Xref: utzoo news.groups:10222 news.misc:3228 sci.misc:3631 talk.religion.newage:3463 talk.philosophy.misc:2508
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!zodiac!joyce!coco3!salem
From: salem@coco3.uucp (Bruce Salem)
Newsgroups: news.groups,news.misc,sci.misc,talk.religion.newage,talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: *** CALL FOR DISCUSSION *** Creation of newsgroup sci.skeptic
Keywords: new age new science parapsychology skepticism
Message-ID: <22269@joyce.istc.sri.com>
Date: 19 Jun 89 18:31:45 GMT
References: <2357@yunexus.UUCP> <1582@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> <1961@se-sd.NCR.COM> <1711@optilink.UUCP>
Sender: news@joyce.istc.sri.com
Reply-To: salem@coco3.UUCP (Bruce Salem)
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park CA
Lines: 21


	Clayton made a remark that talk.origins was worthless. Its
value may be diminished by the refusal of participants to think
and listen, and less by the hidden ajendas of that debate. When all is
said and done any USNET group is only as worthwhile as the willingness
of the participants to think and acknowledge the influience others
have on them.
	It may seem a waste to have people insist on a view against all
objections and arguments to the contrary. They either show themselves as
fools to the rest of us, or they have something to say that isn't being
heard, but the dialog is a start.
	The debate between creationists and evolutionists on talk.origins
may be secondary to deeper political and philosophical concerns. One's
prejudices about why we are here are fundemental, a basic philosophical
issue, often obscured by unconsidered belief.
	Over and over again in the talk and sci groups people lose sight
of the idea that the method is more important than the result in any
argument that doesn't appeal directly to faith. A group that deals directly
with method, even if to hone skepticism, would be a good idea.

Bruce Salem