

Now think about what it would take to explain why this single statement is wrong. In a 45 minute debate opening, one can easily present 45-60 fundamentally wrong things. Then reinforce that false statement again. Then tell the opponent that they can say it however they like. Then say something manifestly false, but say it with confidence. The tactic is to say something that is true. This is a good way of saying this… in a debate. I wholeheartedly agree with those textbooks. You can define evolution anyway use choose, I suppose…but the above is how a biologist that writes a 101 textbook would define it. That is the classic definition of evolution. Populations mutate every second and at least some of those mutations will become fixed in the gene pools of those populations. This is from the pro-ID guy.Įvolution is a fact of science. So the tactic is to throw so much shit (pardon the language, but that’s really the only correct terminology) at the opponent that they just don’t have time to respond all of it, then declare victory when the opponent doesn’t answer everything in minute detail.įor example, here’s a sentence that has come up in a recent on-line discussion I (and some others) have been having with an ardent ID proponent.
#Gish gallop how to#
But once his style got around, people learned how to beat him.His debate style is now what we call the Gish Gallop. What he really was, was a master debater (insert 7th grade joke here). In fact, he pretty much dropped off the radar about the time that Behe published Darwin’s Black Box. He’ something like 90 now so he’s not on the circuit much. He does have a graduate degree in Biochemistry (what is it with creationists and biochem?) from UC Berkley, so he’s not dumb. He was into creationism before all these new fangled inventions, like math, came out. Now, if you aren’t a hard-core creationist fighter (and I mean creationism, not Intelligent Design), you might not have heard of Duane Gish. Of course, they actually use the Gish Gallop in defending their decision to ban the use of the Gish Gallop.

Imagine my surprise when Uncommon Descent has decided that the “Gish Gallop” is no longer Kosher and will ban those who use the phrase. Well, he knew what it was, just not that it was called the Gish Gallop. I was shocked today that a fellow creationism fighter did not know what the Gish Gallop was.
