"Yes, you do. Science is not art or literature, where matters of opinion and interpretation count."
Really?
So there is no interpretation or opinion involved when deciding where fossils belong in the evolutionary tree?
It's non-subjective and completely agreed upon because these are data points which can be tested and re-tested, right?
If that's the case then there would be no difference of opinion among scientists and no need to revise parts of the tree from time to time.
Good points. The more you read about scientists, the more it seems they disagree on many points.
Fossils are classified according to particular objective criteria. The weight we give to criteria was controversial, but it's becoming less so, as we check those criteria against genetic sequences, where there are precise quantitative metrics of relatedness.
If that's the case then there would be no difference of opinion among scientists and no need to revise parts of the tree from time to time.
You're making the false assumption that because something is controversial, it must be subjective.
Really?
Yes, really.
So there is no interpretation or opinion involved when deciding where fossils belong in the evolutionary tree? It's non-subjective and completely agreed upon because these are data points which can be tested and re-tested, right?
You're missing the point. He's saying that in science, there are right answers and there are wrong answers. It's not like art or literature or politics, where subjectivity actually means something -- where opinions or preferences are legitimate reasons for disagreement. Science is based on objective reality -- there really *are* wrong answers, there really *are* answers that are objectively correct because they match reality, because they account for the facts, because they make the rocket actually reach the Moon instead of crash, etc.
Creationists often like to hand-wave away scientific conclusions as "that's just your opinion" or "well that's what you have faith in, mine's different" etc. No. There really *are* right and wrong answers in science, it's not just one man's opinion about what answer he "likes" or "prefers". Answers in science are not judged subjectively. They work or they don't. They match reality or they don't.