Why I Post Comments on Creationist and ID Blogs

A fellow blogger asked me recently "Why waste your time posting [at creationist and ID blogs] at all? You do not seem to have a receptive audience." Other people ask me why I generally treat creationists and ID supporters with respect, rather than taking every opportunity to heap scorn and ridicule upon them. Here's what I hope is an adequate explanation to both of these questions.

I post comments at creationist and ID blogs (when I have the time, which is definitely not all the time) because I expect that there are a lot of people who read these comments without participating directly in such debates. This is why I try to keep as civil a tone as possible, especially when my opponents use ad hominem arguments, character assassination, insults, and ridicule. The contrast between their tactics and mine undermines their credibility (and, by extension, that of their soi dissant “science”). Indeed, some commentator’s comments are so insulting that I refuse to respond to them, and I believe that this does not pass unnoticed by readers who are not yet irrationally committed to one side or the other.

Also, as a teacher (currently in my 35th year of teaching at Cornell University), I feel a professional responsibility to correct some of the more egregious misrepresentations and misunderstandings of the science of evolutionary biology which are promulgated at creationist and ID blogs. Some of these misrepresentations clearly stem from ignorance, and in a gratifying number of cases some the commentators whom I have corrected have thanked me for the information and references I have provided.

However, other misrepresentations are apparently part of a deliberate and ongoing effort to distort the public record and deliberately misrepresent the relevant scientific information for political and religious purposes. I strongly believe that this kind of mendacity should be exposed for what it is, and for what it isn’t (i.e. it isn’t science).

Furthermore, I have always tried to emulate the long-standing Quaker tradition of “speaking truth to power”, which is the opposite of “preaching to the choir”. It means confronting directly what I perceive to be misunderstanding (and what I perceive to be deliberate mendacity), rather than limiting my interactions to people with whom I already agree. I agree with Charles Darwin, who said that he paid much more attention to the criticisms of people who disagreed with him than the praise of people who agreed with him. Like Darwin, I find that debating with people with whom I disagree helps me greatly to clarify my own position on the relevant issues, and to help my opponents clarify theirs. I believe that it would be a terribly boring (and non-progressive) world in which everyone agreed upon every subject, and so I am grateful to some of the commentators here for helping me improve my understanding of the relevant issues and my ability to argue persuasively for what I perceive to be the best supported position.

Like Hegel, I believe that genuine synthesis usually arises out of the clash between thesis and antithesis, and that progress in human understanding is almost always gained at the price of diligence, honesty, and honor. As my fencing master often says, “a gentleman is always gracious and dignified in defeat, humble and gentle in victory”. I have to the best of my ability tried to account myself according to this standard of conduct, and believe that the world would be a better place if everyone tried to do so.

Finally, to the best of my ability, I try to “fight the good fight” in defense of what I understand to be an accurate description of reality. I expect my opponents to do the same. When they do, I tell them so. Indeed, if they do a good job, I congratulate them, especially if they persuade me to change my mind, as the result of sufficiently convincing arguments. However, when my opponents depart from honorable and honest argumentation and stoop to ad hominem attacks, character assassination, insults, and ridicule, I call them on it and I inform them in no uncertain terms that I will no longer respond to them.

The same principles apply to this blog, and can be read here.

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As always, comments, criticisms, and suggestions are warmly welcomed!

--Allen

A Brief Note About Comment Moderation

Due to the behavior of certain unnamed and unscrupulous individuals, I have found it necessary to return to full-time comment moderation at THE EVOLUTION LIST. This means that comments will not appear here until they have been emailed to me and I have approved them for posting to the comment threads following each post. Please bear this in mind when you comment here. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
--Allen MacNeill

"I had at last got a theory by which to work"
-The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

Ground Rules and Moderation Policy

PURPOSE: THE EVOLUTION LIST is a forum for the dissemination and discussion of ideas and information about the theory of evolution in all its dimensions, including its implications for philosophy, religion, and world views.

