Rebel with a Cause: The Optimistic Scientist

Freeman Dyson: My optimism about the long-term survival of life comes mainly from imagining what will happen when life escapes from this planet and becomes adapted to living in vacuum. There is then no real barrier to stop life from spreading through the universe. Hopping from one world to another will be about as easy as hopping from one island in the Pacific to another. And then life will diversify to fill the infinite variety of ecological niches in the universe, as it has done already on this planet.

Concerning the climate models, I know enough of the details to be sure that they are unreliable. They are full of fudge factors that are fitted to the existing climate, so the models more or less agree with the observed data. But there is no reason to believe that the same fudge factors would give the right behavior in a world with different chemistry, for example in a world with increased CO2 in the atmosphere.

Yes, the western academic world is very much like Weimar Germany, finding itself in a situation of losing power and influence. Fortunately, the countries that matter now are China and India, and the Chinese and Indian experts do not share the mood of doom and gloom. It is amusing to see China and India take on today the role that America took in the nineteen-thirties, still believing in technology as the key to a better life for everyone.

Thanks.

It certainly was a grand article.

Not sure quite how I feel in summary.

I think evolution is trash and even the globalist elites know it and are preparing to proffer another explanation—panspermia—which will be at least as foolish in a lot of respects.

I think his comments about the religioin of science were quite apt.

Certainly his optimism is delightful though I’m not sure how built on a solid foundation it is. Were his optimism based on God Almighty—I’d agree with him.

But between now and that optimistic future, literally all hell will break loose all over the globe. The only refuge will be in the arms of God Almighty.

Difference 'tween us ... I don't confuse evolutionary theory with scientists who conclude that it "proves" the non-existence of God. They are two very different issues. Just because a some atheist scientists say evolution disproves God is no reason to reject evolution.

Except for a literal interpretation of Genesis (which I think is foolishness that must make God smile), nothing in evolution negates God nor His commandments nor Jesus's teachings; indeed, I have argued many times on these boards that in a significant philosophical sense, evolution very much confirms the wisdom and vision of God's rules. Evolution IS "intelligent design" that goes beyond our worldly plane and into our spiritual plane and it is very, very much consistent with what God requires from us in order to thrive and create His kingdom whereever we go.

But that's coming from a place that has a very core understanding of evolution, which most regular folks, and certainly the vast majority of people who deny evolution, do not have AT ALL. They completely misunderstand it, very much the same way that so many people completely misunderstand basic economics (leading to a situation where people cannot grasp that raising the minimum wage makes zero sense). Fortunately for me, I learned about evolution through many books (non-political ones) with an open mind and full belief in God and huge joy at learning about the truly wondrous ways He works His miracles.

God is Truth, Quix. When I am asked to deny Truth in order to embrace God, then I become suspicious of the hand of the Devil involved. Christians who have climbed aboard the anti-evolution bandwagon are unwitting tools of the Devil, very much akin to non-Christians who have climbed aboard the man-caused-global-warming bandwagon. Both bandwagons are fueled by deception, ignorance, and gullibility.

Most important of all, is that if Christians REALLY want to understand the TRUTH as to why man-caused global climate change is such a ridiculous hoax, they must acknowledge truths that make the pride-filled, close-minded ones uncomfortable -- such as the idea that the earth is about 5.5 billion years old and has been home to many millions of species now extinct. As it is, much strife, evil, and horror arises from engaging in denial of truth. Of course! What do we expect will happen -- good things when we deny the truth we have discovered with the talents that God has given us?

I pray, Quix, that you will have enough faith and trust in God to trust His means, and enough fortitude to recognize deception and evil when it's disguised as divinely-inspired (doesn't the bible warn us many times how good the Devil is at disguising himself?). Evolution is sensible, logical, and supported by physical evidence; because I know this, and because I believe so deepy in God, I can ONLY view the anti-evolution movement as wicked and the Chistians who buy into it, dupes of a well-disguised Satan.

Used to have that perspective.

I’m not a young earth person. I believe earth has been recycled countless times, so to speak.

I just don’t see evolution remotely plausible to the extreme maximum degree-based on the evidence.

I believe 100% that if one programmed a massive computer with even-handed basic logic and all the observed data, the computer would essentially declare that evolution was impossible to the extreme.

I think it’s a hoax perpetrated by the enemy. But, I think he’s going to trade it in on a more useful hoax now that he’s gotten his money’s worth out of it for a lot of decades.

I don’t care to argue the evidence or particulars. It’s boring and tedious to me. There are a plenty of good articles by some top flight secular scientists to that effect.

Thanks for your kind reply.

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