Intelligent Design and Its Critics

  • Rolston’s Understanding of “Possibility Space” in Evolution

    By on July 20, 1999

    The main difficulty I have with Holmes Rolston’s essay on “Possibility Space” is in his statement: “We face questions about the increase of complexity and diversity, about contingency and inevitability in such increase, about novelty and progress.” Looking over my notes from the April 19 presentation, I am struck by the comment that Rolston presents a fair amount of information

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  • Social Darwinism and National Socialism

    By on July 20, 1999

    I have just come back from a quick trip to the old German city of Jena, close to Weimar.  By one of those unfortunate accidents of history, Jena found itself on the wrong side of the border through the Cold War, so having suffered through thirteen years of the Third Reich and four years of Russian occupation, it had then

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  • Review of Stephen Jay Gould’s “Rocks of Ages”

    By on July 20, 1999

    Stephen Jay Gould is justly honoured not only for his contributions to science but also for his sensitive and humane spirit, something which shines forth from his popular writings – especially his monthly column in Natural History.  Nor should we forget his many activities on behalf of tolerance and understanding.  Not the least is the work he has done to

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  • Is Evolution a Secular Religion?

    By on May 26, 1999

    Does God have a sense of humour?  It is in fact an interesting theological point.  We usually think that a person with a sense of humour is better than one without – indeed, to say of Jaques in As You Like that “he is pretty humourless” is to say that Jaques lacks something which makes for a full human personality.

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  • Review of E.O. Wilson’s “Consilience”

    By on March 16, 1999

    I begin this review with two snapshot reactions. First, there was the review of Consilience in Science: this appeared early in 1998, and was written by a well-known philosopher of science who had himself written on some issues similar to those touched on by Wilson. To say that the review was negative would give negativity a bad name: it was

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