Orr gives it right back to Dennett. 2) Dennett asks me to identify some allegedly serious thinkers on religion. I named two in my review but am happy to name them again: William James and Ludwig Wittgenstein. I chose these two as both wrote after Darwin and had training in science or engineering; both were,… Continue reading

William F. Buckley, that grizzled old lion of conservatism, opens an eye to consider Darwin once more, waves a paw…and repeats the obvious. Thereby further trivializing it. (sigh)

From an Open Letter to Home: Prior to 9-11, The United States had tolerated terrorists’ attacks and threats far too many times. We launched a token missile here or we talked tough there. It took a terrorist’s attack on our own soil before we became decisively engaged. And it was about time. I remember the… Continue reading

Pet Peeve Department. I’ve finally cleared away enough of my reading duties to get to Gene Wolfe’s Nightside the Long Sun (first of his four volume Long Sun series). Okay…there’s something that bugs me about this cover right off the bat, and it takes me a while to figure out what it is. Not a… Continue reading

Daniel C. Dennett has stepped up the pressure with an Open Letter to H. Allen Orr. I hope Orr responds. I also hope this is more than two egos with scores to settle. I’m enjoying the debate. My own feeling is that many of the reviewers are right, and that Dawkins’ coverage of philosophical arguments… Continue reading