Truth

To follow up on my previous Rant, I have to say that (thanks to @ukslim for finding) I find much to agree with in this user's post.

Having watched Dawkin's Address To The Faithful from last Friday, I have to say that Mr Sharpe is on to something. When the bulk of one's attack is U! NO U!, it's of minor intellectual content, or import, and is not a great tool for advertising the benefits of rational thought and objective truths.

I mean the great benefit, the great difference between the Scientific Method (as opposed to all the others) is that it's fine to be sceptical, it's encouraged. But you attack the science, not the scientist. Work on what people are trying to tell you, not on who's doing the telling. If you focus on the people (and not the facts), you're just sinking to the lowest level. Science is supposed to be above that, above the petty egos and personalities. Above the irrational, the emotional, and on to a higher intellectual plane in search of (but not necessarily ever reaching) the great Objective Truths of the universe.


If, on the other hand, you decide you really DO want to go ad hominem, I think I prefer Armando Iannucci's approach. JP-2 and Mary Poppins will never sound the same to me again...


Anyway. Just one other thing: Stay away from twitter.com for now. Nasty little javascript bug they've got themselves there...