Evolution Evolution quotes 31 May 2010 Evolution itself, it must be remembered, does not necessarily mean, applied to society, the movement of man to a desirable goal. It is a neutral, scientific conception, compatible either with optimism or with pessimism. According to different estimates it may appear to be a cruel sentence or a guarantee of… Continue Reading
Epistemology Do atheists "relapse"? 31 May 2010 Carol Everhart Roper at OpEdNews has an interesting essay “Is there such a thing as an ex-atheist?” and asnwers, anecdotally, no. I tend to agree. While it is a common trope by Christians in particular that they were atheists and converted, in every case with which I am familiar, and… Continue Reading
Epistemology Do atheists “relapse”? 31 May 2010 Carol Everhart Roper at OpEdNews has an interesting essay “Is there such a thing as an ex-atheist?” and asnwers, anecdotally, no. I tend to agree. While it is a common trope by Christians in particular that they were atheists and converted, in every case with which I am familiar, and… Continue Reading
Epistemology Some of my recent papers and reviews 28 May 2010 “What is a species? Essences and Generation” forthcoming in Theory in Biosciences. Review of the Cambridge Companion to Darwin for RNCSE. Secularism essay in which I argue that secularism protects religions. A shorter version of the Milvian Bridge essay, with Paul Griffiths Continue Reading
Epistemology Defining philosophy 22 May 201018 Sep 2017 While I am travelling, of course an interesting net phenomenon occurs: people trying to define what philosophy is. It began with Simon Critchley opening a philosophy blog in the New York Times. As pleased as some are to see such a beast, they objected to Critchley being the blogger, and… Continue Reading
Education Ruminations in Oxford 19 May 2010 The conference proceeds apace. I have met some very nice and interesting people: Pat Churchland, Owen Flanagan, Ara Norenzayan, whose paper I ineffectually commented upon, Robin Dunbar, Walter Sinnot-Armstrong, Tony Coady, Janet Radcliffe-Richards, and a number of people who I previously knew but am pleased to reacquaint myself with. One… Continue Reading
Book Sterelny reviews book on Gould 14 May 2010 Kim Sterelny is perhaps the most significant philosopher of biology working today, although he is not I think much of a fan of Stephen Jay Gould, who many think is significant too. This review of a book about Gould indicates the lay of the land in this dispute. Kim previously… Continue Reading
Administrative Off to the wilds of Oxfordshire 14 May 2010 So, tomorrow I fly to Oxford (well, to Heathrow, and bus to Oxford) to this conference on religion and toleration. It looks to be an interesting conference, and I am commenting on a paper by one of my favourite anthropologist/psychologists, Ara Norenzayan from UBC. It includes such luminaries as Amartya… Continue Reading
Creationism and Intelligent Design Testing universal common ancestry 13 May 2010 A long time ago, a young graduate student wandered into the festering cesspool of creationists and evolutionists known as talk.origins and offered to write a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions page) on whether or not macroevolution and common descent were supported by evidence. I had previously published a philosophical treatment of… Continue Reading
Book 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… Continue Reading