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Louisiana Lawmaker: Remember when scientists used to burn heretics at the stake?

Sabrina

Wicked Lovely
Sabrina
Joined
Jul 25, 2007
Messages
9,810
Yeah me neither...

A Louisiana state senator recently offered a puzzling rationale for why schools in the state should be allowed to teach creationism.

Last month, Louisiana lawmakers considered a measure to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act, a 2008 law that critics have characterized as a way of giving teachers latitude to introduce creationism and other unscientific theories into state classrooms.

In an April 22 hearing, state Sen. Elbert Guillory (R) made it clear that he would vote against the measure, SB 74. In footage uploaded to YouTube last week, he can be seen using a bizarre tactic to support his argument -- namely, citing a nonexistent version of history where scientific truth reigned supreme and dissent invited brutal consequences.

“There was a time, sir, when scientists thought that the world was flat. And if you get to the end of it, you’d fall off," Guillory said. "There was another time when scientists thought that the sun revolved around the world. And they always thought to ensure that anyone who disagreed with their science was a heretic. People were burned for not believing that the world was flat. People were really badly treated."
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As is typical with far right-wing Republicans, our friend Guillory has mixed up "scientists" with "religious leaders" and has created his own fantasy version of history when Science reigned supreme and people who didn't believe it were burned at the stake for heresy.

If we're allowed to retcon history whenever we want, can I retcon my entire life so I end up disgustingly rich and married to the hottest man on the planet please?
 
Flat earth is a 19th century enlightenment myth. People as far as the greek thought the earth was a sphere and estimated its radius. Probably some before them frankly too - especially seafaring civilization.

But it is not surprising to see a politician having such an argument.
 
Perhaps Guillory has a wicked sense of humor?

No, that probably isn't it.
 
Zack Kopplin started trying to get this law repealed when he was still in high school. He is 21 years old now he has managed to get a hearing on the proposed repeal every year.

Every year the legislators treat him with condescension while saying really stupid things. Then, every year, the rest of the world looks at the stupid things that the legislators said, and them treat the legislators themselves with condescension. Every year.

I have to give Kopplin credit. If he could get the hearing on the same day every year, it would make a fun holiday.
 
Aepervius said:
Flat earth is a 19th century enlightenment myth. People as far as the greek .....
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And before Eratosthenes?

The old testament describes the earth as having edges, and likens it to a clay seal. Here's what a clay seal looks like.


Steve S
 
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steve s said:
And before Eratosthenes?

The old testament describes the earth as having edges, and likens it to a clay seal. Here's what a clay seal looks like.
http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=19865http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/81544bde5328724c7.jpg

Steve S
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Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth. The concept of it being a sphere goes back at least 700 years before him. We probably don't know who first conceived the idea.
 
In the beforetimes, the sciencemen would descend upon the villages, in their hordes of steel and iron and ponies and blowticklers, and burn all who declared for the roundness of the earth. Not because it was untruth, nay, but because the sciencemen craved the roundness of the earth for themselves; it was unto them an holy buttock, roundly gleaming and firm of perkiness, and they would have it for themselves and no others could speak of it. This was the way of the beforetimes, before God invented religion as a pyramid scheme to fund the actual pyramids, for the way of beforetimes was quite messed up and the people had no means to quality control their recreational pharmaceuticals.
 
TragicMonkey said:
In the beforetimes, the sciencemen would descend upon the villages, in their hordes of steel and iron and ponies and blowticklers, and burn all who declared for the roundness of the earth. Not because it was untruth, nay, but because the sciencemen craved the roundness of the earth for themselves; it was unto them an holy buttock, roundly gleaming and firm of perkiness, and they would have it for themselves and no others could speak of it. This was the way of the beforetimes, before God invented religion as a pyramid scheme to fund the actual pyramids, for the way of beforetimes was quite messed up and the people had no means to quality control their recreational pharmaceuticals.
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Sorry, but I just had to nominate this. It melted in my brain, leaving a warm, sticky feeling.

Beanbag
 
This is a typical Conservative argument. They use if for racism as well. I've seen, in this forum, Conservatives make the argument that racism isn't racism because the racists don't lynch black people anymore...
 
Sabrina said:
If we're allowed to retcon history whenever we want, can I retcon my entire life so I end up disgustingly rich and married to the hottest man on the planet please?
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Sorry, I'm spoken for.

(Please do not hurt yourself laughing ... :D )
 
RecoveringYuppy said:
Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth. The concept of it being a sphere goes back at least 700 years before him. We probably don't know who first conceived the idea.
Click to expand...

My impression is that even though early astronomers and mathematicians considered a curved earth probable and a spherical earth plausible, they were just not very confident about it. Mostly the questions about why a traveler never seemed to get to the point where he was standing on an angle. No matter how far North or South they went, water was essentially level. They didn't get the whole gravity thing.

In the meantime, 99.999% of the non-astronomers took it for granted that the earth was flat.

It sure looks flat when you walk up a mountain and see as far as possible, so I don't blame them.
 
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