Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

A Humble Suggestion

ID-phobe bloggers are upset with the NYTimes article yesterday by Kenneth Chang (for the article, go here; for a partial list of upset ID-phobe bloggers, go here). Brian Leiter, for instance, commends a letter by Edouard Machery to the New York Times (unpublished as yet), which remarks, “In no other industrialized country is evolution a controversial fact. ” Let me humbly suggest that Machery is merely underscoring the backwardness of these industrialized countries in unmasking the most oversold and undersupported theory in the history of ideas. God Bless America!

Let’s lighten up and have some fun

Leon Cooper, a Nobel laureate at Brown University, … tells all of today’s red-faced disputants: ”If we could all lighten up a bit perhaps, we could have some fun in the classroom discussing the evidence and the proposed explanations — just as we do at scientific conferences.” — The conclusion of William Safire’s essay Neo-Creo (21Aug05 NYTimes).

I’m Back

I’ve been assured that the moneys will be deposited in my Cayman account, so I’m back. The first thing I want to direct your attention to is the letter by the Office of Special Counsel to Richard Sternberg: http://www.rsternberg.net/OSC_ltr.htm. Compare this with the spin that Nick Matzke and the NCSE are trying to put on this affair: http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2005/08/sternberg_compl.html. Compare also Mike Gene’s commentary at Telic Thoughts: go here.

My Retirement from Intelligent Design

The rancor and daily vilification directed at me by the Pandasthumb has finally taken its toll. Never a kind word or a gesture of appreciation for all I’ve done to advance science and enrich our understanding of the world. Just criticism, vituperation, and abuse. I can’t endure it any longer. I’ve therefore decided to leave intelligent design and return to my first love — playing Chicago blues at the keyboard. Is this decision final? Might I make a comeback to intelligent design? Yes, it’s possible. If someone were to deposit $1,000,000 in my bank account (routing and account numbers available on request), I will consider a return. Otherwise, look for me around Halsted and Fullerton. Farewell.

Very long article on evolution/ID at Tech Central Station

Why ‘Theology Is a Simple Muddle’ By Lee Harris Published 08/19/2005 As one of my colleagues put it: “Twenty thousand words! And so far as I can tell, he has never read *anything* by comtemporary design theorists. Yet he proposes a way to reconcile ID to Neo-Darwinism. Maybe he should find out what he’s trying to reconcile first. ”

Justice is on the way — Thank you Washington Post

Editor Explains Reasons for ‘Intelligent Design’ Article By Michael Powell Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, August 19, 2005; Page A19 Evolutionary biologist Richard Sternberg made a fateful decision a year ago. As editor of the hitherto obscure Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Sternberg decided to publish a paper making the case for “intelligent design,” a controversial theory that holds that the machinery of life is so complex as to require the hand — subtle or not — of an intelligent creator. MORE

Evidence of Polarization

Amazon reviews of ID books tend to be either very positive or very negative. I was just looking to see how Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing was doing, and saw that every single review was either 5 stars (the highest rating) or 1 star (the lowest rating). The 1-star reviews are illuminating for their depth and insight. I include them here for your edification: Read More ›