tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post876920375619970038..comments2023-10-26T22:06:11.166+11:00Comments on Metamagician3000: Michael Shermer's open letter to Bill MaherRussell Blackfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-36862009063534321422009-10-19T00:27:34.274+11:002009-10-19T00:27:34.274+11:00I agree, Leon. I know that "evolve" and ...I agree, Leon. I know that "evolve" and "adapt" had scare quotes, but the way in which vaccines work is really not analagous to the way in which species evolve over time.<br /><br />BryanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-25997711223316310412009-10-18T19:05:15.906+11:002009-10-18T19:05:15.906+11:00I agree with much of what is said in this article,...I agree with much of what is said in this article, except the very first claim, namely that denying the efficacy of vaccinations is inconsistent with endorsing evolutionary theory. While it is true that evolutionary theory explains why vaccinations work, (if they in fact work), from this it does not follow that evolutionary theory mandates thinking that vaccinations do work. So I don't think that Bill Maher is being incoherent in this regard (even though I do think that vaccinations do work).Leon Leontyevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13941068663181298437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-45958443128065874692009-10-18T18:37:07.461+11:002009-10-18T18:37:07.461+11:00The left is too often the mirror image of the righ...The left is too often the mirror image of the right. On healthcare, the right is pro industry, pro establishment medicine, anti government funding. So, the left is anti industry, anti establishment medicine, pro government funding.<br /><br />Anti industry is fine, the health insurance industry, big pharma, and a lot of the health industry are just terrible. But establishment medicine gets conflated with evidence based medicine overall, so you get this anti evidence based medicine position paired with pro government funding.<br /><br />And thus you get Bill Maher, who is actually representative of a lot of left thinking on health. People want government funding on medicine, but don't trust that same medicine. That's an inconsistent and self-defeating position.<br /><br />No wonder the US can't reform healthcare. The right are against it, the left it are for it but against medicine itself, thus ineffective, finding any proposal unsupportable because it conflicts with one or the other of the conflicting positions they hold.<br /><br />Good luck Obama!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11980745475562786998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-23993871142812021262009-10-18T08:40:27.956+11:002009-10-18T08:40:27.956+11:00Dr. Coyne, I think you are assuming that Maher'...Dr. Coyne, I think you are assuming that Maher's critiques of religion are really a by-product of a respect for rationality rather than a cranky contrariness (and "cranky" can be taken at least a couple different ways).J. J. Ramseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00763792476799485687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-91657821253105351172009-10-18T05:49:32.561+11:002009-10-18T05:49:32.561+11:00Brings to mind the 2008 Edge World question: "...Brings to mind the 2008 Edge World question: "What have you changed your mind about?"<br />(http://www.edge.org/q2008/q08_index.html)jdhueyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14548783175350394626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-86369439837958189542009-10-18T05:46:20.861+11:002009-10-18T05:46:20.861+11:00This comment has been removed by the author.jdhueyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14548783175350394626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-12597633944354950452009-10-18T03:01:07.088+11:002009-10-18T03:01:07.088+11:00You go, Michael! Maher's odd views on medicin...You go, Michael! Maher's odd views on medicine and vaccinations simply don't square with his apparent respect for rationality and empiricism as shown in his critiques of religion. It's a cognitive dissonance as strange as that shown by people like Francis Collins.Jerry Coynehttp://www.whyevolutionistrue.comnoreply@blogger.com