Why it is so important to not take topics of interest personally

Welcome back... After a much needed break to catch up on some lethargy, I have a new entry. Lately I have been in contact with some interesting people around Fargo, and in the process, seem to have made an unwarranted enemy.

To keep the subject of this entry concise, the topic of discussion will have to wait until later, but know this. A man who claims to be a scientist is quoted in saying that "creativity is more important than skepticism" in the scientific method. I drastically disagree with him on this subject, but more importantly, when his ideas were proposed, the web of conspiracy theory, ad hominem attacks, and personal defenses shot up immediately.

It is so important to understand that I respect people if they behave themselves, it is the IDEAS I am judging. A true scientist would revel in the opportunity to find skeptics and the possibility of being shown to be wrong. Dawkins often recants the tale of his influential professor who was quickly shown his lifework was ill founded and then thanked the man publicly for providing an answer.

You see, incredible ideas, extraordinary developments need to be supported by extraordinary amounts of evidence. Thus, when you present something that would shake the very foundations of our understanding of nature, then yes, I do expect extraordinary evidence.

When you do not have that, I do not care if you don't have the time or money to investigate. This is your problem, the possessor of the burden of proof. When you are not in possession of sufficient evidence, you should both not make any conclusions nor claims. Yet the claims have been made. More importantly, I, who should be your friend in this endeavor have been made into your foe because your desire to believe the idea is stronger than the evidence.

This man, who I used to call a gentleman,  has resorted to verbal attacks and physical threats to defend his ideas. He has made it personal. Not only is this ineffective at determining truth from fiction, it serves to create drama. Emotions have no place in this objective process. I ask this man, please, drop this personal attachment to his ideas and approach it honestly and with humility.