Category Archives: debate

Goodness!

Some readers have asked me to comment on the extracts from Dinesh D’Souza’s new book, Life After Death: The Evidence currently appearing on National Review Online. The first one’s here, the second here. I confess I can’t find much to … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy, Science & Faith | 49 Comments

Foundations Of Faith

More reinforcement for the idea that religious belief is a sort of overspill from key brain adaptations — adaptations that were selected for improved social functioning. We got better at being social animals by evolving brain processes for guessing our way into other people’s … Continue reading

Posted in Science & Faith | 28 Comments

Much Ado

I have responded to some of the comments on my Friday post "There Ain’t No Nothin’," putting the responses in a comment (#29). I’m never quite sure what should be a comment and what should be a posting and will … Continue reading

Posted in science, Science & Faith | 4 Comments

There Ain’t No Nothin’

This is very striking. It is a curious thing that we find ourself saying similar things about the material world at both its largest and its smallest scales. The thing we find ourself saying here is: “There is no such … Continue reading

Posted in science, Science & Faith | 35 Comments

More on Collins

Interesting comment thread on the Collins appointment. Just a few. P.Z. Myers bitterly attacks Kenneth Miller, who has provided expert testimony against “Intelligent Design” in court, as a “creationist.” Perhaps Myers does so attack Miller somewhere, but in a posting this morning … Continue reading

Posted in culture, politics, science, Science & Faith | 17 Comments

Francis Collins Tossed and Gored

Bigfoot atheist Sam Harris lays into Francis Collins, the new NIH Director, here. It’s a considerably expanded version (7,570 words vs. 953) of an Op-Ed Harris did for the New York Times.

Posted in science, Science & Faith | 37 Comments

12 Questions for Derb (cont.)

Hoo-ee, the commentators at Economist.com are even more rude and moronic than P.Z. Myers’, which I would not have thought possible. Is it naïve of me to be surprised? Though at least Economist.com screens out the f-word.

Posted in debate, economics | 7 Comments

Creationism, Right and Left

For a long time I’ve been noticing (as I’m sure other contributors have) curious parallels between religious creationists (Everything is the work of God! Who lives in the sky!) and left-liberal “culturists” (All group differences are due to Culture! Which drops … Continue reading

Posted in Science & Faith | 43 Comments

Science and Public Policy (cont.)

As I pointed out in a column a few weeks back, there are two sides to the Left’s claim to be the more science-friendly faction. It’s not just conservative politics that is hostile to science, it’s any politics, though the … Continue reading

Posted in politics, science, Science & Faith | 6 Comments

Evolution, Technology, and the Economy

A reader draws my attention to this rather good systems-theoretic piece by Matt Ridley in the London Spectator. Charles Darwin, who was born 200 years ago next month, has spent the 150 years since he published The Origin of Species … Continue reading

Posted in economics, history, Science & Faith | Comments Off on Evolution, Technology, and the Economy