Thread: Oh look, an election quiz

Originally Posted by Pint

So how many pages of this crap did I spawn because I brought up evolution? I don't know whose the bigger moron the ones defending the faith based use of the word theory or the ones thinking they can convince the previous group of the obvious error? This is a prime example of someone being ignorant so they have something to smash the keyboard about when someone points out how ignorant they are.

Lol yeah, I responded to it in the context of why it was in the quiz, and giving a brief opinion how awry political topics have become. Then it turned into an argument, somewhere along the line, about the definition of what constitutes a theory, whether creationism should be called that, and how it's been misused to inflate/deflate either belief, etc... and all I can think is "What have I done?!"

I think some here argue for the sake of arguing. Man this veered so far off topic from OP..

Originally Posted by AetheLove

"I'm willing to waste the time of others by misrepresenting myself and proposing dishonest arguments. When I catch extra targets it's like a force-multiplier in the war of attrition I wage against the people with whom I disagree."

"Another tactic I use is to purposefully fail to acknowledge that I understand the point someone is making. This causes them to continue to try and explain themselves. By playing on their good-will and respect, I can keep them side-lined explaining something I already understand. My guideline for a successful distraction is 5 pages."

At least you come out and say it.

This hinders, or outright prevents, any conversation from being productive. I guess I sort of appreciate you letting me know that you don't consider me capable of civil conversation, and that you don't respect my viewpoints enough to address them head-on. It's an odd sort of contempt.

I hope I've misunderstood it.

Cheers,


AetheLove

***Skip to bottom for TL; DR***
This whole post is really meant for AetheLove and Wicked. I don't expect anyone else to read it.

I'm going to lay this out in very simple terms for you AetheLove. Please follow closely, as well as you Wicked, since both of you have the reading comprehension of a four year old.

Page 1

• I reply with my own score results.

Page 4

• Pint asks me about the "Theory of Evolution", starting the debate about religion in politics.
• Then arguments were made about myth's, scientific methods, and the fallacies associated with Creationism as its taught in school.

Page 5

• I make a post about omitting a universally accepted teaching altogether also isn't "smart". It's also the first time I use the term "Theory of Creationism".
• Smokinscion makes a comment about the Buddhist version of creationism.
• I ask more questions concerning the idea of Creationism and the theory of why some people believe it.
• Wicked finally chimes in which his four word response, "Creationism isn't a theory". Classic trolling.

Page 6

• Wicked and I go back and forth over what the term theory really means. He doesn't adequately express his definition. It wasn't until I asked, "Then make a better argument for why, and we'll discuss it".
• After which, he finally mentions the term "scientific theory" for the first time after a couple posts.
• By this point, I'm trolling him for not being more specific about his use of the word "theory", when it clearly has more than one definition (many not even remotely related to "sceintific theory"), and the endless amounts of shit I'm going to give him for attempting to debate using 3-5 word answers. I'm trolling back.

Page 7

• AetheLove chimes in with his incredible insightful comment about dancing.
• Then after a couple posts, AetheLove makes several presumptuous statements about what both Wicked and I "meant" in our comments, to which he has admitted might have been more inflammatory in nature than accurate.
• Up to this point, between Wicked's 3-5 word quips, and AetheLove's needless commentary, they have been "trolling" far more than I had.

Page 8

• More inflammatory rhetoric about my lack of understanding about scientific theory, a term only now being defined for the purposes of this conversation. A term which I am more than happy to discuss, but now since I can tell where the conversation is headed, has moved from being a productive conversation, to a far more entertaining one by playing the foil.
• After failing to produce anything of value concerning the definition of "theory", I link, and even copy the Wikipedia definition of "theory" to show Wicked, who is still burying his fingers in his ears and saying, "there can only be one definition of the word theory, lalala". I clearly show which definition I'm CHOOSING to view this thread from, and that there are in fact additional ways to use the term "theory".
• More exacerbating comments from AetheLove about the actual meaning of "theory" and how they relate to other theories, and how those theories are more, blah, blah, blah...
• None of which is in any way an acknowledgement that "theory" doesn't HAVE to mean "scientific theory".
• All semantic arguments, laced with a fair bit of ad hominem.
• By this time, I'm in full troll mode. I was trolled by you two for several pages concerning needless, mindless, fruitless arguments over the fact you couldn't possibly accept there was another term for "theory".

