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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Intelligent Design

SEARCH BLOG: RELIGION

This post will offend those who see the world through the eyes of their faith. That's not my intent, but it is the likely outcome. This post is not about the truth of faith or religion or a higher power. It is about the attempt to equate positions of faith with positions of science.

Pat Dollard posted this about Gov. Bobby Jindal and Intelligent Design.

Gov. Jindal skirts the issue of teaching I.D. in public schools by mumbling about wanting his children to be exposed to the best thinking and not wanting the schools to withhold facts because of political correctness. Well, Gov. Jindal, the fact is that I.D. is an article of faith. It cannot be scientifically verified in the same manner as evolution. As I commented on Dollard's site:

Intelligent Design is an article of faith… with no discernible basis in anything but faith. If you want to believe [in] that, fine. But to argue that it should be part of an educational curriculum opens the door to every other belief about the nature of the world and man.

Evolution is called a theory, but those who say “only a theory” simply do not understand that all scientifically verifiable “theories” start out that way… and may retain the title of theory long after verification has occurred.

There are more than enough questions about the universe than the origin of man through the evolutionary process… which is a certainty. If your faith wants to say that man’s evolutionary process is one ordained by design, that’s an article of faith. It is not verifiable… it can only be a matter of conjecture since the “existence” of God cannot be verified scientifically. One can only address, scientifically, that which is verifiable… that which is open to scrutiny.

So, if you… and Gov. Jindal… insist that Intelligent Design should be taught in public schools, then I insist that the Hindu version of the universe be taught as a legitimate alternative to both evolution and ID.

The fact is, I insist that neither I.D. nor the Hindu version of the origin of the universe be taught as anything more than non-verifiable, religious belief... on an equal footing... or not at all in public schools.
After all, how far removed is that from "the will of Allah?"
Faith and morality don't rely on scientific proof for value in the lives of those who hold them. But that which is outside of the realm of science does not belong as part of a science curriculum. Our design may seem intelligent or it may be just fortuitous... the right place at the right time [given the demise of predatory dinosaurs that were beginning to exhibit signs of intelligence].
The fact that we are intelligent [or at least some are intelligent] enables us to distinguish between science and belief.
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There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.
Henry Louis Mencken (1880–1956)
“The Divine Afflatus,” A Mencken Chrestomathy, chapter 25, p. 443 (1949)
... and one could add "not all human problems really are."
It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.
- O. Henry
... The Government is on course for an embarrassing showdown with the European Union, business groups and environmental charities after refusing to guarantee that billions of pounds of revenue it stands to earn from carbon-permit trading will be spent on combating climate change.
The Independent (UK)

Tracking Interest Rates

Tracking Interest Rates

FEDERAL RESERVE & HOUSING

SEARCH BLOG: FEDERAL RESERVE for full versions... or use the Blog Archive pulldown menu.

February 3, 2006 Go back to 1999-2000 and see what the Fed did. They are following the same pattern for 2005-06. If it ain't broke, the Fed will fix it... and good!
August 29, 2006 The Federal Reserve always acts on old information... and is the only cause of U.S. recessions.
December 5, 2006 Last spring I wrote about what I saw to be a sharp downturn in the economy in the "rustbelt" states, particularly Michigan.
March 28, 2007
The Federal Reserve sees no need to cut interest rates in the light of adverse recent economic data, Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.
The Fed chairman said ”to date, the incoming data have supported the view that the current stance of policy is likely to foster sustainable economic growth and a gradual ebbing in core inflation”.

July 21, 2007 My guess is that if there is an interest rate change, a cut is more likely than an increase. The key variables to be watching at this point are real estate prices and the inventory of unsold homes.
August 11, 2007 I suspect that within 6 months the Federal Reserve will be forced to lower interest rates before housing becomes a black hole.
September 11, 2007 It only means that the overall process has flaws guaranteeing it will be slow in responding to changes in the economy... and tend to over-react as a result.
September 18, 2007 I think a 4% rate is really what is needed to turn the economy back on the right course. The rate may not get there, but more cuts will be needed with employment rates down and foreclosure rates up.
October 25, 2007 How long will it be before I will be able to write: "The Federal Reserve lowered its lending rate to 4% in response to the collapse of the U.S. housing market and massive numbers of foreclosures that threaten the banking and mortgage sectors."
November 28, 2007 FED VICE CHAIRMAN DONALD KOHN
"Should the elevated turbulence persist, it would increase the possibility of further tightening in financial conditions for households and businesses," he said.

"Uncertainties about the economic outlook are unusually high right now," he said. "These uncertainties require flexible and pragmatic policymaking -- nimble is the adjective I used a few weeks ago."
http://www.reuters.com/

December 11, 2007 Somehow the Fed misses the obvious.
fed_rate_moves_425_small.gif
[Image from: CNNMoney.com]
December 13, 2007 [from The Christian Science Monitor]
"The odds of a recession are now above 50 percent," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "We are right on the edge of a recession in part because of the Fed's reluctance to reduce interest rates more aggressively." [see my comments of September 11]
January 7, 2008 The real problem now is that consumers can't rescue the economy and manufacturing, which is already weakening, will continue to weaken. We've gutted the forces that could avoid a downturn. The question is not whether there will be a recession, but can it be dampened sufficiently so that it is very short.
January 11, 2008 This is death by a thousand cuts.
January 13, 2008 [N.Y. Times]
“The question is not whether we will have a recession, but how deep and prolonged it will be,” said David Rosenberg, the chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch. “Even if the Fed’s moves are going to work, it will not show up until the later part of 2008 or 2009.”
January 17, 2008 A few days ago, Anna Schwartz, nonagenarian economist, implicated the Federal Reserve as the cause of the present lending crisis [from the Telegraph - UK]:
The high priestess of US monetarism - a revered figure at the Fed - says the central bank is itself the chief cause of the credit bubble, and now seems stunned as the consequences of its own actions engulf the financial system. "The new group at the Fed is not equal to the problem that faces it," she says, daring to utter a thought that fellow critics mostly utter sotto voce.
January 22, 2008 The cut has become infected and a limb is in danger. Ben Bernanke is panicking and the Fed has its emergency triage team cutting rates... this time by 3/4%. ...

What should the Federal Reserve do now? Step back... and don't be so anxious to raise rates at the first sign of economic improvement.
Individuals and businesses need stability in their financial cost structures so that they can plan effectively and keep their ships afloat. Wildly fluctuating rates... regardless of what the absolute levels are... create problems. Either too much spending or too much fear. It's just not that difficult to comprehend. Why has it been so difficult for the Fed?

About Me

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Michigan, United States
Air Force (SAC) captain 1968-72. Retired after 35 years of business and logistical planning, including running a small business. Two sons with advanced degrees; one with a business and pre-law degree. Beautiful wife who has put up with me for 4 decades. Education: B.A. (Sociology major; minors in philosopy, English literature, and German) M.S. Operations Management (like a mixture of an MBA with logistical planning)