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Re: [Phys-l] Responding to a DJ about science



After I read your "transcript," my advice would have been to NOT get into
any kind of debate. The DJ seems to be self-righteous in his beliefs, and
nothing you can say will change that. So you are fighting a losing battle,
and it might be something not worth fighting for. It will only frustrate
you. There are many people out there like this that will not change how
they feel about science and what scientists do.

Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu> writes:
One of the radio stations I listen to, I heard the DJ talking about how
ridiculous NASA scientists are about the discovery of some new planets.
He also stated that he posted it on his Facebook account. So, I checked
it out, read the article and his response. I thought his answer was a
bit general and full of errors, so I set a quick reply. He responded to
my reply and I think he's even further off topic. I'm just curious how
you would respond to this DJ?

Obviously, there is a reason why he's a DJ and not a "scientist". What
bothers me is that he has the bigger mic to broadcast his ignorance.

Below are the DJ's and my responses.
---------------------------------------------------------------

DJ: Once again, ... "scientists" have taken a picture of "deep space",
and say they know what they're looking at AS IF THEY'D BEEN THERE! But
they HAVEN'T! Yet MILLIONS of people will believe every word they say,
and call the rest of us "idiots" for doubting them! ("science" once
believed the Earth was FLAT, "man CAN'T ...fly", and "NO other planet in
the ENTIRE UNIVERSE ... BUT Earth... has any life on it!")
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/25/nasas-deep-space-camera-locates-host-earths/?test=latestnews


Me: Let's correct a few things. First, the church, philosophers, and the
uneducated general public believed the Earth was flat. Scientists and
many sailors believed the Earth was round, but didn't say anything in
fear of being put to death.

Many of the general public believed man couldn't fly, but many of the
scientists and engineers believed it could be done with the right
technology.

Primarily the church believed that life only exists on Earth. Many
scientists believe that there is a high probability of some level of life
(ranging from bacteria to advanced life) may exist somewhere in the
universe.

You are right that no one has physically been there or have been able to
send a probe to those locations. Their findings are based on a common
physical law of motion (Newton). The fact that these new satellites have
such a high resolution that allows them to see the "wobble" motion of the
stars. Those wobbles can only be caused by some mass in orbit around that
star. If there is no object in orbit around the star, it doesn't wobble.


DJ: Let's CORRECT the "correction": "A few (fill in the blank)" have
gotten just about EVERYTHING right in history, but that does NOT give
those "few" any intellectual authority over everyone else, nor does it
make them any WISER.

"Science" is NOTHING MORE than man's discovery and use of the PHYSICAL
WORLD.. which GOD has already created.

NOTHING MORE.

Science is LIMITED to that which we CAN "see/feel/hear/touch/smell".
"Science" does NOT apply to anything beyond that, and it doesn't BELIEVE
in anything beyond that!

Science says that "EVERYTHING has a scientific explanation... and if it
DOESN'T, it DOESN'T EXIST!"

Which is OBSURD!

"Science" is NOT intellectually superior over ANYTHING, and people who
claim to be "scienTISTS" tend to be arrogantly in love with their own
sense of "brilliance and judgement".

Science itself has changed it's own theories and ideas a million times
over the course of history, because the universe has NATURALLY proven
science to be WRONG so many times!

FURTHERMORE, scientist's idea of "thinking OUTSIDE the box" is completely
BACKWARDS:

THEY think that BEING a "scientist" means "thinking OUTSIDE the box",
when it's the OTHER WAY AROUND!

"Science" does NOT believe in anything that exists OUTSIDE "science".

THEREFORE, they REFUSE to believe in GOD, the HUMAN SOUL, other rhealms
or dimensions of existance, or anything that cannot be explained or
understood BY ..."science".

Therefore, when a "scientist" takes a picture of something he CLAIMS is
137,894,375,285,347,102,233 LIGHT YEARS AWAY FROM EARTH....

then tries to GUESS what it is he's looking at!......

IGNORE... the fool.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

If you were in my shoes and having this conversation, how would you
respond?

Have a great day!
Dwight


_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l