy