Ray Comfort versus Richard Feynman

[pokerfan]

F---ing magnets. How do they work?

Category: Creationism • Kooks
Posted on: November 3, 2010 by PZ Myers

First, he complains about Richard Feynman (I know! Comfort vs. Feynman sounds a bit like Bambi vs. Godzilla), because he didn't give a simple answer to the question about how magnets repel and attract, but actually goes on at length about what are good questions before explaining succinctly that these forces are everywhere, we just take them for granted. It might be annoying if you want a one-sentence answer, but aren't willing to accept "go master Maxwell's equations" as that explanation.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/11/magnets_how_do_they_work.php

I have always been attracted to magnets, because the repulsive force really fascinates me. Of course a small number of atheists won’t know what I am talking about, because magnetic repulsion is invisible. You can’t see it, touch it, taste it, hear it, or smell it, therefore it doesn’t exist.

All I saw was a very uncomfortable man dance around in circles, until he finally admitted that he didn’t have a clue as to why magnets do what they do. He just didn't know. He reminded me of how the typical believer in evolution reacts when he’s pushed into a corner, and asked for an evidential explanation of the theory.

http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2010/11/am-i-wrong-about-this.html

Some great comments in both blogs.

[laconicsax]

1. The video of Feynman is great stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMFPe-DwULM

[trotsky]

2. This comment on the Pharyngula thread had me guffawing...

"If Ray Comfort can't unlock the deep mysteries surrounding a banana, then there probably isn't much hope for him understanding one of the fundamental forces of the universe."

:rofl:

[dimbear]

3. The comment implying magnetism is incredibly complex is true.

The idea that Maxwell's equations will allow you to understand it is not. You need quantum mechanics absolutely. Quantum mechanics will tell you that it arises from spin, and that spin arises from we know not where.

[pokerfan]

4. It depends upon the desired level of understanding...

and I suspect that Ray Comfort is satisfied with God's magic.

And delving deeper, what is charge? I realize that this a rather odd question for an EE to be asking, but what is it, really? A proton is positive because it's comprise of two up quarks and one down. 2/3 + 2/3 - 1/3. Okay, where does the quark get its charge? Does it even make epistemological sense to say that a quark (or an electron) has charge? Maybe it's turtles all the way down... :) You can also get here by asking why is the sky blue?

[BurtWorm]

5. That's an even match.

The dead vs. the brain dead.

:popcorn:

[TZ]

6. what part of "measurable force"

does Ray Comfort not understand?! You can't see, smell,hear or taste antibodies with ones senses, like with magnetism, but I measure precise amounts of them everyday. Somebody please tell me this dope didn't go to public school. I was in sixth grade when I started learning to measure "invisible" forces like magnetism, electricity etc....

[trotsky]

7. You gotta cut him some slack.

He thinks today's sterile Cavendish banana was designed by his god. The man clearly does not have a lot of brain cells to work with.

[TZ]

8. true.

But unfortunately, he's not the only one. I seem to recall that occasionally the meme about "invisible forces not being real" to atheists has floated around here even.....But what do I know, I'm just one of the scientific taliban around here...;)