|
filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 08/08/2007 : 03:21:51
|
“Quote-mining” is the act of selectively going through the writings or speech of someone authoritative in some field of endeavor and picking out bits & pieces that might support an opposing point of view; the fact that these bits and pieces are always out of their original context not withstanding.
Politicians and the corporate media do it all the time, indeed so commonly that we won't bother with them due to sheer ennui. Of interest to us are the creationist quote miners due to their determined and endless attempts to discredit science and replace it with metaphysical blather.
Here is a very good article on the subject. They wrote it, so I don't have to.
One frequent creationist poster to the talk.origins newsgroup produced a long list of what he dubbed "Famous quotes from famous evolutionists" [1]. It was not hard to discover that the list was taken, almost verbatim, from a creationist site called "Anointed-One.Net", where the list is called "Quotes by Famous Evolutionists." Lists like this, presented with little or no context except for vague claims that they somehow "disprove" evolution, are common among creationists. Indeed, entire books of these quotes have been published [2].
For a number of reasons, the posting of this list was illustrative of a persistent and basically dishonest practice, frequently engaged in by creationists, that has become known as "quote-mining." While the etymology of this term is obscure [3], the definition is clear enough. It is the use of a (usually short) passage, taken from the work of an authority in some field, "which superficially appears to support one's position, but [from which] significant context is omitted and contrary evidence is conveniently ignored" [4].
|
But let‘s look at one of the top guns, now retired, of this blatant dishonesty: Henry Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research. He can show us how it works first hand. We will use this article as an example: The Scientific Case against Evolution.
One will also note that there is no small amount of Argumentum ad Ignorantam laced through it.
Belief in evolution is a remarkable phenomenon. It is a belief passionately defended by the scientific establishment, despite the lack of any observable scientific evidence for macroevolution (that is, evolution from one distinct kind of organism into another). This odd situation is briefly documented here by citing recent statements from leading evolutionists admitting their lack of proof. These statements inadvertently show that evolution on any significant scale does not occur at present, and never happened in the past, and could never happen at all.
Evolution Is Not Happening Now
First of all, the lack of a case for evolution is clear from the fact that no one has ever seen it happen. If it were a real process, evolution should still be occurring, and there should be many "transitional" forms that we could observe. What we see instead, of course, is an array of distinct "kinds" of plants and animals with many varieties within each kind, but with very clear and — apparently — unbridgeable gaps between the kinds. That is, for example, there are many varieties of dogs and many varieties of cats, but no "dats" or "cogs." Such variation is often called micro
|
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
|
Edited by - filthy on 08/08/2007 03:23:05
|
|
|
HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 03:54:46 [Permalink]
|
Thanks much for another great post, Fil!
Morris is too slick by half. My guess is that he's a "Sly Manipulator" in my classification scheme, though there's an outside chance he's a "Pious Liar," instead. I'm sure he knows he's telling whoppers. His manipulations and deceptions are too deliberate and planned to be anything but conscious lying.
|
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 08/08/2007 03:57:10 |
 |
|
|
filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 08/08/2007 : 05:28:35 [Permalink]
|
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Thanks much for another great post, Fil!
Morris is too slick by half. My guess is that he's a "Sly Manipulator" in my classification scheme, though there's an outside chance he's a "Pious Liar," instead. I'm sure he knows he's telling whoppers. His manipulations and deceptions are too deliberate and planned to be anything but conscious lying.
|
Our current batch of well-known creationists didn't invent quote mining, but they have raised it almost to an art form.
But the thing is, they just keep saying the same things over & over, giving the same fraudulent references in each instance. I'd like to have a dollar for every time Stephen J. Gould has been quoted out of context. I'd not be eating fois grase & caviar from the proceeds, but I'd have plenty of roe & goose liver.
|
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Quote mining: the last refuge of a Creationist.
