reid@dciem.UUCP (Reid Ellis) (02/04/85)
Has anyone out there in netland read this book? It deals with some of the
topics I have seen discussed here.
--
Reid Ellis "With great power comes great reponsibility" - Spiderman
{allegra,decvax,duke,floyd,linus}!utzoo!dciem!reidpmd@cbscc.UUCP (Paul Dubuc) (02/04/85)
> Has anyone out there in netland read this book? It deals with some of the > topics I have seen discussed here. > -- > Reid Ellis Yes, I borrowed it from the Pub. Library and read it a little over a year ago. I expected a more devastating job of debunking creationism than Kitcher gave. If one is familiar with the creationist sources he uses, it is easy to pick out the things Kitcher *doesn't* deal with. He indulges in belittlement and muck raking as much as he does valid criticism. He devotes almost all his attention to the ICR, fundamentalist variety of creationism (admittedly the most well known and widespread), but even with them he could have done a better job. It was evident to me that Kitcher's book was not written so much as to engage creationists in debate over the issue as it was to insure that those who have not already seriously considered creationism will not bother to do so. It is geared toward those inclined against creationism already or who are indifferent (this is, of course, justified by Kitcher's attitude that dialogue with creationists is hopless and those who consider it to have some merit are a lost cause). Kitcher seems to be bent on defending neo-Darwinist evolutionism as a prelude to his attack on creationism. This is curious since a hardy recommendation of the book by Stephen J. Gould (an evolutionist critic of neo-Darwinism) is printed on the cover of the book. If I remember correctly Kitcher makes only a passing referece to Gould's punctuated equlibria ideas. Kitcher presents evolutionary theory as a unified school of thought, playing down the existence of internal debate among evolutionists themselves. (See books by Norman Macbeth "Darwin Retried" and (more recent) Francis Hitching "The Neck of the Giraffe".) A good critique (from the creationist viewpoint) appeared in Origins Research about 1 1/2 years ago. I think the critique had many valid points. Perhaps Ray Miller (aka whatshisname :-)) could post it for us sometime. Kitcher's book is well worth reading, though. Especially for creationists. If you can get past his vituperative attitude there is much valid criticism (although it could be argued that the misrepresents or oversimplifies some creationist arguments). There are better anti-creationist books than Kitcher's, I'm sure. Kitcher is a philosopher, not a scientist, and his attention to scientific detail appears weak. -- Paul Dubuc cbscc!pmd