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From: hammond@petrus.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: How to fill a vacuum
Message-ID: <238@petrus.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Dec-84 07:39:13 EST
Article-I.D.: petrus.238
Posted: Fri Dec 21 07:39:13 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Dec-84 01:12:30 EST
References: ihuxl.1451 <496@syteka.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc
Lines: 32

> ...?  I've never seen a published scientist say how
> old the universe is, just how old he/she is currently assuming
> it is for purposes of formulating a model from which to build
> and test further hypotheses. ...
> 
> Jim McCrae - {hplabs,decvax}!sytek!jtm

If you've never seen a published scientist say how old the universe
is you've never read Carl Sagan.  His articles in popular literature
I've seen are statements of facts without any hint that they are
simply his "current assumptions."  For example, a recent Parade
magazine article ( Sorry, I recylced my papers, so don't have the
exact date) about the origin of whatever.  I stopped reading it after
the first paragraph because it was obvious that he was going to
tell you the truth according to Sagan.  I suppose that somewhere down
in the article there might have been a disclaimer, but it wasn't
apparent in the lead paragraph.

I'm sure you would cry "foul" if I wrote an article describing the
origin of the earth according to creation science and only at the end put in
a disclaimer about the article being theory not fact, particularly
if I weasel worded it to say something like best supported theory.
NOTE: I am playing devil's advocate, not planning to write such an article.

The point is that the popular press, which is what the public reads,
is not the TRANSACTIONS ON ... .  This is what the majority of creationists
are reacting to, most of them (at least in my church) haven't
read any scientific journals (but neither has the rest of the general public).
So, they react to Sagan's statements that "this is the way it was"
with their view of the way it was.

Rich Hammond decvax!bellcore!hammond