This is a two hour video on ID by Kenneth Miller who is a biologist and he was a part of the Dover trial to stop ID from being taught in school. He speaks for under an hour and than takes questions. Lots of great information and he shows clearly how underhanded the Intelligent Design people are. They want to destroy science using politics. If successful we will go back to the Dark Ages and other countries will take the lead away from the U.S.
Ken Miller's talk on Intelligent Design at Case Western University around 2006.
Ken Miller states "I am a Roman Catholic, a theist, but do not believe in a deceptive God." He is a strong evolutionist, and argues strongly against Intelligent Design. But I haven't heard him say what part he thinks God plays, perhaps in the vein of Spinoza.
At 1:25 he is asked how he can be religious and be a scientist. He responds but doesn't resolve it to my satisfaction. He believes and other scientist also do about 40%. However, he honors skepticism.
He identifies himself as a Republican and especially liked Goldwater. He believes the Republican party is the better party to save science and thinks the Democrats are wishy-washy on it.
He believes and other scientist also do about 40%.
ReplyDeleteWhen just biologists are included the number of god-nuts is close to zero percent. Miller is the extremely rare exception, and I noticed this has been lucrative for him. Pretending to be a Christian sells books.
If I could ask Miller one question it would be do you believe in the Jeebus-was-a-zombie story (the Resurrection). I doubt he does believe it or any of the other Christian idiocy, and I have never seen any evidence he does believe any of it.
Incredibly, Ken Miller visited my blog once, to complain about something I said. He is part of the religious insanity problem but I have to respect his knowledge, his ability to explain, and his brilliant defense of science education at the Dover trial. It was when I read what he said at the Dover trial that I first realized how incredibly powerful the evidence for evolution is (from molecular biology). It was Miller, the Christian, who convinced me there's no longer any excuse to be a Christian. And he can talk about the beauty of evolution better than any atheist ever could. It's no wonder the fundamentalists don't like him.
This video really impressed me in his knowledge and explanation of evolution. I have reflected about his religious stance. Perhaps he sees religion as something tribal and ritualistic. It goes to a different part of his brain. There are some religions that do not require thought, not in the they are idiots vein, but in performance of ritual. I have a Jewish friend who was not particular religious but then he had children and married a woman from Israel and completely threw himself into conservative Judaism. He doesn't believe in it as a Fundamentalist would, but sees it as his tradition. Probably not unlike the native Americans who perform their native dance or somewhat extended the white Americans who dress up and re-enact civil war battles. Judaism and Catholicism are two such religions. You don't have to believe any of it but still can "practice" the faith. Fundamentalism is not ritualistic. It demands belief. If Ken Miller isn't pretending to fake out the religious nuts then perhaps this is an explanation. William F Buckley would probably have fallen into this category as well.
ReplyDelete