Comments on: A Few More Thoughts on Francis Collins

By: matt

matt — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:42:15 +0000

beyond belief 2006 session 2

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1150978581009235713&ei=nM5YSuP6JJfSrQLgyYV3&q=beyone+belief+2006+session+2&hl=en

By: Aj

Aj — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:38:24 +0000

This formula [between the "unsolved" and the "unsolvable"] offers a convenient litmus test for where Collins falls on a variety of questions: If a given problem appears to be merely unsolved, then he’ll leave it to the realm of science; if, on the other hand, Collins deems a question to be unsolvable, it’s fair game for inclusion in a spiritual interpretation of the universe.

That seems to suggest he doesn’t care about what’s true, just that he doesn’t want to be proved wrong in the future. Although the question then becomes what does he find “unsolvable”. I think Darwin and Einstein showed us that predicting what’s “unsolvable” is folly. Neil Degrasse Tyson was a speaker at the Beyond Belief Conference 2006 and had many examples of scientists just stopping their progress because they explained something through God when they were really close to an important break through.

By: Peregrine

Peregrine — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:59:03 +0000

Overall, I think we should give the guy a chance. Believer or not, he’s only human. He will succeed based on his human skill and effort, and fail based on his human failings, just like anybody else.

Granted, I don’t agree with him on everything. I don’t agree with Richard Dawkins on everything either. Sometimes I don’t even agree with myself on some things.

But Collins isn’t going to use his post to prove god exists, and he knows as well as any of us that it’s foolhardy to try. In spite of his beliefs, or perhaps because of them, Collins will prove to be the man that he is. And part of that is a man of science, and that’s the part that he’s bringing to the job.

It could be worse, you know. We’re stuck with Gary Goodyear until at least September.