Some liberal politicians have extrapolated the theory of relativity to metaphorically justify their own political agendas. For example, Democratic President Barack Obama helped publish an article by liberal law professor Laurence Tribe to apply the relativistic concept of "curvature of space" to promote a broad legal right to abortion. As of June 2008, over 170 law review articles have cited this liberal application of the theory of relativity to legal arguments. Applications of the theory of relativity to change morality have also been common. Moreover, there is an unmistakable effort to censor or ostracize criticism of relativity.
62 comments
How about I go ahead and nominate Andy Schlafly as Biggest Dunderhead in the Universe, because I know he generates at least one idiotic asinine statement a day since I see at least one of his quotes every day on this site. Also, he is such a massive idiot that it creates a moronic singularity of such a scale that it creates a black hole of stupidity.
"For example, Democratic President Barack Obama helped publish an article by liberal law professor Laurence Tribe to apply the relativistic concept of "curvature of space" to promote a broad legal right to abortion."
I will give you my internal organs if that ever happened.
E=MC^2, therefore, we pull the fetus out of your womb?
I think Schlafy just became even more stupid than he already was. I didn't think he could do that anymore.
Whoha! Ouch, I cricked my neck in the twist from Curvature of space to abortions.
Aren't abortions already legal in the US, and weren't they legal throughout Baby Bush's eight years in office?
Criticism of reality ought to be ostracized.
This is probably my favorite Andy quote (and there are a lot of them). Only someone truly insane could actually tie abortion in with the Theory of Relativity.
I mean think about it for a second. He's actually claiming that some evil liberals are saying, "E=MC2, therefore women should have the right to kill their unborn babies if they want to." It's not even like he misunderstood "relativity" to mean "moral relativity," he actually mentions curvature of space. It's like he's the biggest Steven Colbert-type parody of right wing conservative nutjobs there is, except it's no parody.
The misunderstanding here (being charitable in a way which isn't perhaps entirely justified -- it seems more likely to be deliberate misinformation to me) is quite subtle:
Tribe does indeed use relativity as one of his starting-points and he does criticise Charles Fried in his contention that the state has the right to forbid abortions but not to compel them. However he does not use the ToR to *justify* anything. It is simply an analogy for something he sees as an important misconception in the way laws are framed: that laws do not change the society they legislate over.
It's closer in spirit to the more quantum-mechanical idea of observations changing the observed (which he explicitly states) anyway but the main point is not that one justifies the other, more that (he feels) the necessary paradigm shift can be understood using this analogy.
Regardless of this judging a piece of perfectly good science on its (ab?)uses by the politically minded is as unsound as it gets.
I don't get it. What does the curvature of space have to do with abortion and morality, or am I missing something?
As of June 2008, over 170 law review articles have cited this liberal application of the theory of relativity to legal arguments.
I'll convert to fundie Christianity if any lawyer of any integrity has actually use the theory of relativity, not as a metaphor, but as an actual legal argument for anything that isn't physics related or if Obama used it, again, not as a metaphor but as an argument, for abortion.
@Kuno-
And this guy really has a law degree from Harvard?
Really? How, in the FSM's name is that possible?
image
"Extrapolated the theory of relativity to metaphorically justify their own political agendas."
image
What the flying fuck ? Even for Andy Schlafly, this is stupid. Theory of relativity in politics? What the fuck does that even mean?
What, just WHAT, does the curvature of space have to do with abortion?
Andy, I think it's time for you to go to bed. You're tired.
Democratic President Barack Obama helped publish an article by liberal law professor Laurence Tribe to apply the relativistic concept of "curvature of space" to promote a broad legal right to abortion.
Biblical literalists have applied the relativistic concept of "curvature of space" to try to explain how a universe created 6,000 years ago could have a star 170,000 light years away. Only they weren't just speaking metaphorically.
the theory of relativity
It's about time Schlafly learned the difference between relativity and relativism.
I think he means relativism, but he's just too stupid to know the difference.
Andy, one more time... all together
Theory of relativity in physics does not equal moral relativism in anything.
You have a degree in electrical engineering, please go read your books again.
Not "Democratic President" you fact-denial-addict!!
*President Obama*.
Oh, by the way, Mitt *lost*.
People, he's trying to disparage thinking, learning, and critical thought.
Thus, he just associates whatever he's trying to decry with stuff his buddies are already mad about.
Just for added fun... Ideas about the curvature of space are only addressed in Einstein's later Theory of General Relativity; the earlier Theory of Special Relativity, out of which E=mc2 came, has essentially nothing to do with the issue.
In other words, it's as if Schlafly were attacking "what's in a name?" from <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> as a pernicious liberal plot to take away Christian names and replace them with Islamic ones (which wouldn't surprise me one bit), and went on to "prove" this by showing some lawyer quoting from <i>Hamlet</i> in some church-state case.
1.)Lorentz transformations give more accurate results at higher speeds than Galilean transformations.
2.)???
3.)Every woman should have the right to choose.
Be more explicit in the step 2.)
Correct me if I'm wrong but I assume this refers to when Obama was in charge of the Harvard Law Review, a publication Schlafly served on at the same time (they were acquaintances at Harvard). Tribe wrote an article; Obama included it in the paper. That's the full extent of how "Obama helped publish an article...".
RationalWiki has suggested that Schlafly's problem with Obama began when both of them ran for the presidency of the Harvard Law Review and Obama defeated Schlafly. There is no proof that Schlafly was or wasn't in the running but given Schalfly's opinion of himself it does seem likely.
Here is someone who - whilst at Intel - developed non-volatile memory: a precursor to modern flash drives.
Who now thinks Relativity is the same as Moral Relativism .
This is your brain on Fundieism, kids.
Not even once . And stay in school. [/Kitzmiller vs. Dover]
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
To post a comment, you'll need to Sign in or Register . Making an account also allows you to claim credit for submitting quotes, and to vote on quotes and comments. You don't even need to give us your email address.
