Richard,
I respect Sam's right to idioticy, however I do no respect his argument to make us fellow passengers on that boat. It is fine to hold beliefs that one sincerely believes (e.g., the full literacy of the Bible), however when one wishes to pass off their beliefs as rational, then this requires a certain standard. Fitting hundreds of species of the dinosaur families on the Ark does not meet this standard.
I also do consider Sam a troll since he isn't interested in science, but rather he obviously knows that he is acting as a troll or why would he cite so many irrational arguments over and over again? This is not anything similar to the arguments presented by others who display faulty reasoning (e.g., Alan), rather this is a whole different arena where the level of argumentation is at the level of ridiculousness. Either Sam has absolutely lost his grip on reality, or he is simply being dishonest as Mike has suggested.
Maybe you are right. Maybe Sam is so brainwashed by the teachings of those around him that he cannot possibly recognize a rational argument if it hit him like a rock dropping from the sky. Personally, I find that hard to believe. Rather, my take on it is that Sam knows that he is presenting irrational arguments but also knows that a heavyweight fighter doesn't have to be all that good to up against a first class heavyweight if all they do is tie up the first class fighter in the ropes. Sam's strategy, I think, is to tie us up in the ropes, use that stalemate-type situation to make it appear that he is either winning or arguing equally, and then promote his version of Christianity as a result ("witnessing" - go figure).
Well, tying up scientific discussions in the ropes knowing full well that this is your strategy is troll-ism. Sam is a troll.
Even more respectfully, Harv |