From a review by Jonathan Rosen of two books about owls at the Wall Street Journal:
As both books detail, the anthropomorphic effect of the facial disc [of the owl] is an accident of evolution that has sculpted owl faces into satellite dishes that direct sound waves to their ears. (paywall)
Our philosopher friend Laszlo Bencze writes to say,
Let’s see: accidents have sculpted. Really? Somehow I thought that sculpting—as opposed to eroding—require a sculptor. Furthermore the result of the accidents is “satellite dishes that direct sound waves to their ears.” My my. None of the accidents in my life have ever resulted in anything half so marvelous. I just get smashed bumpers and broken crockery. Just once I’d like to drop a drinking glass in the sink and have it transform into a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. Shoot I’d be happy if just became a saucer and I didn’t have to clean up a bunch of tiny shards.
Funny how people who write sentences like that never notice the internal contradictions.
Laszlo, they aren’t allowed to notice the internal contradictions. They would quickly be identified as the Enemies of Science.
Note: The books are The Enigma of the Owl” and Owl.
See also: Protein families are still improbably astonishing – retraction of Matlock and Swamidass paper in order?
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