Robert Pennock the Conciliator

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series Pennock, Monton, Matzke, Luskin

Robert Pennock recently wrote a guest blog in US News and World Report, calling for a sane and presumably peaceful end to polarization over the origins of life. His leadership toward that end is (ahem) rather remarkable. Pennock is a philosopher at my alma mater, Michigan State University; and his opinion, of which he has …

February 22, 2009 – 10:01 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Atheism, Origins and Science | Tagged , , , , | Comments (9)

Opponents, Not Enemies

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series Pennock, Monton, Matzke, Luskin

Once I again just recently I have watched The Return of the King, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, on DVD this time. How I love that story, both in the book and the film version! The DVD is accompanied by behind-the-scenes extra features, which included the actress who played Eowyn saying that though …

February 22, 2009 – 9:13 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in The Faith | Tagged , | Comments (52)

How Wrong Is It To Suggest a Darwin-Hitler Link?

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series Pennock, Monton, Matzke, Luskin

The estimable Nick Matzke has raised the issue here again whether we can appropriately draw any causal linkage from Darwin to Hitler or Nazism. He suggests that to make that connection is not only historically inaccurate but morally opprobrious. Some of what he has said is certainly exaggerated. Still, he has presented some new information …

February 26, 2009 – 8:48 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Ethics, Origins and Science | Tagged , , , | Comments (155)

Pennock, Monton, Matzke, Luskin, et al. (So Far)

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series Pennock, Monton, Matzke, Luskin

IN case you’ve missed it—it started with a post named Robert Pennock the Conciliator, in which I made remarks on philosopher of science Robert Pennock’s article on Intelligent Design (ID) in U.S. News and World Report. That post drew attention from another philosopher, Bradley Monton, whom Pennock had rather gouged in the USN&WR piece. Monton …

March 4, 2009 – 9:49 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Ethics, Origins and Science | Tagged , | Comments (14)

Lunch With Bradley Monton, “Intelligent Design’s Unlikely Defender”

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Pennock, Monton, Matzke, Luskin

I just had lunch with Bradley Monton, the University of Colorado philosopher who has stepped up as “Intelligent Design’s Unlikely Defender.” He and his friend/colleague Robert Pasnau were on their way to the Poudre River in northern Colorado for a kayaking trip, I’m in Fort Collins for a conference, and the three of us met …

July 29, 2009 – 7:00 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Origins and Science | Tagged , | Comments (55)