Comments on: When Heroes Fall From Grace

By: Lessons Learned Blogging

Lessons Learned Blogging — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:47:16 +0000

[...] up to advertisers the same way a TV station would.� This leads to less restraints on language, taboo subjects and humour, but things can become unappealing in a hurry when any of these things go [...]

By: Mr. Cheap

Mr. Cheap — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:15:35 +0000

RickT: Sorry, I'm with scripto on this one. Richard Dawkins has protested loudly that he was tricked into appearing and that his interviews were misleadingly edited.

By: scripto

scripto — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:37:56 +0000

” Lots of scientists who believe in ID are atheists, agnostics, etc.”

Not true. A tiny percentage on the fringe who don’t bother to do the work necessary to advance their “hypothesis”. That is why they find it necessary to make movies and strongarm state legislatures. Hardly a “lot”. Mainly because there is no “ID” theory to speak of. No proposed process, no defined ID structures, not even a coherent timeline. Without any of those you can’t even begin to compare it with evolutionary theory.

As far as ID being a secular enterprise? Please. Check out to whom Dembski’s marketing his latest opus:

By: RickT

RickT — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:08:52 +0000

Mr Cheap:

You gotta see the movie, you’ll be surprised what a ‘hero’ like Richard Dawkins has to say…your challenge I believe is that you’re allowing your ‘religion’ i.e. your worldview, to pre-determine your judgment on the movie. You say “intelligent design is religion masquerading as scientific belief”. Lots of scientists who believe in ID are atheists, agnostics, etc.

By: Shevy

Shevy — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:44:21 +0000

I’d just like to point out to PT that there is no way that all Xtians or Jews believe in Intelligent Design. Some believe in Creation, some in evolution, some in Intelligent Design, and others in other variations on those positions. Others have never really formulated what they believe in.

Associating an entire religious group with a particular belief would be akin to saying that all Mormons are polygamists.

By: Mr. Cheap

Mr. Cheap — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:03:46 +0000

PT: You’re amazingly articulate and civilized while fired up! Most people just start calling me names or attacking me personally when I say something to offend them (check out our post about energy reseller scams if you want to read some incoherent, but clearly very angry, comments).

What I object to about intelligent design is that its religion masquerading as scientific belief (and is the banner in the battle to have it taught as such in the classroom). If people want religion taught in their schools, they should be honest about it and fight for that, instead of insulting peoples’ intelligence by pretending this is something that’s scientifically grounded.

Until they start trying to influence public policy (at which point, in my opinion, debate and discussion are REQUIRED) I think people should be free to believe whatever they want. Even that other people’s beliefs are kooky .

I also wrote “Have you ever lost FAITH in a hero” at the bottom. Yup, yup, yup… it witty wordplay like that that our readers DEMAND every day!

We occasionally range beyond strictly finance (I’d love to write more about the coming robot invasion but there didn’t seem to be any interest the last time I broached the topic). One post I keep begging Mike to let me do is: “Socialists: Evil, or Just Ignorant?”

By: PT

PT — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:31:50 +0000

@Mr Cheap – intellegent design is a Christian belief here in the States (where the movie is based). It’s in the Bible. 2.1 billion Christians believe it (so do Jews like Ben Stein). You just called us all believers in a “kooky” idea.

I wasn’t implying you were offending religious people. I was implying you were offending Christians and Jews with your flippant, shocked additude that someone smart and funny could believe such a thing.

And you’re right, it’s not democracy that decides truth…I didn’t mean to imply that with my first comment.

Funny that your post title is Fall from “Grace”. You’re pretty clever if you intended that one.

Isn’t this site supposed to be about finance. Man, you got me all fired up here.

By: Looby

Looby — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:19:08 +0000

I’ve never heard of Ben Stein but I’m pretty sure that I’m going to have to watch this movie just so I can raise my blood pressure by shouting at the screen.
I don’t really have any heroes either, but that’s probably because I think that everyone is going to disappoint me eventually, in some way or another.

By: Mr. Cheap

Mr. Cheap — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:17:00 +0000

PT: Just to clarify, in the post I was calling Intelligent Design kooky, not religion. That being said, I do also find religion kooky. 2.1 billion people can easily be wrong. The entire human population has been wrong about ideas in the past (and undoubtedly are wrong about some of our current ideas). Truth is not democratically determined.

Guiness416: I just wanted to be a gossip tease . I’m sure every blog you read you occasionally come across a post that makes you think “What were they smoking when they wrote THIS?!?!”

Tim: In this post when I use the term hero, I’m using this definition (2 or 3). I agree that no one is good all the time (except perhaps me, and we won’t know until I die whether I can keep it up or not – I guess I would qualify for the first definition).

By: guinness416

guinness416 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:53:46 +0000

Funny, I was thinking kooky wasn’t harsh enough. Can’t please ‘em all …

Well I know I’m not the only one looking for more information regarding the blog posts from those who “otherwise seemed intelligent”. Dish, please!