It is now known all across the country and all over the world: The Board of Education in the State of Kansasdecided, on the basis of a vote of 6 to 4, that the children in that state ought not to be taught the theory of evolution, nor Genesis according to Big Bang. The board…
Seen from our earthly abode, they appear as white harmonic formations, gliding across the enormity of the deep blue sky toward their winter homes. Seeing them fly so freely in such a precise manner, one wonders: Are the geese going south because a little hormone in their bodies has triggered a series of actions which…
In his recent book The Fifth Miracle, Paul Davies suggests that any laws capable of explaining the origin of life must be radically different from scientific laws known to date. The problem, as he sees it, with currently known scientific laws, like the laws of chemistry and physics, is that they are not up to…
A one-volume history of Western civilization would surely have to have a chapter devoted to sex, marriage, and related activities and customs, and no less surely would make the claim that over this whole, most important aspect of human flourishing lies the clammy fog of the Christian religion. Although Judaism, from which Christianity came, has…
In the summer of 1850, the Englishman Alfred Tennyson galloped past the opposition and was appointed Poet Laureate. He was not an obvious choice, but his triumph was made nigh inevitable by the smashing success of his new poem: In Memoriam. Written as a tribute to a college friend, Arthur Hallam, who had died some…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…