Greg Cootsona: "Mere Science" and Adam's Empty Chair

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@Cootsona

I agree with those values. (And I’ve downloaded the essay with the hopes that I’ll read it ASAP, perhaps before the end of the day.) I also think tolerance, although much maligned, is a key value.

Tolerance yes. That is a good word to describe some of the character of peace I am seeking. That is part of what I am getting at when I talk about diversity.

@swamidass

My primary goal is peace that does not depend on agreement , that can rise in the midst of disagreement. Disagreement on important things, in fact, is what makes clear that peace is real, and not counterfeit. It is actually in diversity (including theological diversity) that the Kingdom of God is more clear. That is the type of peace I am pursuing. This peace is the resolution I seek, not agreement.

This gets to…

@Cootsona

What would you add? Notice that some of the old standards like cosmology (e.g., big bang and the doctrine of creation) are missing. Should I keep them in there?

I’m going to make this a new topic for longer term engagement. My first response is:

1. The revolution of Ancient DNA (David Reich’s work is a good primer)

2. Science and Injustice: Tuskegee, Henrietta Lacks, and segregation: Simulation Science: The Parable of Polygons.

3. Profiling and Bias in Black Box AI Programs.

4. The relationships between ancestry, inheritance, and injustice.

5. Confession, Honesty, and Confidence. Much the work we do here is oriented around this. Though the Scientific Virtues Project has important correlates.

6. Models for integration that do not depend on agreement.