This week's episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey departs a bit from the format of the first two episodes. Instead of presenting a number of thematically related science vignettes, the entire episode is devoted to a single story, of the friendship between Edmond Halley and Isaac Newton, and the scientific revolution that resulted from it. And darned if Neil DeGrasse Tyson isn't just trolling the creationists some more in this episode, because he's gone and titled the whole thing "When Knowledge Conquered Fear." Now, sure, the specific example this episode focuses on is comets, whose irregular arrival in the orderly heavens were, in virtually all ancient cultures, seen as dreaded portents of doom. Oh, but we all know that's just a subset of "religion = fear and science = knowledge," and so Tyson's framing the episode in those terms is pretty much a provocation. Good on him.
<i>&ldquo;Boy, but when you have so many scientists who simply do not accept Darwinian evolution it seems to me that that might be something to throw in there, you know, the old, &lsquo;some scientists say this, others disagree and think this,&rsquo; but that&rsquo;s not even allowed.&rdquo;</i>
To quote the great radio philosopher Joe Frank, &quot;Equal time for both points of view: we&#039;ve heard from the victim; now let&#039;s let the torturer have his say. Because both sides are equally valid.&quot;
Did either of the listeners to The Janet Mefferd Show call in with comments?
Once every 76 years.
No -- her parents both fell asleep...
It&#039;s also on Hulu, but with ads.
Newton ate a fig cookie.
<i>&ldquo;Boy, but when you have so many scientists who simply do not accept Darwinian evolution it seems to me that that might be something to throw in there, you know, the old, &lsquo;some scientists say this, others disagree and think this,&rsquo; but that&rsquo;s not even allowed.&rdquo;</i>
To quote the great radio philosopher Joe Frank, &quot;Equal time for both points of view: we&#039;ve heard from the victim; now let&#039;s let the torturer have his say. Because both sides are equally valid.&quot;
I was totally with Tyson until he dissed the grilled cheese sandwich.
You. Do. Not. Mess. with. the Cheese.
No love for Leibniz?
<i>criticize Cosmos for not providing airtime for Creationism adherents</i>
Much like &quot;700 Club&quot; provides air time for a discussion of science and evolution.
I consider Creationists plausible in the sense that they seem to exist in the same manner I seem to exist.
NdT really isn&#039;t particularly anti-religion - he&#039;s just pro-science. Seth McFarlane, on the other hand...
5. Fear itself.
<a href="http://www.cosmosontv.com" target="_blank">http://www.cosmosontv.com</a> also works
I further demand that weather reports give equal time to &quot;angels are bowling&quot; every time there&#039;s thunderstorms.
the Universal Sandbox is pretty damned cool. I may have to pony the $10 to unlock it.
If these people want to fly without Science, let them do it the old-fashioned way: They can get their angel wings after Breitbarting off.