Freethought & Rationalism Archive

butswana · 04-04-2002, 09:54 AM

<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020402075852.htm" target="_blank">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020402075852.htm</a>

Mageth · 04-04-2002, 10:01 AM

For one thing, they'll ignore or grossly misrepresent the following paragraph (particularly the highligted sentence):

Quote:

Uniformitarianism says canyons and valleys are formed over tens of thousands of years, not in a few hours by catastrophic floods. And this is largely true. But earth scientists now have shown that catastrophic superfloods do occur and the landscape transformed in a matter of hours.

I'm sure a typical cretinist cite will say something along the lines of "scientists say that all big canyons are formed by superfloods!"

Valentine Pontifex · 04-04-2002, 10:29 AM

I really am annoyed at this paragraph:

Quote:

First, there's uniformitarianism, which postulates that the landscape we see today was formed gradually by the everyday processes that we see around us. Uniformitarianism says canyons and valleys are formed over tens of thousands of years, not in a few hours by catastrophic floods. And this is largely true. But earth scientists now have shown that catastrophic superfloods do occur and the landscape transformed in a matter of hours. As evidence has mounted during the past few decades, the debate over this part of the controversy has waned.

This is really a common stereotype of uniformitarianism. No competent uniformitarian from Lyell to present denies that sometimes catastrophies happen in locallized areas of the Earth. Indeed Lyell, whose views defined uniformitarianism for a very long time, was willing to conceive that because the Great Lakes were considerably above sea level that an earthquake located at the right location might cause the contents of the Great Lakes to catastrophically drain to the sea washing out a considerable area in the process. And that is the guy who was supposed to have been one of the most doctrinaire uniformitarians in history.

Hastur · 04-05-2002, 10:26 AM

Geez. All you have to do is look at the badlands around Moses Lake, Wa. to see that.

04-04-2002, 09:54 AM	#1
butswana Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 1,804	What will the creationists do with this one? <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020402075852.htm" target="_blank">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020402075852.htm</a>

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

04-05-2002, 10:26 AM	#4
Hastur Regular Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Carcosa Posts: 238	Geez. All you have to do is look at the badlands around Moses Lake, Wa. to see that.

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.