Did anyone see Abraham Lincoln get assassinated?
Did anyone see the Pilgrims land in Massachusetts?
Did anyone see Jesus get crucified?
Oops! Never mind.
Did anyone see that size of that chicken?
Yeah BDC, that was one HUGE chicken,
but it did have perfect lips.
“Objectivity,” he said, “is a farce. This is a post-modern era. We’re all biased.”
If there is no objective reality then perhaps Mr Awbrey would like to jump out of the 23rd storey window of a building and float up in the air for us. That should certainly help his case.
On the other hand, if there is an objective reality then some accounts of it are going to be more accurate than others. They cannot all be equally right.
And if he's right about the postmodern view that no one narrative is privileged over any other then his view is itself biased and suspect.
Somehow, however, I doubt that he believes that.
Awbrey flip-flopped when called to task for his remarks by members of the audience during open comments. He first denied them, then apologized and admitted he made them. He seemed to want to speak for the wing-nut majority on the Board, but that's expected of him. After all, they hired him. All the more reason for a change at the top.
Perhaps most interesting of all, was Awbrey’s assertion that the Big Bang and the dinosaurs – just like religious faith -- are nothing but metaphysical speculation.
Oh . . . my . . . gosh.
Please, please, where can we find an mp3 of this??
Good report Pat!
I am always amused that the creationists will use post-modernism when it suits them in terms of trying to put ID and Creation "Science" on the same footing as real science. But these same people will go on about the objective truth of the Bible or perhaps of their own particular version of faith.
I am sure if Awbrey were asked about Gay marriage, for instance, then any sort of appeal to post modernism would go out the window.
I just about fell out of my chair at the forum when Awbrey made his dinosaur comment.
"'Objectivity,' he [Awbrey] said, 'is a farce. This is a post-modern era. We’re all biased.'"
It's fun to note that while many ID supporters like Phil Johnson want to 'renew culture' by returning to supposed 'objective' standards set forth by the deity described in the Bible, they don't seem worry about embracing 'post-modernism'* when it suits them. I can only wonder how nice it would be so mercifully free from the ravages of cognitive dissonance...
* In truth, they think they are embracing post-modernism but in fact they are hiding behind a tortured distortion of post-modernism.
Of *course* we're all biased. But to abdicate responsibility for trying to be as objective as possible is not the answer, IMO. That's like saying that the fact that no one is perfect excuses us from trying to be a good person. Sheesh.
Apparently he was channeling Ken Ham. "Were you there" is one of his tag lines he tries to teach to children to seal their minds off from science.
David Awbrey: Lying Creationist Weasel.
Yes, we all have our biases. What should be done with post-modernism is to recognize them in ourselves, and in doing so, move a little bit beyond our tiny worldview.
What some who misuse post-modernism do, though, is say "everything's biased, so we're completely right and you're wrong."
I do have to say, though, that even in my post-modern-centric education there was an insistence on textual evidence (for example, in a critique of a literary work). If you have no evidence, then you're making stuff up. You wouldn't believe it, but there's surprisingly little textual evidence that the character of Hamlet was actually an animated broomcloset.
For another account of the KC Press Club meeting on media coverage of ID (and more Awbreyisms) check out the new post on my home page.
Fascinating. I knew that the creationists have been relying on their listeners to accept the post-modernist perspective (no "privileged" narratives, especially science). But I don't usually hear them say so, aloud.
I wonder what the fundies would say if they realized they were embracing a French philosophy?
To Dave and CSA - email me at jkrebs@sunflower.com and I'll provide you with access to mp3 files of Awbrey and the panel discussion as a whole. It would be good to get some verbatim transcipts of some of what Awbrey said rather than just recollections from our notes.
Can you post a link at www.kcfs.org?
Answers to questions from first post.
1. Yes, his wife a number of theatre goers watching Lincoln and not the play.
2. Yes, lots of pilgrims.
3. Yes, lots of Romans and several of the disciples.
You lose.
They are not about to post a link where everyone can hear it.
Oh, I'll get to listen to it.
BA, it's obvious that Jones was referring to living persons by the pronoun 'anyone'. Why wasn't that obvious to you? You lose.
Answers to questions from first post.
1. Yes, his wife a number of theatre goers watching Lincoln and not the play.
2. Yes, lots of pilgrims.
3. Yes, lots of Romans and several of the disciples.
You lose.
Basement Activist
Can you give me their email addresses?
A post with the sound files is now up at KCFS News at http://www.kcfs.org/kcfsnews/?p=82 and at the KCFS Forums at http://www.kcfs.org/cgi-bin/ulti...i?ubb=forum;
f=3
Also, to basement person/people: I take it you were there last night. You're invited to come over to the KCFS discussion forum and discuss this with us. I have no idea why you think we would be reluctant to make these files public.
Objectivity is desirable, but the ability to distinguish science from pseudoscience is crucial.
Yes, his wife a number of theatre goers watching Lincoln and not the play.
And lots of dinosaurs were around to see that the dinosaurs existed. But, as with Lincoln's wife and the theatre-goers, they ain't talking.
basement activist: "They are not about to post a link where everyone can hear it."
ROTFL!
BA serve up thse Chick Tracks with a side of hat.
The files that have "Calverts Cursing" are not up!
So where is it?
Having trouble finding it?
Maybe the audio was weak?
Maybe they were delted by Calverts agents?
Is this a conspiracy?
Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
"Calvert's cursings" were aftter the session, not during. I taped the public session - I don't go around taping private conversations.
By the way, basement person, I don't know what satisfaction you take writing the kinds of posts that you do, but they don't reflect very well on the side you supposedly represent. Do you have any substantive comments on the forum?
Jack Krebs, to BA:
"Do you have any substantive comments on the forum?"
Not yet, that I've seen. Here, or anywhere.
And thanks for pointing out that you don't tape personal conversations. You'll never get that job with Homeland Security, though! 
Answers to questions from first post.
1. Yes, his wife a number of theatre goers watching Lincoln and not the play.
2. Yes, lots of pilgrims.
3. Yes, lots of Romans and several of the disciples.
You lose.
Basement Activist
You aren't really this dense, are you?
Thanks to those above who pointed out the obvious silliness of BA's answers.
So, how does this guy refute the evidence..3 degree Kelvin radiation..
for The Big Bang?
I don't know what to make of many of thesed folks.
Are they "Just nuts" or are they brain dead?
Anyone wonder that there seems to be quite a lot of them or is it just that with the internet, we are more aware that there are folks that have these strange ideas?
Commenting by HaloScan
