Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

And in other news, Jerry Coyne is NOT friends with Michael Ruse

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

File:A small cup of coffee.JPG

In “The disingenuous Professor Ruse” (Why Evolution Is True , July 29, 2012), Jerry Coyne shows how much he appreciates Darwinian professor Michael Ruse (who praised his book, by the way):

So it’s political after all! Doesn’t the man read what he writes from one column to the next? At least we’ve learned that Ruse’s sincerity is sometimes a ruse.

And where has he exercised his “right and obligation” to oppose Christianity? All he does is make the occasional remark that he’s an unbeliever. I wouldn’t call that opposition at all. In contrast, he writes books and columns not opposing their religious beliefs, but telling them how to make those beliefs compatible with science. If Christians were really Christians, they wouldn’t hold this against him. Is he that afraid to openly tell them why he disagrees about God?

How about, like most Americans, Ruse (a new citizen) is a good citizen? He doesn’t plan to be the east wind in all his neighbours’ faces. And would that country be a happier place if he was?*

Ruse also writes,

But my critics are right in thinking that my writing does have a political component. It is not, contrary to widespread belief, in the hope that I might win the Templeton Prize. They are never going to give it to a non-believer like me. Nor is it because I am secretly a Christian. I left my childhood Quaker faith at about the age of 20 and have never been attracted back.

Well, two prizes ago, they gave it to Martin Rees. He has good enough taste not to be a new atheist, but that wouldn’t distinguish him from Ruse. Anyway, just feel the love, over yer coffee.

*Seems clear enough to the UD News desk that it would not be. In fact, in one country to the north of the United States, an infamous section of law was just repealed, that made it an offense to offend somebody (who chose to complain). Predictably, a great many bad actors and bad citizens complained, producing a huge, useless uproar, distracting attention from – and preventing discussion of – critical issues, until the section became history. Meantime, it did a lot of damage to people’s lives.

Follow UD News at Twitter!

Comments

Leave a Reply