http://www.edge.org/documents/ThirdCulture/d-Contents.html
I've been reading The Third Culture cited by Tedd, in which Margulis said she
was a Darwinist, but argued against Neo Darwinism. Thought maybe I'd find
definitions of the terms. The "evolutionists" present a wide spectrum of
"facts" they each insist laymen accept as scientific truth. Most of all I am
enjoyng what some of the evolutionists say about each other.
Lynn Margulis: Richard Dawkins epitomizes my comments about how
scientists rationalize. In his televised response to the Gaia
hypothesis, he said, and I quote: "The idea [of Gaia] is not dangerous
or distressing except to academic scientists who value the truth." That
quote captures the arrogance of Dawkins. I invited him to come and
discuss Gaia ideas with Lovelock and me, and he declined even a
telephone conversation. I would have happily arranged such a trip and a
meaningful idea-tournament with Jim, as Dawkins knew. He prefers to take
potshots instead of actually discussing the details of Gaia. When he
says Gaia is "dangerous and distressing to scientists who value the
truth," he's talking about himself. Gaia is dangerous and distressing to
him because, unlike the rest of us, he values the truth. The inference
of his statement simply exposes his solipsism.
Margulis
Bertvan
http://members.aol.com/bertvan
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