02.08.10

Fake paradigm shift in action

Posted in Evolution at 4:46 pm by nemo

Evolution – the Extended Synthesis
Edited by Massimo Pigliucci and Gerd B. Müller

We already commented on this today: this is apparently the book promised by the Altenberg 16 conference (almost two years ago!) and, while it looks interesting, I have very little faith that these so-called dissenters from Darwinism are going to really do anything more than jawbone a compliant (and intimidated) public into just enough verbiage to make it look like something has changed.
What a disappointment, after covering this story for two years. I should note that the effort to do so has shown me a few things, among them the priestly snobbery of the scientific assholes who think it their right and duty to enforce reductionist scientism on humanity. I fear the Altenberg 16 are in the same class (try communicating with such people, almost impossible. You must be part of the in-group to even exchange an email with such types. That’s a sign they are afraid of dissenters, and of the wish to talk remotely to a public made to submit)
Don’t let it happen that another ‘Paradigm’ gets enforced on the subject of evolution (and that certainly includes the Intelligent Design junk )
Call the bluff of these ‘scientists’: they have no real understanding of what evolution is, let alone how it works.

The reason for my frustration is the realization that those trained in science and part of the science establishment will never be able to break out of their mindset.
Consider the issue of the fact/value distinction. All the king’s horses and all the king’s scientists are unable to produce a theory of evolution that does justice to this distinction. So we will get another false set of mechanical explanations which fail to grapple with the deep mystery of evolution and the way that it generates the immensity field of life.
Further, none of the real problems with the evolution discourse will reach public discourse, issues such as Social Darwinism, ideology and theory, economic propaganda disguised as evolution, etc, etc,…

I always point to the eonic effect as a snapshot of what the real problem is and what is required for a true theory of evolution, beyond the primitive junk that passes for evolutionary theory.
Check it out: it is not another theory, but a look at the endresult of evolution turning into human history. It shows us what a real theory must do, and that is beyond the capacity of current science.
And, as noted, science now in motion can’t address the simplest task, the fact/value distinction. That this prevents any theory at all is quite forgotten.
Don’t fall for the science snowjob on evolution. This pack of wannabes holds a weak deuce behind the science bluff. Evolution is a complex mystery, and not even properly observed.
The idea of an Extended Synthesis suggests the establishment is going to substitute FACTOR X for natural selection (self-organization is one candidate), and call that a paradigm shift. It is just a change of terminology, in the same way that ‘intelligent design’ is a change of terminology. Note how you can often simply substitute the terms into the same paragraphs. Self-organization, intelligent design, to replace natural selection in the bullshitters routines called evolutionary theory.
Such a statement is a little unfair. After all, self-organization is a valid idea attempting to move beyond random chance to provide a ‘force of evolution’. So we can remain open here even as we stand back entirely suspicious, since the real fundamentals are always being extracted out of explanation in the name of science.
Anyway, this book will be worth reading. But let’s not let another con job get put over on us.
Darwinism was a con job, please. That’s all it was.

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