… it’s about whether brown sugar or golden sugar goes better with organic Earl Grey.
At least, that’s the impression this self-regarding little project leaves: Two devout acolytes, profs Bob Richards and Michael Ruse, debate, Was Darwin a German Romantic or was he a Brit bulldog?
The long version is online, as above, promoting a forthcoming book. And the live (oh no, not really) debate is April 11:
Debating Darwin, Friday, April 11, 2014
Debating Darwin, a book by Robert J. Richards and Michael Ruse.
Each author provides a different conception of Darwin’s accomplishment.
After a brief presentation, the authors will be interrogated by David Sepkowski (Max Planck Institute, Berlin) Mark Borello (University of Minnesota) 10:00 a.m-12:00 p.m.
The authors will respond to each other, and then will be interrogated by the audience 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
“Interrogated by the audience” as in, Was this one of Darwin’s statements more wonderful than that one? Or is there really no way to tell?
My, my.
As if any of it mattered in an age when his legacy is—apart from U appointments and Templeton grants for these kinds of guys and donation-funded witch hunts for Darwin lobby pressure groups —now just kitsch blowing around Smolin’s multiverse. Or Tyson’s. And, oh yes, troll food.
Biology is turning out to be so unlike anything Darwin’s followers were ruining skeptics’ careers over even twenty years ago, but maybe these cultural artifacts are nice anyway for the online scrapbook.
Bet the sandwiches are superb.
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