Justin Katz
One could, I suppose, respond to Andrew Stuttaford’s prods about an intelligent designer by wondering aloud why this sort of thing isn’t an example of built-in wonder — a cold-blooded miracle, if you will: Twice within a year the brown arole lizard has evolved changes in its body and behaviour to outwit a predator —…
In the pages of the Providence Journal, Richmond, RI, resident Rod Driver encourages Rep. Jim Langevin to seal our fate and ensure war — perhaps with a nuclear component — with Iran (at least): On that date the House voted on an amendment offered by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D.-Ore.) to prohibit the administration from initiating…
Senator Reed’s “four-point plan” for resolving the Iraq conflict is reasonable — even if short on practical methodology — but he undermines his entire strategy with his statement of principle: Now the president needs to take the next step and make it clear to the Iraqis that our military presence is not open-ended and we…
A piece by Bernard F. Sullivan in Tuesday’s Providence Journal brings to light an interesting paradox. On the one hand, it’s difficult to fathom that a man with such apparent deficiency in categorical comprehension could have ever been a regional editor for a major newspaper. On the other, his expressed concept of government enables insight…
I don’t think Julian Sanchez understood what I was saying: … let me just address one qualm about the analogy between skeptical science and liberal societies. Katz doubts it will go through because while scientists have the shared goal of improving science (let this rather rosy view of actual scientists’ motivations pass for the moment),…
Perhaps I’m particularly attuned to such discussions because the past few months have brought an increase in Rhode Island progressives’ declarations that their goals are evolutionary inevitabilities, but I can’t get the ring of their proclamations out of my ear when listening to somewhat rightish rationalists. Take the following from Julian Sanchez: [Jonah Goldberg] mocks…
… that Brown University professor emeritus of psychology, medical science, and human development Lewis Lipsitt doesn’t offer one single example of what he means by “learning processes and socialization on a grand scale [that] will ensure human survival.” The same intelligence that brought us here must now be used to reverse aggressive assaults and promote…
Perhaps it’s needless to say that I disagree with commenter Anthony’s assessment, offered in a comment to a recent post by Marc: I think this election will force incumbent Republicans to move left, just as the Democrats were forced to put up more conservative candidates after years of unsuccessful attempts to elect left-wingers. The central…