Stephen Jay Gould, 1942-2002:
For more information about David Berlinski – his new books, video clips from interviews, and upcoming events – please visit his website at www.davidberlinski.org. Stephen Jay Gould was the most important paleontologist of his generation, the impact of his life best measured by the wide-spread sense of loss occasioned by his death. Gould wrote widely on a variety of topics in Read More ›
‘Intelligent Design’ vs. Evolution
Original Article When Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution in 1859, most scientists were skeptical and said the theory lacked sufficient evidence. Now, nearly 150 years later, the vast majority of scientists accept evolution as the best explanation for life’s diversity. Nevertheless, a small contingent of scientists is pushing for an alternative. They call it “intelligent design.” And just Read More ›
Anthropology Afoul of the Facts
In 1928, Margaret Mead published Coming of Age in Samoa. An immediate success, this slender volume established Mead as the most famous and most influential anthropologist of the 20th century. For nearly half a century, whether writing scholarly articles from her desk at the American Museum of Natural History in New York or pontificating as contributing editor of the popular Read More ›
The New Facism
Chances are we will be less free in the coming years because of a rising statist authoritarianism primarily emanating from Europe. The increasing assault on financial privacy is an example of this new threat to individual liberties. Financial privacy, a fundamental liberty which is necessary for individuals to protect themselves from corrupt or despotic governments, kidnappers and other assorted criminals, Read More ›
Obsessively Criticized but Scarcely Refuted
1. Preamble
I have many critics. Some are measured and calm. Others are obsessive. Richard Wein is perhaps the most obsessive. His critique of my book No Free Lunch (hereafter NFL) weighs in at 37,000 words and purports to provide the most thorough refutation of my work to date. It certainly is long. But is it thorough and does it succeed in actually refuting my ideas? In fact, the critique fails as a refutation and skirts key issues at every opportunity. It is therefore neither thorough nor a refutation.
Read More ›The Crusader
From the In the Northwest roundup column, on Discovery board chairman John Miller The crusader: As a Seattle congressman from 1984 to 1992, Republican John Miller spoke out against both his city’s and his administration’s foreign policy. He denounced human rights abuses by the Sandinista rulers of Nicaragua at a time when Seattle political and religious figures were acting as Read More ›
Intelligent Design
Adoption Principles
On both sides of the Atlantic, the argument is being made that the only way to find enough families for children in need of homes is to allow cohabiting persons who are unmarried whether heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered to adopt. At first, the heightened attention by the media on gay and lesbian adoption was spurred in Read More ›
Poll of Ohio Backs Teaching the Controversy Over Darwin
A Zogby International poll conducted this week shows strong agreement (65 percent) among Ohioans for an educational policy that “Biology teachers should teach Darwin’s theory of evolution, but also the scientific evidence against it.” Nineteen percent believe that “Biology teachers should teach only Darwin’s theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it.” Sixteen percent back “Neither/Not Sure.” The Read More ›