Chemical and Engineering News has an interesting review of Dawkins' childrens book The Magic of Reality. Part of what makes the review interesting is that one of the authors is seven years old.
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James Hannam
I am a historian of the relationship between science and religion, and also write on the UK tax system. My first book was published as God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science in the UK and The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution in the US. My apologetics website is Bede's Library. I am also the author What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax and write about tax at my other blog. I can be found on Twitter as @DrJamesHannam.
Humphrey Clarke
I am a historian of a very middling and amateurish sort. Having taken a Masters in Modern History at the University of St Andrews (2004), I completed a law conversion course at Nottingham Law School and embarked upon what has been an exciting career in legal technology. My chief interests are in Twentieth Century History, Colonial America, Historiography and, most recently, the History of Science. I also write a satirical blog at The Diary of Humphrey Clarke. I hope my contributions to Quodlibeta capture something of the pleasure I get from trawling my dusty collection of second hand history books.
Jim S
I have a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Master's degrees in Philosophy and Theology. I'm a generalist, my areas of expertise being epistemology, logic, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, and science and religion. I did my philosophical studies in Continental Europe, and currently reside in the Pacific Northwest. I also write the Agent Intellect blog. In my mid-20s I decided to refute Christianity to set my conscience at ease. Two subjects I turned to in particular were science and philosophy. I accidentally argued myself into it.
I am a historian of the relationship between science and religion, and also write on the UK tax system. My first book was published as God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science in the UK and The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution in the US. My apologetics website is Bede's Library. I am also the author What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax and write about tax at my other blog. I can be found on Twitter as @DrJamesHannam.
Humphrey Clarke
I am a historian of a very middling and amateurish sort. Having taken a Masters in Modern History at the University of St Andrews (2004), I completed a law conversion course at Nottingham Law School and embarked upon what has been an exciting career in legal technology. My chief interests are in Twentieth Century History, Colonial America, Historiography and, most recently, the History of Science. I also write a satirical blog at The Diary of Humphrey Clarke. I hope my contributions to Quodlibeta capture something of the pleasure I get from trawling my dusty collection of second hand history books.
Jim S
I have a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Master's degrees in Philosophy and Theology. I'm a generalist, my areas of expertise being epistemology, logic, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, and science and religion. I did my philosophical studies in Continental Europe, and currently reside in the Pacific Northwest. I also write the Agent Intellect blog. In my mid-20s I decided to refute Christianity to set my conscience at ease. Two subjects I turned to in particular were science and philosophy. I accidentally argued myself into it.
4 comments:
Very interesting review
The comments were also better than I've come to expect (he comments).
Dean
Scientists (a.k.a. empiricists) are so intellectual dishonest and shallow that they don't have a theory that can take account of causes, yet use this explanation (myth) every day.
Would you really want to follow such a bankrupt philosophy and people lacking such intellectual integrity young person?
Insults can be exchanged. It doesn't help us arrive at an adequate account of our experience though.
I always get a kick out of people saying things like we see Dawkins does here, and the review doesn't really call out the ridiculousness of it (and actually seems to praise it: "As he points out, it is far more 'miraculous' than a creation myth to think of how it took billions of years of evolution to produce creatures who are now capable of understanding where they came from."
The idea that this somehow is an awe-inspiring, magical thing is entirely subjective. Personally I have to say no, I don't find it either more miraculous or even the least bit impressive or interesting. I am always amused by this type of what I have come to call "Saganism," for lack of any word I know of; I'd define it roughly as the idea that certain facts about science and/or the natural world are inherently, objectively beautiful.
It's the type of argument that doesn't convince anybody who doesn't already agree with you, but of course that it is the type of argument Dawkins likes best, so, no surprise.
I don't take Dawkins seriously, nor do I take those who espouse his views. There are really two reasons I don't take them seriously: 1) They almost always misunderstand metaphysics 2) They have no understanding of the very serious issues in the philosophy of science. I have a co-worker who is cut from this cloth, and I finally stopped getting into discussions with him, because he doesn't want to understand theistic arguments.
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