Saturday, October 06, 2007

"There’s something to the broken record method."

When I first commented on Cornelia Dean's repetition of her editorial opinion in "news" articles ("there is no credible scientific challenge to the theory of evolution"), I joked about people reciting it as a blind faith inducing creed:
Come all ye who doubt Darwin: recite Cornelia's Creed every time such evil thoughts arise. It helps if you shut your eyes tight and only think about lots of animals having lots of sex for a very long time. Oh, and by all means, do not let a single thought about the actual fossil record enter your mind. Honest paleontologists are like wolves in sheep’s clothing to a devout disciple of Saint Charles.

I am feeling prophetic, because one blogger is suggesting something quite similar:

Annie Wagner may be tiring of the phrase, but I like that Cornelia Dean is doing this. There’s something to the broken record method. The more you repeat the phrase, the more people get used to hearing those words together.

Say it together now: There is no credible scientific challenge to the theory of evolution.


By the way, the title of his post suggests the repetition of an even simpler version.

The alternative is to stop quoting such a vague, simplistic, inaccurate platitude and look at the evidence and decide for yourself. But that is too much work for a lot of people. And some people, I am sure, are a wee bit afraid of what they will find. They would rather put their blind faith in the opinions of Richard Dawkins and Cornelia Dean.

1 Comments:

At October 08, 2007 11:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

this is off topic, but i wonder if you saw this and your thoughts on it?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21153898/

Ben

 

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