Re: [Marxism] Freeman Dyson on scientific heretics and climate change

[Les Schaffer <schaffer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sayan Bhattacharyya wrote:
>
> Any sources/references for this assertion?


1-800-TRY-GOOGLE "Freeman Dyson" "intelligent design"

i wouldnt call him and out and out advocate of ID, but if you like 
Sayan-style wishy-washy, see below(but note i cannot find this exchange 
elsewhere on the internet).

Les


Freeman Dyson comments on ID
William Dembski

The following exchange is from the newsletter CCNet 66/2007 - 27 March 2007:

Christopher Morbey: Dear Professor Dyson: Thanks for taking time to 
answer questions! I’m wondering if you have an opinion regarding the new 
interest in “intelligent design” as an independent mode of explaining an 
event. Typically, pervading opinion demands that events occur only by 
chance and/or necessity.

What strikes me as strange is that many scientists are so willing to 
discard ideas that may offer help to overcome significant difficulties 
in evolution hypotheses. Instead, they tend to make alarmist comments 
that ID is merely a creationist ploy, that Darwinian claims should be 
assumptions, not conclusions.

Global warming skeptics point to fundamental temperature and CO2 data, 
then ask pertinent questions. In a similar way, ID proponents look at 
fundamental, complex biological and cosmological data, then ask 
pertinent questions. As you might point out, asking questions could be 
perceived as rebellion.

But it would appear that most scientists these days are not rebels at 
all; each is but one case of an emotional-contagion pandemic. It is 
interesting that war and peace and religion all require a certain 
discipline of obedience rather than too many questions. Each would offer 
the chance for freedom yet each would demand necessity for devotion.

Freeman Dyson: My opinion is that most people believe in intelligent 
design as a reasonable explanation of the universe, and this belief is 
entirely compatible with science. So it is unwise for scientists to make 
a big fight against the idea of intelligent design. The fight should be 
only for the freedom of teachers to teach science as they see fit, 
independent of political or religious control. It should be a fight for 
intellectual freedom, not a fight for science against religion.

http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/freeman-dyson-comments-on-id/


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