Letters - Wednesday

PhDs and weird science

(Re: “Is science denial intellectually honest in our modern world”, editorial page, Nov. 19). John Horner may teach psychology at Colorado College, but I believe that he would benefit from joining my seventh-grade son’s logic class so that he might be instructed in logical fallacies. The editorial page is fertile ground for that class. Not a day goes by that lists of logical fallacies can’t be found in both letters and editorials.

Horner recommends that if you don’t believe in Darwinism that you should give up your cell phone and Lipitor, as if science is a monolithic power that dumps in data at one end and dispenses truth at the other. There is no logical connection between the science that produces, say, a GPS and science that claims that all you see created itself, organized itself and became aware of itself by accident.

Science is as full of fraud, bias, stupidity, ignorance, greed and prejudice as the rest of life. Just follow medical science for a few years and you will be dumbfounded at what people accept as truth from the latest study.

I do agree with his statement that “many people,” including psych professors, “have Ph.Ds after their name and are willing to say almost anything to be in the public eye.”

Douglas Hammerstrom, MD, Colorado Springs

Doubts not denial of science

In response to John Horner’s article (“Is science denial intellectually honest in our modern world,” editorial page, Nov. 19): Doubts about the theory of evolution are not denial of science. There are creationists and intelligent design advocates who not only have Ph.Ds but also field and lab experience. There are creationists who used to be evolutionists and who abandoned the theory for scientific reasons, not due to a religious conversion. Like most creationists, I believe in natural selection and other observable factors but the belief that life arose from chemicals by chance has not been proved by the scientific method, Louis Pasteur disproved the theory of spontaneous generation and the Miller experiment was a failure, not a success. Dr. Miller’s experiment only produced amino acids, not life, and the results were accomplished in an artificial environment unlike the primordial soup evolutionists believe in. It can also be argued that natural selection prevents progressive evolution from taking place: it is the average animal that thrives, freaks (transitional forms) are culled out by natural selection factors. Also, there is no connection between Darwin’s theories and modern technology, in most cases technological breakthroughs come from the study of physics, not evolutionary biology. People can doubt evolution and still appreciate their cell phones and computers.

Steve Stuart, Colorado Springs

Stormwater and hot potatoes

I am mystified as to how the matter of delinquent stormwater fees can become a political issue (re: “Delinquent stormwater fees a political hot potato in clerk’s race,” Nov. 17) for either Sandra Damron, current County Treasurer, or Wayne Williams, current County Commissioner, both of whom intend to run for County Clerk and Recorder in next year’s election. Both jobs are essentially administrative rather than legislative, and neither office has a vote in City Council or County Commission. Therefore — regardless of their personal opinions, political persuasions or how this issue is ultimately resolved — the question of placing overdue balances on the tax statements of the offending property owners will be decided not by Ms. Damron while she is Treasurer, but will be implemented by her only if she is mandated to do so.

In other words, wherever you come down on the subject, there’s no point in shooting the messenger any more than you would blame the letter carrier for the price of stamps. In attempting to draw Ms. Damron into the pot of hot potatoes, reporter Daniel Chacon has misfired. The idea that this topic might create a political problem for the County Treasurer in her campaign for the other administrative office is ludicrous. Could Mr. Chacon be trying to create political tension out of whole cloth on behalf of Mr. Williams?

Judith Kramer, Colorado Springs