dog daze (II)

Those atheists who most strenuously object to Matzke’s claim will in general have the greatest emotional and intellectual stake in that position—and as such will ironically have invested in their atheism many of the very religious sensibilities that they claim to abjure. [read more]

dog daze

Which is more damaging to the scientific enterprise—the anti-evolution beliefs of the general public (which, through the miracle of federal funding, have precious little impact on how research is actually conducted), or [read more]

breaking: philosophy of science not boring

The chair of my dissertation committee is featured in the science section of today's New York Times. Evolutionary scientists have never had difficulty explaining the male orgasm, closely tied as it is to reproduction. But the Darwinian logic behind the... [read more]

intelligent design: a discourse

On Wednesday 30 March I will be giving an invited talk before the Indiana University Campus Freethought Alliance. The topic will (conveniently) coincide with my dissertation research: critical analysis of modern design arguments in biology. The audience should be a... [read more]

intelligent design as op-ed

As one of the ID movement's most visible proponents, Behe might seem a good choice for such a task; but he seems to regard this statement of postulates as an argument, which clearly it is not. Perhaps the kindest conclusion to be drawn is that he should stick with the biochemistry. [read more]

physician, heal thyself (part I)

Or: the peril of writing beyond your knowledge. Once upon a time, when I was still a graduate student in physics, I was at dinner with some colleagues and their significant others. During the meal the question arose of why... [read more]

the scientist as philosopher-king

Scientists should, and will, continue to play a role in the shaping and implementation of policy. But the answer to our admittedly imperfect system is not resort to an order of Platonic philosopher-kings. Or of Lewontin's philosopher-princelings, for that matter. [read more]

randomness and design

I've not yet posted a lot on this blog concerning the philosophy of science, or for that matter just science straight up—which is a little odd, considering my vocation. But tonight Donald Sensing has provided inspiration enough. He writes: The... [read more]

sleeping with the enemy

As longtime readers of this site might recall, my fixation on electoral politics is a distraction from a very different purpose: writing a PhD thesis in the history and philosophy of science. My dissertation is an analysis of the many... [read more]

"the professoriate and the truth"

After a week of following the news much less closely than is my wont, I am a little slow on getting back into a daily posting rhythm. So tonight I'll start with an easy one. Last week at the unfortunately... [read more]

overview: A critical analysis of modern design arguments

For graduate students, the temptation to inflate the importance of one's dissertation topic is an ever-present one. Even those whose grip on wider reality remains strong want desperately to believe that their work is, at the least, somewhat interesting for... [read more]

religious tolerance and the Nobel

Phillip Johnson, emeritus professor of law at UC-Berkeley, has made a second career of arguing against “Darwinism.” The scare quotes are necessary, as the meaning of the word varies wildly depending upon who is using it and in what context.... [read more]