What to do with the 'Origin of Species' introduction

[DontHurtTheIntersect]

1.Take .pdf
2. Print on 8 x 11 paper, don't resize or whatever, double sided( this should leave about 2 inches on every side)
3. Go through the whole thing, making notations and corrections in the margins
4. Mail it to Kirk Cameron or Ray Comfort.
5.?
6. PROFIT!

 

[scalyblue]

There isn't enough red pen for that.

 

[JacobEvans]

Honestly, WHO READS THE INTRODUCTION?

I say let them pass out the book, so long as they didn't edit the content.

 

[scalyblue]

I am hearing rumors that entire chapters were removed, I'm not subjecting myself to the idiocy to find out, though.

 

[GuppyPal]

I am hearing rumors that entire chapters were removed, I'm not subjecting myself to the idiocy to find out, though.

I've heard that as well. They say the book is 300 pages??? I thought Origin of Species was more like 600?

 

[Aught3]

Maybe he got rid of all the bits that have been corrected by modern science and just left the core arguments that are still valid today?

 

[JacobEvans]

Maybe he got rid of all the bits that have been corrected by modern science and just left the core arguments that are still valid today?

You sir have an abnormally positive look on all this.

 

[MRaverz]

I am hearing rumors that entire chapters were removed, I'm not subjecting myself to the idiocy to find out, though.

I've heard that as well. They say the book is 300 pages??? I thought Origin of Species was more like 600?

My copy of Origin of Species (not one of these Comfort copies) has about 450 pages, naturally it's going to be different based on text sizes etc.

 

[xman]

Somebody needs to produce a video about what to do with this thing. "There are serious errors in your edition, please do the following:" mark all the major logical fallacies, show how to tear out the offensive and frightening to children Hitler chapter showing the proper incendiary disposal, and eventually list how to renumber the pages in the entire book to take into account the bits left out. Terminate with a relevant quote from the missing pages?

 

[Juuso]

 

[ashraghil]

Somebody needs to produce a video about what to do with this thing. "There are serious errors in your edition, please do the following:" mark all the major logical fallacies, show how to tear out the offensive and frightening to children Hitler chapter showing the proper incendiary disposal, and eventually list how to renumber the pages in the entire book to take into account the bits left out. Terminate with a relevant quote from the missing pages?

"The origin of species" is NOT a holy book - having said that that means "It cannot be desecrated". Whoever is now ready to "strike back" behaves in a way the masterminds behind this "special edition" would want it.
Do I feel insulted because exactly those people who don't believe a word of what is written in the original book dare to publish their own - and I am pretty sure EDITED - version of this book? Quite a lot - I am furious.
But nevertheless, trying to prevent this book from being published is imho exactly the wrong way. Even trying to "minimize the harm it can do" would just be satisfaction to those who had the initial idea.

I have been watching a lot of videos made by creationists and rationalists on youtube lately. Actually it has become some kind of hobby for me. And with every video I am watching my impression gets stronger, that those who are desperately trying to devitalize all the creationist stuff on youtube are losing - not only the battle, they are losing the war. Not because of their lack of arguments, but because of their position they are allowing them to be put into. It does not matter how logical and quite clear for a rationalits those arguments are, it all comes down to the point that rationalists feel obliged to justify their believe in science, evolution, the big bang or whatever creationists have chosen to torpedo.
If two parties are having a discussion and both are using rational arguments, the situation is fair. The "discussion" between creationists and rationalists is not fair at all. Creationists are just pretending to use rational arguments, but what they are actually doing is seeding doubt. And exactly that's the trap for rationalists - and we usually are hitting the hay. Whoever thinks in a scientific way feels offended if somebody is working non-scientific. And how are creationists seeding their doubt? By misinterpretation of science - willingly and on purpose. So, whenever one of those Jesus Geeks chooses to tell untrue stories about science - or in our current case dilutes scientific work - we feel oblged to object strongly.
The point we are missing here is, that those objections are futile. Those who WANT to believe in a god, who WANT their world being created by loving supernatural being, they won't listen. As long as they are horrified about an existence that ends with death on this planet, they are willing to believe ANYTHING that promises them a live after death. And for every misinterpretation or lie rationalists are able disable scientifically there are two other open questions in science that can be used by creationists to undermine these efforts. It is a war that cannot be won that way because in contradiction to religion which got its joker of the supernatural to explain everything, science is bound to say "we don't know (yet)" about fundamental things of existence.

