[ExI] Religious Idiocy Triumphs Over Science Yet Again

[John Clark]

On Thu, Dec 10, 2015 Michael Butler <butler.two.one at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> ​> ​
> yes, I know Hawaii is convenient
>
> ​It's more than just convenient. It will be decades before a thirty meter
telescope could be built in space , the Hubble is only 2.4 meters, the thirty
meter telescope could see things 156 times dimmer. On the ground only 3
places have good enough seeing conditions for a instrument that large,
Hawaii, the ​Atacama desert in Chile, and Antarctica.  And the funding for
the telescope comes from the USA so if it can't be built in that country it
will probably not be built at all. And I blame Mother Fucking Earth and
Father Fucking Sky for that intellectual and scientific tragedy!

 John K Clark







> and yes, I know "terrestrial location" includes things like altitude and
> entails things like "seeing" quality, OK? But as Blackstone famously said,
> "There must be an end to disputes."
>
> But carry on. ;)
> On Dec 10, 2015 8:51 AM, "Michael Butler" <butler.two.one at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>> On Dec 10, 2015 8:32 AM, "Will Steinberg" <steinberg.will at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > I don't really care about whether the telescope gets built or
>> not. ....  But I mean, we really ought to build that telescope.  Actually,
>> hell, build it on the mountain.   But don't discount the VALUE of ancient
>> beliefs, even if they should maybe get ignored once in a while.
>> >
>>
>> Will, and thread participants at large:
>>
>> I think it's very possible that the religion story here is a fig leaf for
>> a big (actually quite small) "fuck you".
>>
>> And you know what? That is PERFECTLY FINE with me, because the specific
>> terrestrial location of a specific scientific instrument of this type
>> almost certainly DOES NOT MATTER if science is, well... what it claims to
>> be and what I think IT is.
>>
>> Butthurt about losing this court battle? After a certain point, it's
>> indistinguishable to me from whining.
>>
>> "Let the wookiee win."
>>
>> Sure, if you're defending scientific culture and are worried about
>> idiocracy and the possibility that the wookies ARE WINNING, then (re)act.
>>
>> But really, culturally, I think this is small potatoes and I admit I LIKE
>> it when colonial expropriators get one in the eye occasionally. It's an
>> underdog thing. Doubtless a slight flaw in my character.
>>
>> Wharrgarrrbling about this specific instance? I have used up all the time
>> I have budgeted for the next century on it.
>>
>> Cheers.
>>
>> MMB
>>
>
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