Well here you go. A man who had to have had many biology classes in order to earn his M.D. degree actually said this:
Possible Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson suggested over the weekend that religion was necessary for testing scientific theories because the science could be “propaganda.”
Here's his quote:
"I find, a very good measure of correlation between my religious beliefs and my scientific beliefs — people say, how can you be a scientist, how can you be a surgeon if you don’t believe in certain things?” he continued. “Maybe those things aren’t scientific. Maybe it’s just propaganda.”
Hmmmm. Interesting. Biology could be propaganda?
I wouldn't let this man near anyone in my family. He's nuts.
Also, this guy. One of my heroes. No. I guess I shouldn't say heroes. That demeans him. He was a scientist who respected rationality and who expected us to accept rationality over mysticism.
8 comments:
He's gonna regret this. It creates a perfect opening for the media to give him the Scott Walker treatment by asking him if he believes in evolution -- and more.
Are the talking snake and the woman made from a rib examples of the religious beliefs that correlate so well with his scientific beliefs? Or maybe he doesn't literally believe in those things? If so, he's going against his own rule by using science to test religion, since it's only via science that we know those stories are mythical.
With his education, I suspect he actually knows better, just as Walker probably does know evolution is a fact. But to appeal to Republican primary voters, you have to hide away any sanity you possess like an embarrassing secret.
"I find, a very good measure of correlation between my religious beliefs and my scientific beliefs ..."
Someone should get him talking about young earth theory.
This guy is strictly a side show. His shelf life is nearly up.
Worry that Scott Walker has time to polish his act. There's the danger.
This in from Digby recently ...
[T]he candidate who aroused the most intense enthusiasm was Ben Carson. Evan, a 17-year old proudly wearing a "Run Ben Run" sticker on his lapel, was effusive in his praise. "He's not run by lobbyists," he said. "His policies are going to be what he believes in…he has integrity." A group of college students relaxing on couches in the expo hall agreed that if the GOP wants to win in 2016, Carson needs to be a factor. "I love Ben," said Blake, a college student from Illinois. Carson is, he said, "the Ben Franklin of our time." Others in the circle agreed: "Ben Carson is almost too smart" for the American voters to truly understand him, another student said. An idea began to form: what about Carson as VP, and Walker as president? The group howled in approval: "Yaaaass!"
[...]
"This is my first time here," said a 20-year-old College Republican. "But I heard it's easier to get laid at CPAC than on spring break."
... too smart for us to understand. I need a highball.
But to appeal to Republican primary voters, you have to hide away any sanity you possess like an embarrassing secret.
Grab the fundies and undereducated, lose the rest. Hopefully they don't comprise a majority.
BTW, my money is on he knows better.
Regarding Science Sunday, I prefer to wonder aloud about this... is it possible that the GOP believes in climate change, but does not believe we can make much of a difference now, so why expend the capital necessary?
Can someone reasonably believe the climate is changing, and agree with science, but not agree on the fix?
It seems to me that the entire line of thinking on this has come to mean the following...
The planet is warming and we need to change how we live to fix it, costing tons of money.
Is there any chance that we could spend all that money, and still not make a whiff of difference, as it may already be too late?
Shaw, if you want, you can put this on the other thread...
d.
I used to go to a republican bar now and then. I told em whatever shit they wanted to hear and never had to buy a round. Dr. Ben just wanted free drinks. There was talk of running me for something til my slip about not taking The Bible too literally. I guess the republicans wanted slavery back or something.
Good to see ya here Joe. I gotta take a run over to Mike's and check out more of your wit.
Dave: is it possible that the GOP believes in climate change, but does not believe we can make much of a difference now, so why expend the capital necessary?
If they believe that, why not just say so, rather than taking the far less plausible position that the problem doesn't exist?
I think a lot of them do know it's real, but expect that the worst damage will not occur until long after they are gone (or that rich people like themselves will be able to shield themselves from the worst effects), while in the here-and-now they're getting money from the fossil-fuel industry for lying about the issue.
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