Ian Jobling wrote:
>>>> Yes, there are differences between Darwin's writings and the
neo-Darwinism of Dawkins, but they are not the differences that you
describe. Dawkins and other neo-Darwinists are perfectly aware that natural
selection is not the only force at work in evolution and that genetic drift
plays a part, and also, as I showed by quoting Dennett last night, no one
thinks that every aspect of the organism can be explained as an adaptation.
What you have to understand about Steven and Hilary Rose is that they are
just liars who simply make no attempt to represent their opponents
accurately. As James Watson, Nobel-Prize-winning co-discoverer of the DNA
helix said of them, "They're crooks".
I try to stay out of this EP debate, but I can't resist responding to this
accusation by Watson in light of my belief that winning a Nobel-Prize
doesn't give anyone indisputable knowledge and calling people crooks doesn't
really seem like it furthers scientific inquiry. I must say that I tend to
question the validity of any argument coupled with 'evidence' that is so
emotionally based!
But if we are going to degrade the list to this level, I must mention a
recent article printed in the San Francisco Chronicle. It sums up a
controversy that developed after Watson gave a talk at UC Berkeley this
month. The article is titled "Nobel Winner's Theories Raise Uproar in
Berkeley, Geneticist's views strike many as racist, sexist". The article
can be found at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/11/13
/MN111208.DTL and, in case you have trouble with the link, the author is Tom
Abate and the piece is dated Monday, November 13, 2000.
The piece begins:
Nobel laureate James Watson, whose co-discovery of
DNA revolutionized the field of genetics, has provoked
a scientific controversy by suggesting there are
biochemical links between skin color and
sexual activity and between thinness and ambition.
Watson advanced his thesis during a guest lecture at the
University of California at Berkeley last month, prompting
several faculty members to brand his remarks as
racist, sexist and unsupported by any scientific data.
. . . Even those who chalked up Watson's remarks to
his penchant for deliberately stirring things up were
concerned that hearing such views expressed by a
Nobel laureate would fuel irresponsible speculation
about how genes might influence behavior.
By the way, many letters have commented on the article since it was
printed -- and Watson has many public supporters, after all, he did win a
Nobel Prize . . . .
Amy
_____________________________
Amy Ione
PO Box 12748
Berkeley, CA 94712-3748 USA
Tel: 1 510 548 2052
Fax: 1 510 548 2054
Email: ione@Lmi.net
URL: http://users.Lmi.net/ione
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