More Duplicity From IDists (Shurely Not?)

[Calilasseia]

I don't know if anyone has read this piece from the RDF front page, but it's causing quite a stir on the RDF forums as well.

Dembski Makes Trolling Rationalist Websites An Exam Requirement

William Dembski has apparently launched a course at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (way to go for showing how "non-religious" ID is), and 20% of the marks are to be awarded for trolling rationalist websites with creotard. From Dembski's own website:

(3) provide at least 10 posts defending ID that you’ve made on “hostile” websites, the posts totalling 2,000 words, along with the URLs (i.e., web links) to each post (worth 20% of your grade).

So, the tools who signed up to take this travesty of a course (doubtless lining Dembski's pockets into the bargain) obtain twenty per cent of their exam marks by trolling rationalist websites, posting creotard screeds. Notice that they don't obtain ANY marks for reading the rebuttals and understanding why those rebuttals make a nonsense of ID.

So, if you find that Rationalia is suddenly visited by creotards posting shit in quantity, they're probably part of Dembski's class of future pieces of ideological cannon fodder.

[tattuchu]

You'd think he'd say, "successfully defend" ID.
Well, look at the bright side, Cali. Some of the trolls may find themselves enlightened despite their best intentions Look at it as an opportunity to educate. Assuming they'll actually read the responses anyway.

[RPizzle]

I think this should now be added to the questions when signing up for forum membership in RDF, except say 'swear to God?'

From the few that I've suspected on RDF of being part of this, the quality of posts were unexpectedly low. I mean, these guys are supposed to be post-grads working on Masters and Ph.D programs. They seem like slightly more well-read Poes. When your entire life is based on a empty assertions, I guess it is rather hard to make anything sound good.

They are wasting there one shot chasing an enigma. This thought just made me rather sad, consider they've spent the better part of a decade on this nonsense.

[Calilasseia]

Oh, you think any of them will bother to read the responses?

If you check out Dembski's own website devoted to this bastardisation of academia he calls a "course", you'll note that he explicitly instructs the students that they are limited to six books he prescribes for them in advance.

This is a fucking joke.

How many people, taking real academic subjects, were ever told by their lecturers to "limit themselves to prescribed texts"?

When I was studying mathematics back in the 1980s, I was deliberately exhorted to go out, and find whatever textbooks would be of most use in assisting my comprehension of the concepts covered in lectures. I was deliberately exhorted to read around the subject. I was told that a willingness to search the extant literature to alight upon new ways of thinking in the field was an ASSET. Likewise, I am pretty sure that every student who took a proper university-level course in the physical sciences was told the same.

I was told that the best mathematicians were those who learned to think for themselves, and devise innovative ways of using the tools provided to them in the lectures. I was told that original thinking, allied to due concern for rigour, was the hallmark of greatness in the field, and that the most illustrious names in the field exemplified this in their work. Could you imagine the likes of Euler or Gauss being told "you only need to limit yourself to these six books" in order to make progress as mathematicians?

It's manifestly obvious to anyone with a minimum of ten functioning brain cells what this "course" is all about. It's about preparing an army of ideological stormtroopers for doctrine, none of whom will be required to engage in genuine thinking for themselves, for the purpose of carpet bombing rationalist forums and overwhelming rationalist commentators by nothing other than sheer force of numbers. And, as part of the process of preparing this army, the key requirement is conformity to doctrine at all costs. Can't have the ideological cannon fodder questioning the edicts from the top.

[RPizzle]

Oh, you think any of them will bother to read the responses?

If you check out Dembski's own website devoted to this bastardisation of academia he calls a "course", you'll note that he explicitly instructs the students that they are limited to six books he prescribes for them in advance.

This is a fucking joke.

How many people, taking real academic subjects, were ever told by their lecturers to "limit themselves to prescribed texts"?

When I was studying mathematics back in the 1980s, I was deliberately exhorted to go out, and find whatever textbooks would be of most use in assisting my comprehension of the concepts covered in lectures. I was deliberately exhorted to read around the subject. I was told that a willingness to search the extant literature to alight upon new ways of thinking in the field was an ASSET. Likewise, I am pretty sure that every student who took a proper university-level course in the physical sciences was told the same.

I was told that the best mathematicians were those who learned to think for themselves, and devise innovative ways of using the tools provided to them in the lectures. I was told that original thinking, allied to due concern for rigour, was the hallmark of greatness in the field, and that the most illustrious names in the field exemplified this in their work. Could you imagine the likes of Euler or Gauss being told "you only need to limit yourself to these six books" in order to make progress as mathematicians?

It's manifestly obvious to anyone with a minimum of ten functioning brain cells what this "course" is all about. It's about preparing an army of ideological stormtroopers for doctrine, none of whom will be required to engage in genuine thinking for themselves, for the purpose of carpet bombing rationalist forums and overwhelming rationalist commentators by nothing other than sheer force of numbers. And, as part of the process of preparing this army, the key requirement is conformity to doctrine at all costs. Can't have the ideological cannon fodder questioning the edicts from the top.

This issue is one of the few which can set me into a cold controlled rage. I have said this before, but I really feel bad for the children of these folks who are going to end up brainwashed before they are even out of the crib. I live in a very conservative area, and I lucked out. However, I see drones all around me, everyday. To question is a crime against God. I honestly could give a damn less about any given Poe, but from my view the only thing that can be done is try to reason with them, so that maybe enough truth permeates their minds so that their kids don't end up as unthinking sacks of meat. Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic, but it burns me how this shit will just carry on with each generation.

[tattuchu]

I'm not sure why Cali is so upset. This is an opportunity to influence these poor benighted folks. And doesn't he live for this? He does seem to enjoy eviscerating these nonsense arguments.

[Rum]

Academic objectivity? My fat arse! One of the requirements of the first course described is to write to 'hostile' web sites refuting challenges to ID.

He can fuck right off the twat.

[Animavore]

I just laugh at them

[Gawdzilla Sama]

[Trolldor]

The simple fact is that religious education is a contradiction. You can have religious instruction, or religious indoctrination, but not religious education. To be educated about religion, on the other hand, would be Sociology, History, Science and so on. These people are essentially attending a glorified church which doubles as a diploma mill.

Religion - Getting workers ready for the factory line since invented.

[GenesForLife]

Never understood the idea of intelligent design...going by the number of extinct species which have been unable to sustain themselves/have become extinct , given all the illnesses that humans are prone to, bloody intelligent their designer must have been, hmph!

(and no wonder the 'tards can't explain why their omnipotent, omnipresent designer couldn't populate many more planets with species designed to fit particular environmental niches) So they must either accept evolution , or agree their god is powerless and that religion is a pile of la-la , and if not that, check themselves into the nearest asylum.

[Feck]

Will they come here Can we have some here Pweeeeeeease ! Dodos , flocks of them