Coyne: AAAS and Swamidass in WIRED Article

[nwrickert (Neil Rickert)]

@BillyJoe

I have been banned from commenting there

Welcome to the club. In my opinion, Coyne is far too hasty in banning people.

[Djordje]

@nwrickert

Welcome to the club.

Wait, he banned you too? Why?

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@BillyJoe.

@BillyJoe

I see you have been silenced at Jerry Coyne’s blog. Of course he can do whatever he likes on his blog, but to write a post criticising someone and then limit their ability to respond is bordering on the “authoritarian leftism” that he so often criticises.

He did not ban me, per se. He just asked me not to post so much. He might want more of a response now.

@BillyJoe

Disclaimer: although I agree with a lot of what he says on many topics, I have been banned from commenting there firstly for unintentionally insulting him (my fault - it was a joke that misfired),

Well just don’t insult me here and we will be fine .

Honestly, we have a lot of people here of a wide range of views. I’m sure you will fit in just fine. Welcome.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

He did not ban me, per se. He just asked me not to post so much. He might want more of a response now.

You been limited. No he does not want more of a response. You already said too much. Can’t you just be a working scientist who happens to be Christian? There is a lot of work to do in science and we need scientists like you to help solve real problems. This GA stuff is really a waste of your talents. Do science and educate the public about science. Talk to kids, students about science. Inspire them to go into science careers.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

He actually invited me back, but I declined. I don’t want to give the impression that he banned me. He did not.

@Patrick

This GA stuff is really a waste of your talents.

The GA stuff is temporary. After this book, I won’t have to put nearly as much energy into it. Other people will take it forward.

@Patrick

Do science and educate the public about science. Talk to kids, students about science. Inspire them to go into science careers.

That is my focus, and where the bulk of my efforts go.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

The GA stuff is temporary. After this book, I won’t have to put nearly as much energy into it. Other people will take it forward.

Drop the book. Work on real science book on your subject matter if you want to publish a book. Get away from Theistic Evolution of Biologos, special creation of Adam and Eve, and GA. These can only cause your great harm and ridicule.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@Patrick

The GA stuff is temporary. After this book, I won’t have to put nearly as much energy into it. Other people will take it forward.

Drop the book. Work on real science book on your subject matter if you want to publish a book. Get away from Theistic Evolution of Biologos, special creation of Adam and Eve, and GA. These can only cause your great harm and ridicule.

If I don’t set the record straight on this, perhaps no one will. If honestly about science brings me ridicule, then so be it. I’ll do what is right. I trust my colleagues to be fair.

@swamidass

He actually invited me back, but I declined. I don’t want to give the impression that he banned me. He did not.

I declined because blog comments are very poor way to hash out anything significant. Invited him to dialogue with me sometime on a videocast or podcast. Maybe he will. That could be fun.

[nwrickert (Neil Rickert)]

@Djordje

Wait, he banned you too? Why?

I don’t know. I just discovered that my attempts to post there all silently disappeared. I suspect that it was from disagreeing with Coyne about free will. But I’m not sure of that.

I’ll note that I was always polite and I was not repetitive.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

If I don’t set the record straight on this, perhaps no one will. If honestly about science brings me ridicule, then so be it. I’ll do what is right. I trust my colleagues to be fair.

What record straight? Are you obsessing on the Biologos thing again? Get over it. The stakes are much higher for you now. Biologos is dead. You won. Move on. There are much more important things to do than to set some record straight about a pissing contest you had with Biologos two years ago.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

I declined because blog comments are very poor way to hash out anything significant. Invited him to dialogue with me sometime on a videocast or podcast. Maybe he will. That could be fun.

You are getting hammered in the comments on the Coyne site.

[BillyJoe]

I didn’t mean to imply that he banned you. The word I used was “silenced” which I think describes the following comment he made on his blog:

“Okay, I think this is enough. You’ve left two very long comments–equivalent to another post. If you want to say more, please put it on your own website. Thank you.”

And thanks for the welcome.

[Dan_Eastwood]

Coyne replied to my comment, disagreeing with my position. Does he understand the difference between accommodation and not pissing off people who are otherwise accepting of science?

[nwrickert (Neil Rickert)]

@Dan_Eastwood

Does he understand the difference between accommodation and not pissing off people who are otherwise accepting of science?

No, he doesn’t.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@Dan_Eastwood

Coyne replied to my comment, disagreeing with my position. Does he understand the difference between accommodation and not pissing off people who are otherwise accepting of science?

Apparently not so much. Coyne is a great scientist, but he also wants to spread atheism around, and is distrustful of anything religious.

@Patrick

I declined because blog comments are very poor way to hash out anything significant. Invited him to dialogue with me sometime on a videocast or podcast. Maybe he will. That could be fun.

You are getting hammered in the comments on the Coyne site.

I’m not too concerned that commenters on Coyne’s blog are hammering at me. @Patrick seems concerned, but I’m not sure why it matters. The article by Coyne was speculating, incorrectly, about what happened. They haven’t even read up to understand what the Genealogical Adam is, yet they can’t help but ignorantly critique it. Their right of free speech, sure, but I’m not sure why it matters.

What do you think @Dan_Eastwood and @nwrickert?

[nwrickert (Neil Rickert)]

I agree. It’s not worth worrying about.

[PdotdQ]

@Patrick

Can’t you just be a working scientist who happens to be Christian? There is a lot of work to do in science and we need scientists like you to help solve real problems. This GA stuff is really a waste of your talents.

This is an odd comment. It is clear that @swamidass thinks that his work on GA is important. He has the prerogative to define what to him are “real problems”.

You might think that his work on GA is a waste of his talents, but in doing so you are assuming a value judgement axiomatically, one that @swamidass might not hold.

[jongarvey]

@Patrick

You are getting hammered in the comments on the Coyne site.

But of course. That’s what the site is for.

[Patrick]

@PdotdQ

This is an odd comment. It is clear that @swamidass thinks that his work on GA is important. He has the prerogative to define what to him are “real problems”.

You might think that his work on GA is a waste of his talents, but in doing so you are assuming a value judgement axiomatically, one that @swamidass might not hold.

Sure it is completely his decision. But when you see trouble coming for a friend, you have an obligation to tell the friend what you see. That is what a friend does. I may be completely wrong. And yes it is my personal opinion, but I don’t see anything good coming for anyone with GA. But I am still his friend and I will support his decision whatever it is.

[Mung]

@Patrick

Drop the book. Work on real science book on your subject matter if you want to publish a book.

There are far too many bad science books on the market. It would be refreshing to have a good science book out there. Joshua should publish.

@swamidass

They haven’t even read up to understand what the Genealogical Adam is, yet they can’t help but ignorantly critique it.

That sounds like it’s right up my alley!

[Patrick]

@Mung

There are far too many bad science books on the market. It would be refreshing to have a good science book out there. Joshua should publish.

It is NOT a science book. I have been reading it. There are no errors in the science but there is no science in it. The only thing scientific in it so far is a short summary of the current state of knowledge of the evolution of humans from other primates. It is accurate today but will be outdated in the matter of weeks or months when a new publication by David Reich or others comes out. It doesn’t even mention intermixing of human species which kills any notion of a Homo Sapien Adam and Eve. This book is just the musing of some guy who got down on himself because a blog kicked him out because they didn’t agree with him. Not a good reason to cause self-inflicted wounds to a promising career in science.