Of audience, expertise and authority: The evolving creationism debate

Taylor, Charles

doi:10.1080/00335639209383997

Cited by 17 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Under the influence of Scottish Common Sense philosopher Thomas Reid, this inductive approach to scriptural interpretation found its parallel in an inductive approach to science among American fundamentalists (Taylor 1996;Marsden 1980Marsden , 1984Marsden , 1991Bozeman 1977). Informed by this heritage, American creationists approach knowledge in a strikingly inductive way (Taylor 1992(Taylor , 1996.…”

Section: Object-based Epistemology and Biblical Literalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Object-Based Epistemology at a Creationist Museum

Wendel

2010

Sci & Educ

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In a regional young-earth creationist museum, objects are presented as if they speak for themselves, purportedly embodying proof that the earth is less than 10,000 years old, that humans have lived on earth throughout its history, and that dinosaurs and humans lived simultaneously. In public lectures, tours, and displays, museum associates emphasize direct observation over inference or theory. These emphases resonate closely with the ''object-based epistemology'' of the late nineteenth century described in Steven Conn's Museums and American Intellectual Life, 1876-1926. In Conn's description, museum objects, artfully arranged and displayed, were intended to speak for themselves, and observation and categorization were valued over experiment and theory. The regional young-earth creationist museum is observed to partly succeed and partly fail in implementing an object-based epistemology. Although object-based epistemology represents a nineteenth-century approach to knowledge and museum display, it is compatible with an inductive approach to biblical interpretation and it confers various rhetorical advantages to creationist arguments. It is concluded that a focus on the theory-laden nature of data would likely strengthen nature-of-science education efforts to increase public acceptance of evolution.

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Section: Object-based Epistemology and Biblical Literalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Object-Based Epistemology at a Creationist Museum

Wendel

2010

Sci & Educ

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“…Research on the rhetoric of expert discourse has tended to focus on scholars from the hard and social sciences (cf. Lyne & Howe, 1990;McCloskey, 1985McCloskey, , 1993Miller, 2003Miller, , 2004Taylor, 1992). This manifests itself in a number of ways: Those debates in which expertise is acknowledged as playing a significant role are called technical debates; the product of expertise is typically termed as facts or as knowledge.…”

Section: Studying the Humanities Scholar As Public Expertmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Humanist Scholar as Public Expert

Eisenhart

2006

Written Communication

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Although the rhetoric of expertise stemming from the hard and social sciences has been well researched, the scholarship has not tended to focus on acts of public expertise by scholars from the humanities. This article reports a case study in the rhetorical practices of a theologian, acting as a public expert, first attempting to affect decision making in the Waco conflict in 1993 and then attempting to participate in and shape the public debates that followed it. To compare the practices of this humanities scholar to expectations from research on the rhetoric of expertise, a rhetorical analysis was conducted on the context, style, genre, and argument in the scholar's public writings. This article discusses (a) the role of kairos in the policy cycle in determining the scholar's bids for acceptance as an expert, (b) the use of narrative as a generic hybrid of intra-and interdisciplinary practice, and (c) the role of "understanding" as a special topic.

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“…Young Earth Creationism is distinct from Intelligent Design (ID), or reformed creationism, which is premised on a more moderate and quasi-scientific belief system which accepts some features of evolutionary biology including natural selection and the common lineage of humans and apes (Pennock, 2001a;Sarkar, 2007). By and large, creationists have been unwilling to compromise with science and have sought to advance their beliefs in a variety of public forums, ranging from education to the press (Taylor, 1992;Taylor & Condit, 1988). With the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment as a substantive legal barrier to teaching Christianity in public schools, creationists have sought out other venues in which they might establish themselves as legitimate stakeholders in a public controversy over scientific theory (Duncan, 2009;Haarscher, 2009;Numbers, 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%