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From: wkp@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Arndt, Galileo, and Physics
Message-ID: <20274@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 25-Jan-85 16:08:21 EST
Article-I.D.: lanl.20274
Posted: Fri Jan 25 16:08:21 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 29-Jan-85 06:05:17 EST
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Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 48



Ken Arndt is right.  ANYBODY who claims that scientific intolerance
is a monopoly of religion should have his head examined.

As a physicist, I think I know something about the history of my      
scientific field.  It is true that what the RC Church did to Galileo
was reprehensible.  But I find no evidence that their actions would
have been any different had they been the Church of Ubizmo or the
Secular State of Rosenland.

Scientists on average are just as much in love with power and money
as religious ministers are.  If I go to an astrophysical conference
and show them evidence (and there is plenty!) that galactic jets do
not exist, I would not be getting many research grants or scientific
papers published.  Why?  The ruling clique has determined that those
"things" up there zillions of light-years away are galactic jets--
and not plasma filaments.  In this case, the ruling clique in
Cambridge and Tucson wear plaid pants and bolo ties (instead of
in Rome wearing priestly vestments.)

Another point.  I can bring up many examples of scientists who suffer
and continue to suffer under secular governments.  One example:  A
brilliant mathematician at UC Berkeley named Smailey was dismissed
from all positions of power and influence when he made a speech
denouncing the Vietnam war in Moscow during the '60s.  Yes, folks,
all his research funding was terminated.  Just like Galileo, he had
repudiated the official policy of those in power.  Just like Galileo,
he was stripped of all positions of power in the University because
of it.  (This is usually the case in academia when you lose your
government grants).

And we all know what happened to Oppenheimer when he turned against
the making of the H-bomb.  They got him for his membership in the
Communist party which they had known about all along.

More to the point.  I wonder how long I would last at Los Alamos     
(actually, I won't last long anyway, but that's because of other
considerations--like getting back to California) if I started walking
around the Laboratory here with signs saying "Ban the Bomb!"  I
hasten to predict that my security clearance would probably be in
some danger.  So much for secular tolerance of the sciences
being so much better than the religious variety. 
-------

bill peter
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