I wonder if this could be:
[ul]
[li]Nye agrees to debate [/li][li]Significant portions voices of scientific and skeptic community publicly exclaim “OMG, Bill what are you thinking?”[/li][li]People notice this, and it sheds light on the fundamental dishonesty of mainstream creationism[/li][/ul]
Indeed. Wouldn’t a creotard be someone who suffered mental retardation as a result of early exposure to creosote? The preferred nomenclature is “scientifically-challenged American”, Dude.
While I’d like to think Bill Nye is the Mad Science Guy, this sort of Machiavellian scheme is rarely seen in the wild. I’ve got to assume that Bill’s well-meaning but derpy. (In a non-scientifically challenged way, of course.) And/or there’s a fat paycheck at stake, which with all due respect to Bill, would be easier to understand.
Yeah, I think you’re right.
Maybe another scenario though: After the ‘debate’, Nye addresses and debunks all of the arguments in great detail. If he’s given the Gish Gallop, and handles it carefully, this is a possibility.
I don’t think its directly a paycheck. But Nye is kind of a borderline celebrity, and his main claim to fame is a TV show from two decades ago, so needs to keep his name out there and periodically re-establish his brand if he wants to keep getting speaking bits and talk-show appearances.
As I said, I haven’t heard the guys name in nearly a decade, but I’ve seen talk of this debate three separate places. So I’d say its working.
This is a mistake. All it’s doing is giving credibility to a creationist. Bill Nye should just point and laugh like the rest of science does. Creationists need things like this to get their message out there, they want people to see this kind of thing. It makes it look like there really is a debate when in fact creationism was dismissed out of hand decades ago.
There’s only so many ways this is going to go. If Bill Nye wins decisively, then everything is the way it always has been, creationism isn’t science. He doesn’t really gain anything. But if he doesn’t perform perfectly, if he screws up something or forgets something or any little thing that a creationist can pounce on, then people will think that maybe those scientists don’t really know what they’re talking about.
Ken Ham is going to work the crowd, going for popular support rather than any actual evidence. He’s going to make it look like he’s winning regardless of what’s actually going on in the debate, and of course no matter what happens he will claim he won.
This isn’t a debate. This is a creationist demanding to have his decades old long debunked crap heard in a credible setting. Ken Ham has everything to gain, and nothing to lose.
Bill Nye was a professional comedian before he was a professional… science guy. I’m holding out hope that he’s appearing in the former capacity.
Take my God - please!
Chicken of egg Ken? The yolk’s on you.
I bet he’s writing material even as we speak.
I’d kind of like it if Nye just walked on stage with a cream pie, pasted Ham in the face with it, then left the building.
Maybe that’s his plan. Let Hammy talk, and interject periodically with laughter so intense you think Bill’s head will explode. Never any refutation, never any “debate”… just guffaws. Every once in a while, Bill will get enough breath back to say one or two words, then set off again in peals of laughter.
Bill has been image-building of late… he’s made an appearance on Big Bang Theory, and wasn’t he on Dancing with the Stars recently?
Won’t that just give Ham the perfect opportunity to take the moral high ground and assert that he’s the only one taking things seriously (and therefore must be right)?
I think his best stuff was when he did both at the same time.
Pretty serious cyclist, too, from what I’ve heard.
He’s going to do that anyway, might as well get a laugh out of it.
The tickets sold out within minutes of Ham making his announcement. I can’t seem to find out whether he first announced it to the general public, or to the groups supporting him. If the former, then Mr. Nye might have some support out there, but if the latter then it’s going to get nasty in there.
I don’t have a particularly good feeling about this.
ETA: Also, I just went to the original Cincinnati Business Courier article and… I just… I mean… argh. :smack:
My theory:
Bill Nye was diagnosed with a terminal illness a few months ago and wants to do one last good deed for humanity before the end . . . he wants to go out with a BANG!
Stay far, far away from the debate. 
I saw Bill Nye on the news talking about his upcoming debate. He doesn’t expect to “win” if by “winning” you mean have Ken Ham or his followers suddenly change their absurd positions.
Bill stated his goal is really just to provide a legitimate scientific viewpoint to anyone in the area who might be interested.
So, they’ve figured out how big a cubit actually is! Oboy!
Nope, nor have they figured out what “gopher wood” really was.
Instead, their current models/mockups feature OSB (aka, cheap, pressed chipboard). :dubious:
Well, you know: Gophers are rodents, so when they gnaw on wood it creates wood chips, so chipboard is entirely appropriate! 