Paper withdrawn from Synthese 30 Apr 2011 Massimo Pigliucci, head of the Philosophy Program at City University of New York, and Raphael Scholl from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bern, have withdrawn a paper from Synthese. Here, with their permission, is the text of the letter they sent to the editors in chief: To the Editors-in-Chief of Synthese Dear Sirs, It has come to our attention that the print edition of a recent special issue of Synthese titled “Evolution and Its Rivals” was preceded by a disclaimer which expressed regret at a perceived deviation from usual academic standards. As we understand it, this disclaimer was added by the Editors-in-Chief despite assurances to the issue editors that no such disclaimer would be added. Moreover, we understand that the disclaimer was added in response to pressure from proponents of so-called “intelligent design theory” (ID) who took offense at a critique of ID written by Prof. B. Forrest. Notably, this happened after the online publication of the article in question. We are deeply concerned by these events. If the account given above is correct, we believe that the Editors-in-Chief of Synthese have treated their issue editors and their authors unprofessionally by casting aspersion on their academic conduct. Moreover, we fail to see why the article in question warranted the addition of a disclaimer. It seems to us that the article advanced philosophical arguments in a tone befitting critical academic discourse. Surely it is not a failure of “politeness or respect in phrasing” for an author to argue – even vehemently – that somebody else’s arguments are unfounded or based on prior ideological commitments. Most importantly, however, we are concerned by the possibility of political and religious interest groups exerting influence on the publishing processes of an academic journal. We hold Synthese in high regard and believe it to be among the very best venues for academic work in philosophy of science. However, in view of the concerns discussed above, we are withdrawing our manuscript currently under review at the journal, entitled “Abstraction in Scientific Models and the Research Program of Evolutionary Developmental Biology.” We hope that the Editors-in-Chief will issue a correction, explanation or apology concerning this matter so as to avoid permanent injury to Synthese’s reputation for excellence. Yours faithfully, Massimo Pigliucci Philosophy Program, City University of New York, U.S.A. Raphael Scholl Department of Philosophy, University of Bern, Switzerland Creationism and Intelligent Design Philosophy Philosophy
Epistemology Pattern cladism and the myth of theory dependence of observation 4 Mar 2011 A new paper has been published in the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, entitled “Pattern Cladism, Homology, and Theory-Neutrality” by Christopher Pearson. Either the journal has done something horrible to the text, or the author doesn’t know the difference between Willi Hennig and William Hennig, or between Gareth… Read More
Epistemology Classic quotes: Hume 30 Sep 2010 You propose then, Philo, said Cleanthes, to erect religious faith on philosophical scepticism; and you think, that if certainty or evidence be expelled from every other subject of enquiry, it will all retire to these theological doctrines, and there acquire a superior force and authority. Whether your scepticism be as… Read More
Biology Social dominance psychology in humans 2 Jul 200922 Jun 2018 There is a syllogism I call the Phylogenetic Inference: All members of clade X are F Species S is a member of clade X S is F It’s not infallible, but it is a good inductive rule, because monophyly acts as a kind of Straight Rule for biological induction. Let’s… Read More
pwnd. Could you imagine if such a disclaimer was put in Journal of Virology to appease HIV Deniers? Very poor decision.