From: John Clark (jonkc@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Sat Oct 09 1999 - 10:53:24 MDT
Steve C. Dotson <neuroknot@hotbot.com>
>I have found it useful to engage the anti-science/pro-religious crowd in
>a non-threatening way explaining the beauty and efficacy of evolutionary
theory.
I've tried that too but it only works when I'm less than candid and try to use
than old line about religion and Science living in harmony, when I'm more
honest I just make people unhappy and mad. I've learned how to keep
my mouth shut around religious people as long as they don't try to convert me.
The sad truth is that the Bible thumpers are right about one thing, religion and
evolution are incompatible. Evolution is not efficient, it took nearly 4 billion
years
to produce us. I don't know how long it will take mind (us) to produce an AI but
I know it will be less than 4 billion years, probably less than a century,
perhaps
much less. Evolution has made some beautiful things but the process itself is
not beautiful, in fact its cruelty is astronomical, for every tiny advance
millions
die horrible deaths. The religious correctly conclude that if Evolution is true
and God exists then He's a sadistic monster. They only abandon logic when
they pick the answer that is most comforting, Evolution is wrong, rather than
the correct conclusion that God is nonexistent or evil.
John K Clark jonkc@att.net
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