Re: Phillip Johnson (and Methodological Naturalism)

From: Sarah Berel-Harrop (sec@hal-pc.org)
Date: Sun Oct 12 2003 - 21:36:24 EDT

  • Next message: Walter Hicks: "Re: Phillip Johnson (and Methodological Naturalism)"

    Walt said:

    "My bookshelf is too full for anything other than what I really need. For
    evolutionary biology the web site:
    http://www.Colorado.EDU/epob/epob3250mgrant/public_html/lectlist.html
    was recommended to me for a cursory understanding. Do you think this is
    O.K.? "

    Personally, I find it fractured. Lecture notes are by
    their nature incomplete. Talkorigins FAQ's are better,
    albeit not to the same depth. The best thing really is
    a textbook. That is the only thing that is going to give
    you a concise and fairly complete survey of the basic
    concepts involved.

    I said:
    "You seem to be
    using _Origin of Species_ as your reference point,
    and that is quite inappropriate."
    To which Walt replied:
    "Wrong on two counts.
    1.) I use Darwin's work only as a reference for what Darwin really said --
    versus what I read as someone else's opinion of what he said. (e.g. that he
    spoke of mutation.)
    2.) That _is_ the appropriate way to evaluate what Darwin said. (IMO) "

    Walt, who is telling you Darwin spoke of mutations?
    That is completely wrong, and if it is on the internet
    I would like a URL. Sure reading Origin of Species
    will tell you what he said. It also provides examples
    of Darwinian concepts that were later falsified, like
    divergence & blended heritability (I am not sure I
    have got the latter terminology correct). But what
    is your objective, to understand what Darwin said
    or to understand the modern field of evolutionary
    biology?

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