The Bone Peddlers: Examining A Case of Interrupting Education

Here’s a weird one for you.  There’s a book titled The Bone Peddlers: Selling Evolution, authored by William R. Fix.  The theory he created is gematria approved in quality, or rather lack of quality is described.  Psychogenesis - instead of being born mortal, dying, and then becoming a spirit it’s the other way around.  Spirits (I have no idea of where from or how they came to be), floated around and created matter and bodies.

So, basically it’s a rather odd and refreshingly different form of some kind of kooky idea that was created to have fun and make a buck.  But, never let an opportunity to capitalize on crank magnetism go unused.  Creationists started quoting the book as proof that Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was wrong.   And this discussion is so important it made its way to the:

Kansas wrestling team.

https://www.usawks.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=185609&page=1

February 2011, a forum created allegedly for wrestling topics turns into a philosophical debate without the booze, weed, and dingy & messy dorm room associated with college student debating.

I find the second entry to be particularly offensive although scientifically I’m on the same side of the argument.  This is what we call plagiarism.  Copied word for word from a review of The Bone Peddlers

https://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/bonepeddlers.html

Even a cursory glance through the first entries on the Kansas wrestling forum shows how it quickly becomes focused on religion vs. science, specifically Noah’s Ark.  And this is the kind of thing that happens with political messaging on social media all the time.  Side A has an argument with little or no empirical evidence.  Side B presents peer reviewed high quality evidence.  And the fun begins with all the doubling down, confirmation bias, and mental gymnastics.

And it’s all started by the person who acts as the proxy for our internet grifter.  Our Chief Renegade troll claims that here’s a secular person debunking evolution!  Give me your attention!!

And it works.  The “debate” lasted over a month.  Finally as it peters out there’s a “I got the last word, I win” message from the original poster not talking anything wrestling related.

The entire thing reads like a conspiracy theory discussion.  Start off with something relatively bonkers that shouldn’t be taken seriously.  (At least it wasn’t gematria!)  Troll a group to get them talking about it.  Then finish up with a completely incorrect conclusion about your victory while asserting your source is the ONLY OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE.

Nope.  Bacteria - Lenski.  Big flood - too many things wrong to recount here.  And very little discussion about the thread topic.