Page 9

• AetheLove questions my understanding of the whole conversation from the beginning. Because he automatically KNEW Wicked was using the term theory to mean "scientific theory". Good for you.
• But by this time, the argument devolved into my desire to see Wicked actually acknowledge there was more than one way to view the debate, and my use of Creationism and theory in the same sentence. He was unwilling, so I trolled more.
• AetheLoe, still not comprehending the gist of what I was doing (though Wicked did, because he digs his heels in even more), "quotes" as if I said,
• "Oh, I didn't mean 'theory' in the scientific sense. I meant it in a different way, a way more in tune with the ancient Greek origins of the word which are (sadly) no longer used by anyone."
  Thanks I love being misquoted and having words put in my mouth. Shame on you.
• Once again, AetheLove is getting butthurt because I'm not doing what I want Wicked to do to do in the first place, and that is admit the basis of his whole argument was faulty to begin with, yet doesn't see the irony, with ALL his Deity-like insight.
• Wicked finally makes a comment worth responding to as the lat entry on page 9.

Page 10

• I even respond with a post that wasn't trolling or inflammatory in nature in any way.
• Wicked responds.
• I spend the next hour writing up a post about my feelings concerning faith and science, and how they have some striking similarities.
• AetheLove makes a non-inflammtory comment, catching up with us concerning the concept of using theory two different ways. Wicked still won't capitulate.
• Scion trolls. Funny post too.

Page 11

• Wicked takes my non-trolling post, and cherry picks concepts down to the smallest detail rehashing old points made in other threads.
• I let it go, because this is my opinion, and just because he doens't agree, doesn't mean I need to write a wall of text (unlike this one when reeducation is required in reading comprehension 101).

Page 12

• Pint makes a comment, to which I respond with a very accurate depiction of this forum, and the handful of us who like to debate over non-issues on a daily basis.
• I use the word "chose" to specifically illustrate the point I was making to Pint about how we choose to view each other arguments. Wicked CHOSE to view the term theory as a scientific only definition, and refused to acknowledge that it could be used in relation to the concept of Creationism.
• Wicked called me out on it.

Page 13

• I responded by linking my comment waaaay back on page 8, showing him the actual phraseology I used to show I was choosing to look at this argument from the very beginning in a way intentionally juxtaposed to Wicked argument just to prove to him there are other opinions out there which are valid beyond his own.
• Wicked doesn't appreciate comment, and spins it to suit his version, apparently not learning anything in the process.
• AetheLove chimes in again (apparently not learning either), with yet again another supposition comment as if I didn't know what I was doing the whole time.

So lets warp this wall of text up why don't we.

Lesson one: If you don't want to get trolled, don't start trolling someone else.

Lesson two: This whole debate would have been over in two posts had Wicked said, "Oh, yeah there is another way of looking at the term 'theory', but I'm talking about scientific theory specifically. So lets please keep our comments to that paradigm only. Thanks." Since he couldn't do that, he got trolled. When he put his big boy pants on, and finally started to make competent posts, I responded with competent posts, even allowing him to tear them apart without responding in kind.

Lesson three: Don't assume. This lesson is especially for you AetheLove.

Lesson four (and this is really the most important): Learn to read the whole point, and not skip over what someone is saying, then turn around and accuse them of not being clear in the first place. See lesson three.

This concludes the lessons for today.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled original post.

***TL; DR***



"They started it. I showed them where. This is some petty shit."

Originally Posted by Ranger10

...

I'm just going to assume that somewhere in there, you admit that Creationism isn't a theory in the only sense of the word that matters when we're comparing it to the theory of evolution. I don't really care if or when you went from just being wrong to being a troll, but I'm sure that you had a good reason. You got me, I was totally convinced that you had absolutely know idea what you were talking about. Wink.

Originally Posted by WickedTribe

I'm just going to assume that somewhere in there, you admit that Creationism isn't a theory in the only sense of the word that matters when we're comparing it to the theory of evolution. I don't really care if or when you went from just being wrong to being a troll, but I'm sure that you had a good reason. You got me, I was totally convinced that you had absolutely know idea what you were talking about. Wink.

You must not have read lesson number four.