DISCLAIMER: Unless otherwise noted, all materials may be quoted or re-published in full, with attribution to the author and THE EVOLUTION LIST. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Cornell University, its administration, faculty, students, or staff.

FORMAT: Although reading THE EVOLUTION LIST is open to everyone, commenting on posts to this blog is entirely moderated. That is, every comment will first be forwarded to the moderator, who will (after due consideration, and working within the constraints of time and work load) decide whether to allow it to be posted to the "Comments" section of the blog.

GROUND RULES: The founder/moderator of this blog is a great admirer of the traditional values of the academy: collegiality, intellectual freedom, personal responsibility, and respect for others. Therefore, commenting on the posts to this blog has several rules, which will be strictly enforced by the moderator:

• Ad hominem attacks, blasphemy, profanity, rudeness, and vulgarity will not be tolerated (although heresy will always be encouraged). However, vigorous attacks against a member's position are expected and those who cannot handle such should think twice before they post a comment.

• Long-running debates that are of interest only to a small number of individuals should be taken elsewhere, preferably via private email (i.e. if the moderator gets tired of reading posts concerning the population density [N] of terpsichorean demigods inhabiting ferrous microalpine environments, the posters will be strongly encouraged to settle it outside).

• Pseudonyms are tolerated but real names are preferred. However, if the moderator suspects that someone is posting under multiple aliases or pretending to be someone else (i.e. "sock puppeting"), they will be permanently banned from the blog.

• Mutual respect and sensitivity towards those with opposing views is essential. In particular, comments containing what the moderator feels is "creation-bashing" by evolutionists or "evolution-bashing" by creationists, will not be approved for posting.

FURTHERMORE: Both statements of fact and statements of opinion are welcomed, with the following provisos:

• Statements of opinion should be clearly indicated as such (perhaps with “IMO” in parenthesis).

• Both statements of fact and statements of opinion may be challenged by anyone, so long as the challenge takes place within a reasonable length of time (and please remember, time online passes much more swiftly than time in the real world; three days is a virtual eternity).

• If a statement of fact is challenged, the person challenged should make a good faith effort to either provide supporting evidence or make a logical argument as to why such supporting evidence is unnecessary.

• No statement may be challenged or attacked by ad hominem arguments or by changing the topic of the thread (i.e. "hijacking"). In particular, anyone directly or indirectly referring to another commentator as either a "liar" or "having lied" (including semantic equivalents, such as "dissembling" or "mendacity") may result in the perpetrator of such an accusation being banned from further participation.

• Rather than accusing a commentator of lying when they have made a particular assertion, you should post a rebuttal that documents (with references and pertinent links) that there is evidence that the assertion is false and/or misleading.

• Speculation about motives, either directly or indirectly, by anyone commenting on any topic is never allowed and will not be allowed to appear in the "Comments", as this clearly constitutes hijacking the discussion by changing the topic (unless the post itself began as a discussion of motives). If you want to talk about motives, ask the moderator to start a thread to that effect (and if people can't remain civil in the comments on that post, the moderator reserves the right to delete it).

• Decisions about moderation are entirely and exclusively the prerogative of the moderator. If you don't want to abide by these rules, please don't waste my time (and yours) by attempting to post or comment here.

• Please be aware that any infraction of these rules will result in limitation or rescinding of your commenting privileges. A brief untoward statement in a long and otherwise reasonable comment fully justifies its rejection and may result in the rejection of all your future comments, reasonable or not (so keep backup copies in case you have to try again with a more civil version).

• If a post or comment has been rejected by the moderator, please don't repeatedly try to repost them. They won't ever be allowed, it wastes bandwidth and the moderator's time, and simply reinforces the decision on the part of the moderator to reject the post (and maybe ban you permanently).

• Appeals of moderation or complaints about the behavior of your fellow commentators are not appropriate on any thread and, even in cases where they are not ad hominem attacks, they still qualify as hijacking the discussion. Any such appeal or complaint should instead be emailed to the moderator, who will eventually rule one way or the other.

As always, comments, criticisms, and suggestions are warmly welcomed!

--Allen