Godwin's Law smites this thread

[Naraoia]

With several exceptions, I'm sure:
We're not galliforms 'natural predators'.

What does "natural predator" mean?

We're not forests 'natural destroyers'.

Are beavers or parasites of trees "natural destoyers"? What's the difference?

It's considered wrong for us to kill each other for sport (for some reason).

What animal kills members of its own species for sport? (Until the most recent times, it wasn't considered wrong to kill other animals for sport, and I'm sure many people still don't mind the practice. BTW, in York, you could legally shoot Scots for sport )

A host of other things we don't seem to share with our ancestors because we're considered a 'higher form of life'.

Well, every living thing has something that it doesn't share with its ancestors, or they would still be the ancestors.

Actually, under the modern classification system of life, there are three other choices: Fungi, aerobic bacteria, and anaerobic bacteria. Mineral is not one of the biological kingdoms.

Why is fungi the third option? And where are archaea?

Male lions who take over another male's territory (after winning a fight) will usually kill the other male's cubs - this is to prevent the other male's genes from being passed down...​

How is that killing for sport? It's for a very practical (if gruesome) reason, explained (though not quite correctly) in the very sentence you quoted...

 

[atomweaver]

Actually, under the modern classification system of life, there are three other choices: Fungi, aerobic bacteria, and anaerobic bacteria. Mineral is not one of the biological kingdoms.

In considering my audience, I found the modern charades classification system to be more appropriate...

 

[peadar1987]

You mean all the scientists who taught that, taught wrong?

Scientists who taught that wouldn't have carried out observations to see if it was actually true, which puts into doubt their veracity as scientists.

Everything will tend to accelerate at the same rate in a gravitational field of a given strength. Factors such as air resistance will affect the actual rate, but the mass does not.

 

[AV1611VET]

Scientists who taught that wouldn't have carried out observations to see if it was actually true, which puts into doubt their veracity as scientists.

Yes --- I'm familiar with the No True Scotsman Principle that science operates on:

1. Pluto is a planet, until such time as it is a dwarf planet.
2. Thalidomide is a wonder drug, until such time as it is not.
3. The Challenger is 'go for throttle-up', until such time as it isn't.
4. Nuclear reactors are perfectly safe and not to be feared, until such time as they aren't.
5. The Titanic is unsinkable, until such time as it sinks.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Yes --- I'm familiar with the No True Scotsman Principle that science operates on:

1. Pluto is a planet, until such time as it is a dwarf planet.
2. Thalidomide is a wonder drug, until such time as it is not.
3. The Challenger is 'go for throttle-up', until such time as it isn't.
4. Nuclear reactors are perfectly safe and not to be feared, until such time as they aren't.
5. The Titanic is unsinkable, until such time as it sinks.

Welcome to the wonderful world of science: every mistake improves our understanding just that little bit more. And try not to mistake media hype for actual scientific conclusions; it works a little something like this:

If science is myopic, then learning about it through the mass media is to be completely blind.

 

[atomweaver]

Yes --- I'm familiar with the No True Scotsman Principle that science operates on:

1. Pluto is a planet, until such time as it is a dwarf planet.

Is a dwarf planet a type of planet, AVVET?

1. Thalidomide is a wonder drug, until such time as it is not.

If Thalidomide turns out to effectively treat colorectal cancer in men, would it be a "wonder drug" because of this, or the demon you make it out to be, because it causes birth defects in pregnant women?

1. The Challenger is 'go for throttle-up', until such time as it isn't.

This one's so thin, it is see-through. Even you can do better than to blame the weather on scientists, AVVET. Pathetic.

1. Nuclear reactors are perfectly safe and not to be feared, until such time as they aren't.

Idiotic. No scientist has ever pretended that "nuclear reactors are perfectly safe". You're confusing scientists with politicians.

1. The Titanic is unsinkable, until such time as it sinks.

...and also confusing scientists with the marketing department of cruise lines.

 

[Gracchus]

Why is fungi the third option? And where are archaea?

I got it wrong. I was tired. Sorry!



There are three domains: Archaea, Eukarya, and Bacteria.

There are five kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.

The Monera include the Archaea and the Eubacteria.

Why one kingdom would include two domains, and one domain would include four kingdoms, I haven't got a clue.

Maybe the taxonomists haven't finished fighting. (But then, do they ever?)

 

[ReverendDG]

Yes --- I'm familiar with the No True Scotsman Principle that science operates on:

1. Pluto is a planet, until such time as it is a dwarf planet.
2. Thalidomide is a wonder drug, until such time as it is not.
3. The Challenger is 'go for throttle-up', until such time as it isn't.
4. Nuclear reactors are perfectly safe and not to be feared, until such time as they aren't.
5. The Titanic is unsinkable, until such time as it sinks.

are you serious?
this deserves this more than ever.
YouTube - No Points

 

[Cabal]

Yes --- I'm familiar with the No True Scotsman Principle that science operates on:

1. Pluto is a planet, until such time as it is a dwarf planet.
2. Thalidomide is a wonder drug, until such time as it is not.
3. The Challenger is 'go for throttle-up', until such time as it isn't.
4. Nuclear reactors are perfectly safe and not to be feared, until such time as they aren't.
5. The Titanic is unsinkable, until such time as it sinks.

