Playing the anti-science card ...

It seems everyone is playing the anti-science card these days. That is so uncool, because I was hoping to make a name for myself as "anti-science" and, with the proceeds, buy a flock of those cute little Smart Cars so that my whole gang of outrageous hacks could annoy traffic up and down the neighbourhood forever ... because our cars will run on cat farts alone, so they will, like, run forever, for all practical purposes and cost nothing to operate for all eternity.

Well, it didn't happen, and here's why: Everybody is anti-science now. Whereas American liberals coined the term to bash American conservatives, Rod Deher notes that the liberals themselves got into the act:

Liberals themselves have resisted scientific research that doesn't suit their own beliefs. Bjorn Lomberg, the Swedish scientist and renowned global warming skeptic, is treated slightly better than a heretic in Calvin's Geneva. The European left rejects scientific advice on genetically modified crops, demonizing them as "Frankenfoods." Before bringing up genetic or social science research that reflects negatively on the capabilities or performance of racial minorities, women or other human groupings favored by the left, you would do well to remember "The Bell Curve." And for decades, an avalanche of data detailing the failures of "scientific" socialism did little to shake the true believers in its superiority as an economic system.

It turns out that nobody loves science for its own sake. Humph.

How I got interested in the intelligent design controversy

Before I forget, in the growing uproar: Here is a podcast that explains how a chance discussion with a political science prof in Toronto in 1996 ended in me covering the growing intelligent design controversy as a major beat, writing By Design or by Chance? along the way.

Science stalled because oldsters try to prevent young upstarts from coming forward?

"You've got far more scientists than ever before but the pace of discovery has not increased," notes British science journalist Nigel Calder, a former editor for New Scientist. Interesting ideas. He goes after Richard Dawkins, arguing that his account of evolution is "hopelessly out of date."

Service note

If you like this blog, check out my book on the intelligent design controversy, By Design or by Chance?, or my book of essays on faith and science topics, Faith@Science: Why science needs faith in the 21st century (Winnipeg: J. Gordon Shillingford, 2001). You can read excerpts as well.

My other blog is the Mindful Hack, which keeps tabs on neuroscience and the mind.

Are you looking for one of the following stories?

NEW!! My review of Mike Behe's Edge of Evolution

Evolution in the light of intelligent design - look up intelligent design topics here.

Animations of life inside the cell, indexed, for your convenience.

Anti-God crusade ... no, really! My recent series on the spate of anti-God books, teen blasphemy challenge, et cetera, and the mounting anxiety of materialist atheists that lies behind it.

Catholic Church A summary of the Catholic Church's entry into the controversy, essentially on the side of ID.

Collins, Francis My review of Francis Collins’ book The Language of God

Columnists weigh in on the intelligent design controversy A summary of recent opinion columns on the ID controversy

Darwinism dissent Lists of theoretical and applied scientists who doubt Darwin

Gilder, George A summary of tech guru George Gilder's arguments for ID and against Darwinism

Intelligent design academic publications.

Intelligent design-friendly students should be flunked, according to bio prof Evolutionary biologist’s opinion that all students friendly to intelligent design should be flunked.

Intelligent design controversy My U of Toronto talk on why there is an intelligent design controversy, or my talk on media coverage of the controversy at the University of Minnesota.

Intelligent design controversy timeline An ID Timeline: The ID folk seem always to win when they lose.

Intelligent design and culture My review of sci-fi great Rob Sawyer’s novel, The Calculating God , which addresses the concept of intelligent design.

March of the Penguins A critical look at why March of the Penguins was thought to be an ID film.

Origin of life Why origin of life is such a difficult problem.

Peer review My backgrounder about peer review issues.

Polls relevant to the intelligent design controversy A summary of recent polls of US public opinion on the ID controversy

Stove, David O'Leary's intro to non-Darwinian agnostic philosopher David Stove’s critique of Darwinism.

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