Don’t believe the hype?
Yesterday, some media outlets reported that Noah’s ark may have been found somewhere in the Ararat mountains, and they quoted one of the lead discoverers as being “99 percent” certain that what was discovered is the legendary vessel. But just a little digging reveals that there is actually nothing warranting such a level of certainty at all. Here’s ABC News:
[Evangelical filmmaker] Yeung Wing-Cheung of Hong Kong said he is “99 percent” sure the wooden structure he filmed along with Turkish scientists and archeologists is the remnants of the famed ark God instructed Noah to build. . . . [Yeung said:] “We are . . . 99 percent certain that it is Noah’s Ark based on historical accounts, including the Bible and local beliefs of the people in the area, as well as carbon dating.”
The Bible, the folklore of nearby goat herders, and a not independently confirmed carbon dating number on some recovered wood gives Yeung 99% certainty about what he’s found?
Seriously?
If Yeung cannot reason clearly about what constitutes good evidence and grounds for certainty, why should we trust his judgment concerning anything else?
And he is making a film about this, right?
Don’t believe the hype.
Prometheus Unbound 