Posted by Boje on September 17, 1999 at 17:34:44:
In Reply to: Macroevolution posted by Tom on September 17, 1999 at 16:47:01:
The reason that you guys in the creation vs. evolution debate always resort to ad hominem attacks, is that that is the crux of your disagreement with each other. Both sides of the debate have the ulterior motive of rejection of the premises of the other side, despite the apparent attempts to discuss individual aspects of the larger question on their own merits.
You have both dismissed the negative potential outcome of your debate out of hand – from the start.
You have each also predefined the only valid method of determining success from two different directions – one a priori, the other a posteriori; thereby nullifying, before the debate, the claims of the other side.
Compromise is therefore logically impossible.
Yet, both sides insist that they are open to counter-proofs from the other. Just a little disingenuous, I’d say.
I do think that, for unbiased observers, this adversarial process is a pretty good method of seeing ideas presented for the purpose of evaluation. The passions that lead to extreme views are useful in pointing out the weaknesses of both viewpoints.
That says very little, however, for the sincerity of the debaters’ stated purposes of discovering truth.
Boje