Tag Archives: science

More than a crisis

Variations on the general theme that things ain’t what they used to be are often heard but rarely taken seriously. And, as a general rule, the older the speaker is, the less seriously the claims are taken. Of course he would say … Continue reading

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Fantasies, facts and values

The Western cultural tradition, which combined various elements (religious, intellectual, scientific) into a rich and resilient and trans-national framework of thought and practice, is all but dead. Witness, for example, the increasingly propaganda-ridden media environment, the absurdities of identity politics … Continue reading

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The culture of science is the culture of the Left

Robert Tracinski, in What Atheists Have To Offer The Right‘s, kindly points to this website. He also goes on to assert: That leads me to what atheists have to offer to this agenda. One of the problems with citing a … Continue reading

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Eat That Apple!

Stanley Fish is not normally my favorite commentator, but his New York Times piece on curiosity today is well worth a look: …There is another tradition in which, far from being the guarantor of a better future, curiosity is a vice … Continue reading

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An atheist who favors Intelligent Design?

Over the past few days I’ve followed a slight controversy involving Intelligent Design proponent Michael Behe & John McWhorter (you can see the posts at ScienceBlogs, Michael Behe speaks on bloggingheads.tv affair, John McWhorter & Michael Behe bloggingheads.tv, 2 and … Continue reading

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The politics of science

Bryan Caplan observes of Behaviorial Geneticists versus Policy Implications: In most disciplines, experts oversell their ability to give useful policy advice. In behavioral genetics, however, experts strangely undersell their ability to give useful policy advice…. …The upshot: Behavioral genetics makes … Continue reading

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Greenhouse gasbags

More proof that greenhouse-gas environmentalism—for liberals, one of the main reasons for getting rid of the allegedly anti-science, religiously-driven Bush Administration–is just posturing.   The California  legislature has been struggling to close a $41 billion budget deficit.  This is the same … Continue reading

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Theology and belatedness

Anyone who has not read evolutionary theorist Jerry Coyne’s essay on science and religion in the New Republic is missing a tour de force.  Under review are two books attacking creationism and intelligent design.  Their authors–a physicist at Eastern Nazarene … Continue reading

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Chuck Colson and science

Chuck Colson has weighed in on the “proper role of science,” in response to President Obama’s inaugural science plug.  Colson’s column is a perfect example of theological panic, the condition that besets a certain portion of the devout when they … Continue reading

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Science and public policy

New York Times Deputy Science Editor Dennis Overbye celebrated the alleged “restoration of science” under the Obama Administration this week, sounding a Chris Matthews-ian note of ecstasy about Obama’s ascension.   I agree with most of Overbye’s essay, which makes a … Continue reading

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