So what does that story has to do with this soon to be published book? It's more or less the same than a youtube video made by creationists. If you are reading this ominous foreword and you want to believe that there is a creator of heaven and earth and scientists are lying bitches you will love it. If you are reading this foreword and don't even think about taking the time to google the author of it, you either know him already or you are such a sheep, you won't graduate on a university.

So, what is the appropriate way to "react" on the "desecration of darwin"? Actually it should be encouraged and promoted. Remember, the foreword has been written by somebody who actually believes that the almighty has created domesticated bananas the way they are so humans have no troubles at all to consume them. This special edition of "the origin of species" is an IQ test. The ones of you who are at a university,do not WARN students - please just watch and smile about those who are reading it and don't even scratch their heads.

In the end my suggestion for approaching insults of creationists is to be aware of this "trap" I mentioned earlier. It is not necessary to justify your believes in scientific methods. It is necessary for a christian, moslem, hindu or whatever to justify why he or she is believing in a supernatural being.
Let me conclude with an idea from "Religiulous" by Bill Maher: "if creationists so strongly believe, that they are going to have such a good life in heaven after this life on earth, why don't they just kill themselves?"

 

[xman]

"The origin of species" is NOT a holy book - having said that that means "It cannot be desecrated".

I did not even imply Darwin or his book was sacred. Please do not put words in my mouth. It can be defiled, debased, degraded and defaced and that is being done.

Let me conclude with an idea from "Religiulous" by Bill Maher: "if creationists so strongly believe, that they are going to have such a good life in heaven after this life on earth, why don't they just kill themselves?"

Oh, come off it. You know very well their religion forbids them from the "kingdom of heaven" if they do.

That said, I have been wondering if the debate raging between the two camps is just adding fuel to their fire recently.

 

[ashraghil]

I did not even imply Darwin or his book was sacred. Please do not put words in my mouth.

It was not my intention to put words into anybodies mouth. That was just my way to describe how I felt at first when I found out about it.

Oh, come off it. You know very well their religion forbids them from the "kingdom of heaven" if they do.

Yes I do - I just sometimes am hoping they forgot...

 

[xman]

I did not even imply Darwin or his book was sacred. Please do not put words in my mouth.

It was not my intention to put words into anybodies mouth. That was just my way to describe how I felt at first when I found out about it.

Oh, come off it. You know very well their religion forbids them from the "kingdom of heaven" if they do.

Yes I do - I just sometimes am hoping they forgot...

That's fair.

 

[Mapp]

I like Matt Dillihunty's idea. Get some copies, and either tear the bullshit introduction right out, or include a set of notes explaining exactly why Banana Man got it wrong. Then give it as a gift to someone who has never read the actual book before in the interest of spreading knowledge of what the Theory of Evolution actually states.

 

[TheTruePooka]

This book is a publicity stunt. The more furor and noise we make about it, the more money Ray Comfort makes. Is it any coincidence that his handing it out coincides with a new book release?

Everyone has said what needs to be said.

If the main content of the book is intact, then rip out the introduction, toss it, and keep the book.

Otherwise, toss the whole thing out.

Just remember; Ray Comfort is a business man who entered he Evangelical game which makes him a con man.

And as far as money making con strategies goes, he's proven himself to be clever and resourceful.

If I wanted to get a huge amount of free publicity as a Religious Con Man, I'd be doing exactly what he's doing.