FAPP on the doorstep 12 May 2010 My copy of What Darwin Got Wrong by Fodor and Piatelli-Palmarini has arrived and was waiting at the door for me this AM. God the British mail system is fast to Australia! Now I owe a series of posts on Rossano’s book first, but perhaps I will read FAPP on the plane (to the UK this Saturday, volcano permitting) and write a review. I intend to respond to the most charitable reading of their arguments I can make out. Stay tuned… Book Evolution Philosophy EvolutionPhilosophy
Evolution An unnecessary rebuttal 29 Oct 2009 A paper has been published formally rebutting the single most stupid idea ever published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS(USA)). The story is in Scientific American but the gist is that Lyn Margulis, who sees the world in terms of endosymbiosis, having once correctly argued… Read More
Ethics and Moral Philosophy Kinds of free will 29 Jul 2010 Jonah Lehrer points to a post by philosopher Galen Strawson at the NYT blog on the nonexistence of free will. Strawson’s argument is basically that actions are performed for (causal) reasons that are outside our control, and so we have no free will. I agree that our actions are performed… Read More
Book Book review: Evidence and Evolution 26 Aug 2009 For those of you who have access to Systematic Biology, my review is here. It is online only so far. Elliot Sober’s book is by far the hardest book I have ever had to review, being one of the most complex and technical of its kind. It took me six… Read More
I’ve been waiting for it impatiently. Though I don’t think yours will be scathing as other reviews. Marco F
If only the British mail system were as fast to Britain. (Sorry I can’t join you for a nice, non-chilled pint of non-fizzy real ale, but I’m snowed under at work at the moment). Next time, maybe?