Steven Pinker tweeted about an op-ed article in the New York Times today that drew my attention. In the article, David Barash, an evolutionary biologist and professor of psychology at the University of Washington argues that evolutionary biology and religious belief are incompatible. Barash’s article apparently meets with deep respect from Pinker (and probably many other atheists that believe that science and religion are incompatible). However, I believe there are reasons to believe that Barash’s article should be taken with caution. What he describes to be doing in his biology class seems not so different from what creationists intend to do…
evolutionary theory
Nope, there was no first human
Many religious believers still cling to the idea that there must be a first human, somewhere down the line. Creationists even cling to the idea of the biblical parents of humankind: Adam and Eve. However, if you take evolutionary theory seriously, it turns out, there was no first human. The following video explains why this … Lees verder
Have British astrobiologists found extraterrestrial life?
One issue that fascinates me is the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Is there life out there? And if so, what does it look like? Is there another intelligent species somewhere? Moreover, what would be the implications of finding life elsewhere for the view we have of ourselves and our place in the universe? What consequences … Lees verder
Jerry Coyne and his empty vase
On his personal blog, evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne has given his opinion of Thomas Nagel’s review of Plantinga’s book. To those familiar with Coyne’s rantings about everything religious, it will come as no surprise that Coyne has no respect for Nagel’s appeal to Plantinga’s position. However, if you read Nagel’s review and Coyne’s review of Nagel’s review, I hope you will notice that Coyne shows himself in his review to be no philosopher.
Is Richard Dawkins (still) a “real” scientist?
Is Richard Dawkins a scientist? According to Edward O. Wilson, in a recent interview with The Guardian, Dawkins is not a scientist. Wilson claims: “Would you like to talk about Dawkins?” he continues – and when I [i.e. the author of the article, Susanna Rustin] say yes, he laughs. “I hesitate to do this because … Lees verder