Darwinism in Denial?
Economic growth options
[From the August 9, 2001 edition of The Washington Times] Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said recently that the economic slowdown might last despite the Fed rate cuts. His comments notwithstanding, there is no reason for us just to sit like toads and wait for some favorable alignment of the stars. We can revive high growth if we so choose. Read More ›
ID as a Theory of Technological Evolution
1. Nature and Art In Book II of the Physics Aristotle remarks, “If the ship-building art were in the wood, it would produce the same results by nature.” Aristotle is here contrasting nature and art. Nature provides the raw materials (here wood); art provides the means for fashioning those materials (here into a ship). For Aristotle, art consists in the Read More ›
Stem of the Stem Cell Controversy
Tumbling Into the Telechasm
When Bill Clinton assumed office nine years ago, I predicted he would enjoy one of the greatest economic booms in the history of the world. Impelled by the spread of the Internet, the onset of fiber optics, and a tenfold increase in venture capital — unleashed by the lower tax rates and deregulation of the Reagan administration — the Clinton Read More ›
Unleash Broadband
WorldCom’s impending $40 billion bankruptcy should galvanize Washington to this simple fact: For the last two years we have suffered not a mild recession but a technology depression. With 34 major bankruptcies so far and 24 more expected, the collapsing communications industry — 17% of the economy — is the prime source of a $4 trillion dollar decline in the Read More ›
Amid the Universe’s Chaos – A Few Habitable Places
It took 4.5 billion years for Earth to generate and evolve a life form that could think, reason, and finally fly off the planet. That’s a long time, even by cosmic measures. Perhaps too long. At a time when the only known sentient species has earnestly and optimistically begun to search for life on other planets, several scientists within that Read More ›
“Futile Care” and Its Friends
WHEN JOHN CAMPBELL’S TEENAGE SON CHRISTOPHER became comatose after a car accident in 1994, the last problem Campbell expected was obtaining proper medical treatment for his son. Campbell, a corporate executive, had excellent health insurance and was convinced Christopher would receive the best of care. But then something awful happened. One month after the accident, Christopher developed a burning fever. Read More ›