Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, Universityof Wisconsin - Green Bay
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I will respond to questions and comments as time permits, but if you want to take issuewith any position expressed here, you first have to answer this question:
What evidence would it take to prove your beliefs wrong?
I simply will not reply to challenges that do not address this question. Refutabilityis one of the classic determinants of whether a theory can be called scientific. Moreover,I have found it to be a great general-purpose cut-through-the-crap question to determinewhether somebody is interested in serious intellectual inquiry or just playing mind games.Note, by the way, that I am assuming the burden of proof here - all youhave to do is commit to a criterion for testing.It's easy to criticize science for being "closed-minded". Are you open-mindedenough to consider whether your ideas might be wrong?
Treason of the Intellectuals was the title of a 1928 book by JulienBenda,originally published in French as La Trahison des Clercs. The term Clerchas an obvious similarity to the word cleric, and Benda used it in thesense of people who devoted their lives to ideas and thought without necessarilybeing concerned with practical applications. Benda was distressed at the wayintellectuals of the early 20th Century had been increasingly seduced by theappeal of power, and by the possibility that men of ideas might have a real role inshaping human events. Some devoted their energies to justifying nationalism,others to fanning class rivalry. One group would soon furnish an intellectualbasis for fascism, the other, dazzled by the Russian Revolution, had already been swept up by early Marxism. Benda warned that if these political passions werenot reined in, mankind was "heading for the greatest and most perfect warthe world has ever known."
Since Benda wrote, there have been two "sequels" to his work. Volume II, of course, would be a study of the way Western intellectuals prostituted themselves to Communism during the Stalinist era and the Cold War. Volume III, a work in progress, is being written by Western intellectuals who obstruct efforts to combat radical Islam and terrorism, undermine support for Israel, stress the "legitimate grievances" of radical Islamists, and lend moral support to the "legitimacy" of radical Islamic movements.
But before Benda could write La Trahison des Clercs, there was an original treason of the clerics. This was the one where intellectuals - clerics in the literal sense - decided they had a right to dictate beliefs to others.
Christianity was barely out of diapers before it had to contend with people who wanted to shape it into something of their own design, or who wanted to be members but simply would not follow the rules. That's a problem with all organizations, no matter how benign. All organizations need ways of defining the rules and enforcing them, and Christianity was no exception. Christianity was only months old when Gentile converts were being shortchanged in the distribution of charity, and the Apostles said "Look, we have other things to do than micromanage. pick seven trustworthy men and we'll appoint them to the task."
A more serious issue and hint of what might be coming happened when Pharisees converted to Christianity insisted that Christians first had to convert to Judaism first (you can take the convert out of the Pharisees, but you can't take the Pharisee out of the convert). Peter waffled on the issue until Paul, whose vision was more inclusive, came down from up north and laid the smack-down on him.
But Paul's letters are full of cases where he insists on internal discipline, resists challenges to his authority, advises on how to resolve conflicts and chides churches for refusing to expel seriously deviant members.
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Created 25 July, 2003, Last Update 24 May, 2020
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