There was an interesting editorial in the October 1 New York Times by Kenneth Woodward that essentially suggests religious believers should accept evolution as explanatory of everything but ultimate questions of causation concerning origins. I’m glad to see a NY Times editorial that doesn’t bash religion, but unfortunately Woodward’s arguments are confusing and confused.
There’s a debate raging in the U.S. about teaching “intelligent design” in schools. Although I find ID promising, I’m not sure ID is ready for the public schoolhouse yet, and I’m even less sure that it’s good stewardship to spend resources on litigation and lobbying to force ID into the public school curriculum. Regardless, the nastiness of the debate is startling. Take a look for example at a recent post on Evangelical Outpost and the resulting comments, in which yours truly is called an “illiterate moron,” a “pathological liar,” “deluded,” and “dopderdoink,” among other things (by one of the commenters, not by the site’s proprietor, who is sympathetic to ID). The same guy also suggested I “engage in something called self-reflection for the first time in many years,” which is particularly amusing if you know me at all (a lack of painful introspection, most definitely, is not one of my problems).
The ID debate seems to illutrate the tenacity of scientific paradigms. The tenacity of a paradigm seems for many to correlate with its inherent merit. That doesn’t square with history. Every scientific theory we now reject — from heliocentrism to Netwonian science — was held tenaciously in its day.
I’m also interested in the tenacity with which many people on the anti-ID side of the debate seem to hold a particular theory about theories — that is, the theory that Popper’s falsifiability criterion is the sine qua non of “science.” I’ve begun reading Imre Lakatos, and I think this rings true: “[i]s, then, Popper’s falsifiability criterion the solution to the problem of demarcating science from pseudoscience? No. For Popper’s criterion ignores the remarkable tenacity of scientific theories. Scientists have thick skins. They do not abandon a theory merely because the facts contradict it.” (Lakatos, “Science & Psudoscience,” in “The Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes” (Cambridge 1978, Vol. 1)), at p. 4.) In the same essay, Lakatos states that “As opposed to Popper the methodology of scientific research programmes does not offer instant rationality. One must treat budding programmes leniently: programmes may take decades before they get off the ground and become empirically progressive.” (Ibid. at p. 6.)
It’s fascinating, and frustrating, to observe the vehemence with which some oppose ID on supposedly objective grounds. As Kuhn and later Lakatos demonstrated, those grounds aren’t in any event objective, but any pretense of objectivity is abandoned by some when a new theory relating to natural history proposes some intelligent agency.
With the introduction of Dreamweaver 8, Macromedia is making it easier than ever to integrate RSS feeds into your blog and webpage content. I’ll shortly be unveiling a “Technology Law and Policy” page utilizing the technology. For now, if you’re interested in some government RSS feeds, check out this really cool site.
When you have the following exhange with your 7-year-old:
Child: What are you doing, dad?
Me: Shaving.
Child: Since when do you shave during the week?
Joe Carter posted some great thoughts this week about blogging and influence. I’d apply the same principles to podcasting, and indeed to just about any leadership activity. I fall prey regularly to the “big influence” fallacy — the idea that the only kind of influence that matters is that which gets recorded in history books. Most of us, myself included, likely will never wield that kind of influence. Yet, every day, we interact with people who need a word of encouragement, a song, a poem, an admonition, a bit of perspective, a prayer, a thought from scripture. These interactions don’t usually make the history books, but they matter. They are, in fact, what life is mostly about: everyday love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. The everyday transformation we experience through the Holy Spirit, cumulating to something marvelous, the very workmanship of God.
I’m pleased to announced that the Through a Glass Darkly Podcast #2 is “in the can.” This is part one of a two-part interview with Jeff Kursonis, a church planter who is starting a unique church called Communion of the Arts in New York City. Go to my show notes page for a link to the file and more information. Or, better yet, grab the podcast RSS Feed.
Within the faith blogsphere, there’s been some backlash against negative media coverage of the response to Hurricane Katrina. There’s a poignant post at Razorkiss — the author lives in Gulfport, ground zero — summing up some of that frustration; my buddy Jeff at Dawn Treader picks up the theme.
These criticisms of the national television media, I think, are probably largely right. They (the national media, not my blogging buddies) are sharks, and care mostly about ratings. Yet, I’m a little concerned that we as Christians don’t sugar-coat the political and racial issues that do underlie this tragedy.
Olive Oil, Garlic, Plum Tomatoes sun-red-ripe;
Chipotles in adobo, cilantro whispy green;
Grilled tuna steaks, carmelized cross-hatched and pink-bellied;
Chardonnay, crisp, bold (to make glad the heart of man!);
Deckside chairs, a candle, crackling fire pit,
Black dog quiet at my feet,
At my side my love, my heart, wife of my youth,
While twig smoke, toasted oaks and chilies fill my soul.
My daughter had a sleep-over last night and I cooked the girls pancakes this morning. In a flash of inspiration, this song came to me. This is to the tune of “Deep and Wide,” which you will know if you’ve ever attended Sunday School, Children’s Church or Vacation Bible School:
Flat and round, flat and round, there’s a pancake cooking flat and round;
Flat and round, flat and round, there’s a pancake cooking flat and round.
Upon hearing this, my seven-year-old son promptly made up his own song to the tune of “Deep and Wide”:
My dad is dumb, my dad is dumb, my dad is very, very dumb;
My dad is dumb, my dad is dumb, my dad is very, very dumb
I hereby grant a Creative Commons license to anyone who wishes to use these songs. 🙂
I’m happy to release the first edition of the Through a Glass Darkly podcast. Visit my podcast page to see the show notes and retrieve the MP3 file. And, subscribe to my podcast feed: http://www.davidopderbeck.com/tgdpodcast.xml (Note that this feed is distinct from the TGD Blog feed.)
The TGD podcast is a work in progress — the first episode is basically just me rambling about some thoughts I had during vacation. It’s kind of boring, I admit, but I’m getting a handle on how to set this up on the technology side. I plan to do some interesting interviews soon, and I also hope to set up a regular Skype conference for the podcast with other faith bloggers. If you have any ideas for interviews, or if you’d like to participate in a Skype conference for the podcast, please let me know. Meanwhile, load up your iPod, MP3 player, or computer, and enjoy!