The Coulter Hoax: How Ann Coulter Exposed the Intelligent Design Movement

Talk Reason (from Skeptical Inquirer) ^ | March 14, 2007 | Peter Olofsson

[EveningStar]

In the summer of 2006, I heard that a new book called Godless presented an insightful and devastating criticism of the theory of evolution. Although I learned that its author, Ann Coulter, is not a scientist but a lawyer turned author and TV pundit, she nevertheless appeared to be an intelligent and well-educated person, so I started reading. At first I was puzzled. There did not seem to be anything new; only tired and outdated antievolution arguments involving moths, finches, and fruit flies. But it wasn't until Coulter dusted off the old Piltdown man story that I suddenly realized: it was a hoax! And it was brilliant...

[Hacksaw]

If they can't come up with strawman definitions of evolution what will they do?

Start spamming threads with the same cut and pastes over and over again?

[Cacique]

btt

[Sam Hill]

I was really wondering about the moderation, and why news article get knocked out of the news section, and non-news articles don't.

But I dasn't address any questions to the moderators, lest I risk being told to STFU.

[Christopher Lincoln]

I gather that this is itself sarcasm. But the author makes a good point. Coulter devotes roughly half of Godless to the subject of evolution, and as a criticism of evolution it is so pathetic that it might as well be a conscious hoax. Coulter's discussion of the Scopes trial is quite good, but irrelevant to the main question.

[Disambiguator]

I think Dr. Peter Olofsson has been living in his academic bubble way to long

"It says, Moops".

;^)

[EveningStar]

I suppose it depends upon which mod is on duty at a given time.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

The West spent the last 500 years developing and teaching by the scientific method. Islam spent that last 500 years teaching religion in schools. Enough said.

Two falsehoods. I am old enough to remember when children would sing Christmas Carols and Easter songs in public school. That was not 500 years ago. Religion was not spit upon as allowed by today's athiests.

I also have a problem qualifying throat-cutters as followers of God, the essential basis of Western religion. The cutthroat Barbary pirates were practicing theft and slavery in the name of Allah. Can one imagine a God who would approve of such behavior?

[CyberAnt]

You assumed correctly 8^)

[EveningStar]

I'm not sure I understand the question. Who is my counterpart?

The guy with the opposing view ping list.

[Ichneumon]

[Sorry, that happens not to be the case.
Here is a nice link for the lurkers: Index of Creationist Claims.]

Here are some better links for the thinkers. http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/qa.asp http://www.icr.org/

They're hardly "better links", but it is better for "the thinkers" to have your links handy as endless concrete examples of the various creationist fallacies, falsehoods, and propaganda talking points documented in Coyoteman's Index of Creationist Claims link.

I have long found AiG and ICR to be prime sources for that kind of blatant BS, and I have repeatedly debunked a lot of their dishonest material myself, such as here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and so on. You should also check out, for just one site out of many which have taken on the never-ending task of keeping up with ICR's and AiG's gross misrepresentations: Articles examining the claims of 'Answers in Genesis'

If you think there's anything critical of evolutionary biology left at Aig/ICR which actually stands up to examination and hasn't already been dismantled by the links provided, feel free to provide what you think are your 2-3 *best* examples, and I'll be glad to go over them for you.

[Coyoteman]

The guy with the opposing view ping list.

PatrickHenry used to have a pro-science evolution ping list of nearly 400 names, but he became disgusted with the level of discourse on this site and stopped both posting scientific articles and comments.

After about two months of not posting, he was inexplicably banned.

[andysandmikesmom]

Would you be referring to PatrickHenry as Daves counterpart...PH was banned...tho why is a mystery...he had not posted a thing for over two months, and then all of a sudden he wound up banned..neither he, nor many other posters ever really undertood this...but there you have it...PatrickHenry is no more on this site...

[upsdriver]

"Ann also has said that the best way to deal with Islam is to turn them into Christians."

Makes total sense to me!!

[andysandmikesmom]

Oh, just a swell post, Dave...so I am a trouble maker, and one of the usual suspect, who still haunt this site...Boo...

[Central Scrutiniser]

GRAVITY IS NOT A SCIENCE .. IT'S A THEORY!!

You conveniently ignore that the science that goes into evolution, do you think it was just discovered someday written on a plate somewhere?

[highlander_UW]

my point was that you utilized a faulty definition from a adversary of ID for the definition of ID. If that's too subtle for you I apologize. Opposing views, of course, can and must examine the validity of other views...but did you consider, perhaps for just a moment, to take a definition FROM ID advocates as to what ID is?

[highlander_UW]

I don't normally bother myself with this area on the board, but I was quickly coming to that conclusion. I'm not looking to argue any view, I was just pointing out what is apparently an area of hypocrisy of his.