How Progressive Are You?

[Neil]

Even so, I don't think Vinnie has to worry about being pelted with stones if they find out what he does for a living.  It's not like he's an abortion doctor, adult bookstore owner, or gay rodeo participant.

He's not any of those, right? 

I dunno.  They don't want any of those dark-sided things near them.  Presumably, any science that doesn't agree with Genesis is dark-sided.

[Admiral Yi]

Don't ruin my chances.  :-[

:(She wasn't right for you.

[Fireblade]

Still, it's important not to confuse literalist Protestantism with conservatism.  Sure, there's lots of crossover between the two, but there are millions of conservatives who think that radiometric dating is A-OK and that there's no way that Noah's flood was a literal, global event.

Look at me.  I take conservative positions like being pro-death penalty, harsh prison sentences and anti-drug.  While I believe that a social safety net is useful and important, I also believe that it's important that it be focused on getting people working.  I'm fond of balanced budgets under most situations.  I support socialized medicine and health insurance supported by a robust network of private clinics and facilities, covered by supplementary, privately-supplied insurance.  I think that it is more important for schools to educate than to socialize.  I think it's important to protect the environment, but that this protection must also be balanced by economic growth.  I believe in crushing our enemies whereever they might hide, without worrying about whether doing so makes us worse than they are.  And I believe that science is far and away the best framework we have availible to understand our universe, and that education in the sciences is critical if we plan on having democracies.

I am a conservative atheist, and I'm wise beyond anyone's ability to match me.  All should just obey me, and the world would be worth living in.

Wow, you sound like a Democrat.

[Neil]

Still, it's important not to confuse literalist Protestantism with conservatism.  Sure, there's lots of crossover between the two, but there are millions of conservatives who think that radiometric dating is A-OK and that there's no way that Noah's flood was a literal, global event.

Look at me.  I take conservative positions like being pro-death penalty, harsh prison sentences and anti-drug.  While I believe that a social safety net is useful and important, I also believe that it's important that it be focused on getting people working.  I'm fond of balanced budgets under most situations.  I support socialized medicine and health insurance supported by a robust network of private clinics and facilities, covered by supplementary, privately-supplied insurance.  I think that it is more important for schools to educate than to socialize.  I think it's important to protect the environment, but that this protection must also be balanced by economic growth.  I believe in crushing our enemies whereever they might hide, without worrying about whether doing so makes us worse than they are.  And I believe that science is far and away the best framework we have availible to understand our universe, and that education in the sciences is critical if we plan on having democracies.

I am a conservative atheist, and I'm wise beyond anyone's ability to match me.  All should just obey me, and the world would be worth living in.

Wow, you sound like a Democrat.

But I'm not.  I'm a Conservative.

[szmik]

But I'm not.  I'm a Conservative.

It's just a label you're comfortable with.

[garbon]

Wow, you sound like a Democrat.

At best, a blue dog.  Of course, one could just take it as a reason why American political labels don't apply outside of the US...or even more extreme, rarely even apply to individual Americans.

[derspiess]

I dunno.  They don't want any of those dark-sided things near them.  Presumably, any science that doesn't agree with Genesis is dark-sided.

Btw, it's dork-sided

[Neil]

But I'm not.  I'm a Conservative.

It's just a label you're comfortable with.

It's an important part of my political identity.

[Neil]

I dunno.  They don't want any of those dark-sided things near them.  Presumably, any science that doesn't agree with Genesis is dark-sided.

Btw, it's dork-sided

I just assumed that she was from one of those parts of the US where they don't speak properly.

[FunkMonk]

Don't ruin my chances.  :-[

:(She wasn't right for you.

Too progressive, perhaps?  8)

[vinraith]

For the record, I'm an experimental/observational astrophysicist (not a cosmologist, that was Hami, that shit's out of my league), specifically I study emission nebulae (big clouds of photo-ionized gas, like the Orion Nebula, as distinguished from gas that's only visible because of reflected starlight, like the blue glow around the Pleides). I also have taught (and certainly will again teach) astronomy courses.

I assure you that if the conservative movement had its way, I would have no job. Modern conservativism has no use for pure science (and has no problem spreading that message through technology made possible BY pure science, of course). And yes, a certain subgroup of them would probably go further than that considering that I'm an unrepentant "evolutionist" that teaches the big bang theory and global warming science.

[MadImmortalMan]

I dunno, Vinnie. That doesn't sound like conservatives would want to put you out of business. He studies nebulae?? Burn the heretic!!!111 

[vinraith]

I dunno, Vinnie. That doesn't sound like conservatives would want to put you out of business. He studies nebulae?? Burn the heretic!!!111 

Most science of this sort, you must understand, is funded by NASA and the Air Force. You think conservatives would be comfortable with government money going to something so "frivolous?" Reagan (vaunted hero of the movement) spoke out ardently against government funding for any sort of pure science.

[FunkMonk]

Vinnie, I know this may sound cheesy, but thanks for your efforts in expanding human knowledge, no matter how big or small they may be in the big picture. I haven't taken an Astronomy course since high school, but it is very interesting to learn about. I hold scientists in high regard. 

[Neil]

For the record, I'm an experimental/observational astrophysicist (not a cosmologist, that was Hami, that shit's out of my league), specifically I study emission nebulae (big clouds of photo-ionized gas, like the Orion Nebula, as distinguished from gas that's only visible because of reflected starlight, like the blue glow around the Pleides). I also have taught (and certainly will again teach) astronomy courses.

So do you do a lot of work with star formation and early stellar evolution?

I assure you that if the conservative movement had its way, I would have no job. Modern conservativism has no use for pure science (and has no problem spreading that message through technology made possible BY pure science, of course). And yes, a certain subgroup of them would probably go further than that considering that I'm an unrepentant "evolutionist" that teaches the big bang theory and global warming science.

I think you're mixing the vocal Reagan-style Christian movement with the low-key Nixon-style conservatives.  Conservatism has a long, proud history of technocracy.