Re: Morons

[Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)]

>Much as I enjoy the vast majority of your postings, Ron, I feel I must take
>exception on this occasion.  Hoyle is without doubt a bright man, and his
>own field will be grateful to him for a long time to come for his pioneering
>work on the organic chemistry of gas nebulae.

[much deleted]

>Even today the classic explanation for the evolution of life (chemical soup,
>high EM radiation, lots of time) stands up to only the most perfunctory
>examinations, and our present understanding of the origin of life remains
>minimal.

Yes, for this he is to be thanked.  And, although I am no professional in
that field, I do read up on matters astronomical.

>In these circumstances Hoyle's ideas are certainly worth
>consideration at the least.

Duly considered and rejected.  As I said, I have read the book.  It is those
data which I challenged.  Did I say that they were ignorant of all matters:
no, I did not.  I said that they were paleontological morons, which can be
demonstrated by reading the book.

If a Nobeler said that an alliance of sentient left socks are going to take
over the world, is that idea "certainly worth consideration at the least"?
I wonder...

>This may only be a discussion group, but the written word has a life of its
>own.  I would be very upset if, for example, in 20 years time it was
>'trendy' to believe that Birds Came First, and the Turtles not 'reptiles'
>but the sister group of the Synapsids, that Tom Holtz was subject to the
>level of ridicule that we've seen lately for saying in 1995 that Birds are
>derived maniraptorians, and that turtles are reptiles!  That would be a
>preposterous situation.

Indeed!  However, they are not analogous situations.  In the case of me, I
am using the data AS CURRENTLY UNDERSTOOD.  In the case of H&W, they ignore
data known for decades, imply that paleontologists are part of an
international, 150 year conspiracy (SJ, take note! :-) ), and (most
importantly) are easily refuted by evidence of geochemistry, sedimentology,
comparative anatomy, etc., ad nauseum.

> Perhaps if some posts (maybe including this one)
>get the blood boiling we should go and do something else for 30 minutes
>before responding, instead of sending an adrenaline fired message that will
>turn sour in the net. 

Fair enough.  I did give people fair warning, though.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist
Dept. of Geology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD  20742
Email:Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)
Fax: 301-314-9661
Phone:301-405-4084