PZ Watch 10-14-09: Too Good!

Today PZ says,

OK, I confess: I completely lack the tools and background to evaluate this claim:

A pair of otherwise distinguished physicists have suggested that the hypothesized Higgs boson, which physicists hope to produce with the collider, might be so abhorrent to nature that its creation would ripple backward through time and stop the collider before it could make one, like a time traveler who goes back in time to kill his grandfather.

Except for one thing: the proponents of this idea are operating in the world of pure speculation, and have no evidence to support it, yet. That tells me that I'm best off provisionally rejecting it. I'll start incorporating crazy counter-intuitive notions about the nature of the universe when the cold implacable hand of the universe starts shoving them down my throat, not before!

Let's take this verrrry slowly and savor it. PZ identifies a world of "pure speculation". This, he claims, is a place where "there is no evidence to support it." Now of course there are math and logic and quantum theory to support it, so appparently what PZ is referring to is hard evidence: experimental. Yes, experimental evidence is needed, according to PZ, in order to avoid a "provisional rejection" on his part - despite his admission of being knowledgeless in this area of science.

In fact he requires this hard evidence in Charleton Hestonian terminology":

"I'll start incorporating crazy counter-intuitive notions about the nature of the universe when the cold implacable hand of the universe starts shoving them down my throat, not before!"

Well, PZ, here is a "crazy counter-intuitive notion":

"We can build up immense amounts of complexity from nothing but noise..." (PZ Meyers, 10-11-09)

Where is the HARD, NON-SPECULATIVE evidence? Mmmm Hmmm; it must be buried in that mountain of SPECULATIVE evidence that is so often brandished about in evoutionary apologetics, eh, PZ?

Or maybe, PZ, you are ANTI-SCIENCE?? Mmmmm Hmmmm. Now, "Dr. Nielsen is well-qualified in this tradition. He is known in physics as one of the founders of string theory and a deep and original thinker..." This is no lightweight; this is an expert we're talking about here, PZ; you are rejecting an expert in his field? A field where you "have no tools"? Uh oh. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm!