I have followed the debate from my slightly satirical posting:
appologies for any unintended offence to people's religious
sensibilities.
I am reading a history of the later middle ages, which fills in the
conflict between the Franciscans and the Pope, which is the
background to Umberto Eco's "the Name of the Rose" and there
seem parallels with this debate, in that each side is accusing the
other of heresy.
I think it rather interestingly illustrates two strands in Western
Thought that we have had since the enlightenment:
1. Liberalism and toleration: repsect for other people's beliefs and
views; not rubbishing them or being biased; giving them a fair
hearing and listening seriously to what they say even if it does not
fit with your own traditions.
2. Scientific rationalism: novel ideas and concepts should not be
accorded the status of "factual knowledge" until they fit with careful
observation and scientifc experimentation, and can be "proved"
subjectively.
Regards Alan O'Rourke
Alan O'Rourke
Information Officer
WIsdom Centre for Networked Learning
Institute of General Practice
Community Sciences Centre
Community Science Centre
Northern General Hospital Sheffield S5 7AU
Tel: 0114 271 5095 Fax: 0114 243 3762
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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