You found five.

Barely.

Remind me how many Christian denominations are there again?

 

[atomweaver]

You found five.

Barely.

Remind me how many Christian denominations are there again?

~38,000 (according to the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary). Oops, were you being rhetorical?

 

[MoonLancer]

WRONG i was just told by god that the new path to salvation is through Devinisum.

38,001

 

[lawtonfogle]

No. No. No. No. It is by meditating in an igloo by a polar bear.

38002.

 

[peadar1987]

Yes --- I'm familiar with the No True Scotsman Principle that science operates on:

1. Pluto is a planet, until such time as it is a dwarf planet.
2. Thalidomide is a wonder drug, until such time as it is not.
3. The Challenger is 'go for throttle-up', until such time as it isn't.
4. Nuclear reactors are perfectly safe and not to be feared, until such time as they aren't.
5. The Titanic is unsinkable, until such time as it sinks.

And Christianity must be true, because the interpretation of the bible has never changed! [/heavy sarcasm]

1. It's not as if scientists thought pluto was a planet, then discovered it was a "dwarf planet", they changed the name to make classification of extraterrestrial objects easier.

2-5. I think you'll find that scientists very rarely work with absolute certainties. Much of science is statistics and probability. Very occasionaly something will happen that was improbable, and we have to accept that. We can never be sure of all the effects a drug might have, it's nearly impossible to keep track of hundreds of engineering parameters for over a million components in a space shuttle, or a nuclear reactor, and, as has been stated before, scientists weren't the ones who wrote the advertisements for cruise liners, nor were they the ones who sailed her into an iceberg (Ah, the Titanic, a ship built in my country, and sunk by a man from my dad's home town! Crushing shame on two levels!)

 

[AV1611VET]

I think you'll find that scientists very rarely work with absolute certainties.

Except when it comes to the Bible, then all of a sudden they acquire this rare, absolute certainty?

(Ah, the Titanic, a ship built in my country, and sunk by a man from my dad's home town! Crushing shame on two levels!)

I could say something about the White Star Line, but I'll abstain.

 

[peadar1987]

Except when it comes to the Bible, then all of a sudden they acquire this rare, absolute certainty?

Nope, you'll find scientists saying that rocks are almost certainly millions of years old, or that humans almost certainly evolved from apes. It's a foolish scientist who puts his reputation on the line by saying that something is absolutely certain when it is not.

You clearly do not understand a large proportion of scientific theory, what is is, and how it works. That is, of course, fine, but please don't come across all scathing when you have no idea what you are on about. I don't pretend to understand economics, so you don't hear me making derogatory and uninformed remarks about interest rate cuts, and the sub-prime crisis.

I could say something about the White Star Line, but I'll abstain.

Go ahead, the White Star Line are based in Liverpool. Say whatever you want about the Scousers!

 

[Split Rock]

Yes --- I'm familiar with the No True Scotsman Principle that science operates on:

1. Pluto is a planet, until such time as it is a dwarf planet.
2. Thalidomide is a wonder drug, until such time as it is not.
3. The Challenger is 'go for throttle-up', until such time as it isn't.
4. Nuclear reactors are perfectly safe and not to be feared, until such time as they aren't.
5. The Titanic is unsinkable, until such time as it sinks.

Tell us the "scientist" who taught that a heavier body will hit the ground first. Go ahead. How about telling us all the names of "scientists" who taught that the earth was flat and sea monsters guarded the edges. They were "scientists" too... right, AVET? Along with every engineer who built a plane that crashed, or a bridge that fell down.

Next, you bring out your old Red-Herring list of so-called "mistakes by scientists." How very clever. How many times have we shown you why it is dead wrong? Maybe you should go on a Holy Crusade, Burn a Witch and then torture a heretic with thumbscrews and hot irons, like a good "Christian" should.

 

[Split Rock]

Except when it comes to the Bible, then all of a sudden they acquire this rare, absolute certainty?

You are the ones who claim Divine Certainty for your interpretation of The Bible, not us!

I could say something about the White Star Line, but I'll abstain.

Go ahead... are we supposed to defend the White Star Line on behalf of "science??"

 

[AV1611VET]

How many times have we shown you why it is dead wrong?

I know exactly why I'm "wrong".

Science runs on the No True Scotsman Principle --- that's why.

And guess what?

That's even wrong, isn't it?

 

[AV1611VET]

You are the ones who claim Divine Certainty for your interpretation of The Bible, not us!

Does it matter who is interpreting It?

The Bible says Jesus walked on water --- science says He couldn't have.

The Bible says Jesus resurrected from the dead --- science says He couldn't have.

The Bible says that when Peter's shadow overshadowed a sick person, he healed --- science says...

Yet, when it comes to science-on-science, we get:

It's a foolish scientist who puts his reputation on the line by saying that something is absolutely certain when it is not.

 

[Pete Harcoff]

Nm