NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/talk/origins/14424

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-18 | 5.2 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!charon.amdahl.com!pacbell.com!lll-winken!si151a.llnl.gov!brinkman
From: [e-mail]
Newsgroups: talk.origins
Subject: An Offer for Kalki (was Re: Probability of Evolution)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 18 Nov 92 19:48:37 GMT
Sender: [e-mail]
Lines: 101
Nntp-Posting-Host: si151a.llnl.gov


   In article <70uDuB1w165w@kalki33> kalki33![e-mail]
writes...

>Good news, sob sisters! (Good news for some, anyway)

>The introduction and part of the first section of Chapter 5 are typed up
>and ready to post.

   This truly is good news.  For myself, your metaphysical ramblings
and ubiquitous non-sequiters are getting to be a bit much.

>Dr. Thompson is in Europe and will be back around the
>30th of November. His assistants say that he will most likely give us
>permission to reprint Chapter 5 of Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic
>Science in its entirety. By that time the rest of the chapter should be
>typed.

>We will post the chapter in sections, about 10k at a time, so that
>you prabhus have time to digest each part.

   "'Oh frabjuous day. Calloo Callay,' he chortled in his joy."  I, for one,
will hardly be able to contain myself until Dec. 1, 1992.

   BTW--all of us "prabhus" say, "Hi," to your tapeworm.    8^}

[Table of contents, deleted.]

   From the table of contents, if Thompson's book is not the work of a
crackpot, the book will be of high interest.  In fact, if Thompson's book is
the work of a COMPLETE crackpot, the humor value of the book may still be
worth the cost.  Not wanting to use my book-buying dollar on non-intentional
humor (when so many good humorists are out there), however, I have made it a
practice to only obtain crackpot books on the cheap (e.g., $.50 for V's
_Worlds in Collision_, $.10 for vD's _Chariots of the Gods_, $0 for G's
_Evolution?  The Fossils Say No_).

   So here's a deal, Kalki.  I will put aside $12 ($10 + $2 S&H) right this
minute for Thompson's book.  When you post the Intro and Chapter 5, we'll
run a little contest.  For every mistake in science in the sections posted,
I will subtract a quarter, and for every misquotation of another scientist I
will subtract a dollar (since dishonesty should be penalized much more than
mere stupidity).  At the end, I will send you whatever remains of my $12, and
you can send me the entire book.

   Now, I want to be fair here, Kalki.  Thus, I will set forth four further
stipulations.  1) The errors have to be germane to the argument Thompson is
advancing.  For example, if Thompson were to say that The Earth orbits the
sun once every two years, this would not count to my benefit, unless he then
uses this argument to attack evolution/abiogenesis.  2) No matter how many
errors are found, my set aside will never drop below $0, since you shouldn't
have to pay me for the book.  3) Since certain errors, once introduced, will
propogate like wildfire, I will set up a once-covers-all charge for those:

   a) Confusing abiogenesis with evolution--$2.00
   b) Neglecting natural selection--$2.50
   c) Misuse of the word random--$1.00
   d) Ignoring the stereochemical properties of atoms, molecules--$1.00
   e) Misuse of the second law of thermodynamics--$1.50
   f) Confusing a priori and a posteriori probabilities--$2.50
   g) Conflating information theoretic thermodynamics, with either
      statistical or classical thermodynamics in an incorrect manner--$2.00
   h) Unjustifiable argument via analogy--$.50
   i) Undefined words, or words defined in unjustifiably non-standard
      ways--$1.00
   j) Ignoring the importance of historicity in evolution/abiogenesis--$1.50

Finally, 4) If a passage from your posts, which appears to be incorrect,
references unposted passages from the book, you will be given the opportunity
to post the referred to passages.  Those passages, however, will also be fair
game for continuing the contest.  If you choose not to avail yourself of the
opportunity to post the relevant additional passages, the question goes in my
favor.

   How's that for a deal, Kalki?  If Thompson's book is as good as you say
it is, all the risk is mine.  I end up covering the entire cost of a book
which will shake my entire belief that I am right.  Heck, you can even buy
a brand new copy for yourself, and send me your old copy.  Jeepers, unless
Thompson manages to pack in a whopping 48 errors in the Intro and Chapter
5, you will have the chance to get a new copy of the book for less than
list price.  I just don't see how you can turn this offer down.*

   Kalki, if y'all will contact my people with emendments, amendments, requests
for explication and/or deletions to the offer as presented above, I am sure we
can work out all the details.  This can be a done deal before you start
posting the sections. It's just that simple.

>Kalki Dasa

* One could write some stuff about the only reason Kalki would turn down
  this deal is because he chicken--bwaack bwaack.  This type of insult,
  however, reflects only the childishness of the poster.  Thus, one will
  forbear.

P.S. Once the sections are posted, I will post the results of this challenge,
     regardless of whether its played for real (Kalki accepts) or just for
     fun (Kalki inexplicably declines).

--
Matt Brinkman
[e-mail]