'Wedge document' calls for science revision

[struggle4progress]

Witness wrote book criticizing group's strategy
Sunday, October 23, 2005
BY BILL SULON Of The Patriot-News

The Discovery Institute, a leading proponent of intelligent design, "seeks nothing less than the overthrow of materialism and its cultural legacies." <snip>

Instead, the statement is part of the Discovery Institute's "wedge document," which has a five-year goal of making intelligent design "an accepted alternative in the sciences" and a 20-year objective of making "intelligent design theory ... the dominant perspective in science." <snip>

In testimony at the trial this month, Forrest said the strategy, written by "members of the intelligent design movement," is "a tactical document" in which "they outline their goals and their activities." <snip>

After the document surfaced, The Discovery Institute's Center for Renewal of Science and Culture issued a release calling it "an early fundraising proposal" that has become "a giant urban legend." <snip>

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1130059267258190.xml&coll=1

[spindrifter]

1. I don't get

why anyone would even have as an objective making ID an accepted alternative in science or the dominant perspective in science. Where does that get these people? Will they fund a Nobel prize for religious developments?

[struggle4progress]

4. They're stuck intellectually at a certain Piaget level. eom

[rman]

6. Where it gets these people:

As they themselves say: "the overthrow of materialism and its cultural legacies."

They associate science with materialism, suggest that materialism is bad and must be overthrown- what they don't but what they do imply is that science has got to go. Rational thought has got to go. Imagine how easy it is to manipulate a society where rational thought is mostly absent.

For starters, they try and blur the distinction between "scientific theory" and "idea", as testified by this quote:

"As a scientist, I'd like to say that the currently accepted scientific theory is evolution. But, some competing ideas have been proposed, such as ID and FSMism, and discussion to include one should include the other, as these ideas are equally valid."
-- Mark Zurbuchen, Ph.D.


It's pseudo science with a cultural and political agenda, and with a long term plan and large funds to back it up.

[Union Thug]

2. It's this kind of rubbish that turns me into an anti-religion, ban it all

zealot. Truly, I respect SOME relgious people, but the kind of brain-dead, half-witted, too-chickenshit to accept death as a fact of life, fantasy worlders who promote their ghost stories and fairy tales as fact and who want to force it on everyone else, make me want to drive religion out of society once and for all. These backwards medievalists are a roadblock to human and social progress. If they were all to turn to dust this very instance I would say, 'good riddance...'

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[BlueEyedSon]

3. Everyone knows the world was created by the FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER

"As a scientist, I'd like to say that the currently accepted scientific theory is evolution. But, some competing ideas have been proposed, such as ID and FSMism, and discussion to include one should include the other, as these ideas are equally valid."
-- Mark Zurbuchen, Ph.D.

[northzax]

5. excellent, I welcome this

really. I can give you one simple way to make ID an accepted theory in the scientific community. Take all that money you spend on marketing and get a paper published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. That's how scientific revolutions start. Publish or perish, baby.