If you have some free time today, you may want to watch this live streaming video of a discussion at the Council for Secular Humanism’s annual conference. It’s about the confrontationalist vs. accommodationalist debate being waged within the rational side of “The Controversy” over evolution and creationism
The participants will be Genie Scott, PZ Myers, Chris Mooney, and others, discussing “Science and Religion: Confrontation or Accommodation?” It’s going to be a three-hour marathon, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Pacific Daylight Time).
We’ve posted a few times in the past about this topic, but without effect. For example, see: Religion and Evolution: Part II, and also Creationism: The Debate About The Debate — II.
After reading what your humble Curmudgeon has said, this is your chance to watch the heavyweights discuss the subject. If you have the time, be sure not to miss it.
Copyright © 2010. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.
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The Sensuous Curmudgeon 
Thank you so much for the tip, SC. Busy night for me but I want to see the highlights for sure.
Should be starting in ten minutes.
PZ is up now. And they’ve fixed the sound problem.
Every time I hear about the “Confrontationalist v. Accommodationalist Debate” I am reminded of Ken Miller’s warning in “Only a Theory” about how anti-evolution activists have succeded in uniting themselves (in a “big tent” that includes everyone from Geocentric YECs to common-descent-accepting OECs) and dividing their opponents. I’m not at all opposed to healthy internal debates about the science (e.g. selection vs. drift), theology (e.g. is God the ultimate cause or not) or how to handle the anti-science activists (e.g this debate). But too much of that crosses the line, making the activists’ job easier instead of more difficult. Izzat what we want?
If we could ever get the majority of nonscientists to understand that, (1) whether one starts from “God did it” or “Nature did it,” “it” is still evolution, common descent, and a ~4 billion year history of live, and (2) anti-evolution activists can’t agree on anything except “some designer did something at some time,” and mostly cover up their irreconcilable differences, then we can have these internal debates without worrying about crossing the line.
Any links to a recorded version? Didn’t see it on the site.