Most of all I detest the New Atheism because I think it is playing into the hands of the Religious Right. The way fundamentalism—scientific creationism, creation science, intelligent-design theory—has been kept out of the biology classes of the nation is by drawing a line between science and religion and arguing that it is a violation of the First Amendment to allow religion (scientific creationism, etc.) into the classrooms. If you blur the science-religion distinction, specifically if you mesh evolution and atheism, then I just don’t see how you can continue that strategy. The fundamentalists argue that since the evolutionists’ position has religious implications, sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Either you don’t talk about origins at all or—and they prefer this alternative—you allow talk about everyone’s views on origins.

Do they have a point? Well, I’m inclined to think that they do. There is no question but that any reasonable reading of New Atheist material totally meshes evolution and atheism. Look at the best blog of them all—University of Chicago biology professor Jerry Coyne’s Why Evolution is True. It intersperses quite brilliant discussions of evolutionary topics with diatribes against religion, and makes it very clear that these two are connected. If you are for evolution, you cannot legitimately be for or even tolerant of religion. Accomodationism, as he and others refer to the position I take—that you can keep the two separate—is just not a viable option.

Read it all if this is the sort of thing you like: New Atheism Redux – Brainstorm – The Chronicle of Higher Education.

 

Scientists Get Religion
June 17, 2010
WASHINGTON – Jennifer Wiseman is an astrophysicist and a Christian. Both of those elements will come into play in her new role with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she aims to civilize the sometimes-divisive discourse between the broader scientific and religious communities.

It is encouraging to see that such dialogue is continuing to be embraced in the realm of science. However, the very first comment on this story makes it clear that it will not be an easy conversation.

But at the end of the day there will always be a gap between religion and science that cannot be bridged. Scientists cannot accept superstitious beliefs that flout physical laws.Assertions about e.g., winged horses, virgin births, burning bushes, miracles, prophecies,and the like fly in the face of all that the human race has learned about the world and the way it works.

 

 

1. Warning! This comic is considered offensive by many. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The space station as it looked in August 2005. For most of its habitable history (about eight years), the ISS has had room for just three crew members. But in just the last few weeks, that capacity has doubled to allow six people at a time to call the space station home. Another recent addition: a water regeneration system that will help produce drinking water out of, among other things, the astronauts’ own urine.

Photo by NASA

Caption by Jonathan Skillings

 

8-day undersea mission begins experiment to improve coral reef
Friday, June 13, 2008

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Scientists have begun an eight-day mission, in which they are living and working at 60 feet below the sea surface, to determine why some species of coral colonies survive transplanting after a disturbance, such as a storm, while other colonies die. Coral reefs worldwide are suffering from the combined effects of hurricanes, global warming and increased boat traffic and pollution. As a result, their restoration has become a priority among those who are concerned. Using as a home base the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Aquarius — an underwater facility for science and diving located in Key Largo, Fla. — a team of “aquanauts” is working to protect coral reefs from this barrage of threats by investigating ways to improve their restoration.

“It’s like living on the space station, except that it’s underwater,” said Iliana Baums, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State and a collaborator on the project. “The job is dangerous because, once the aquanauts descend, their tissues become saturated with nitrogen. If they were to return to the surface quickly, they would get the bends, an often deadly illness in which tiny bubbles form inside the body. As a result, the divers at the end of their mission must spend an entire day depressurizing by making their way to the surface slowly

And they have live webcams down there! Very cool: “A live Webcam for viewing the science team while they are underwater in the Aquarius facility is on the Web at http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/thumb_cam.htm”

Oh, and It’s Marine Boy!

 

Cow & Boy by Mark Leiknes.

 

Well, it looks like he is moving on. For whatever reasons, I hope he stays in science.

Head of Human Genome Institute to Step Down

Francis S. Collins announced today that he would step down on August 1 as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. He has led the organization, part of the National Institutes of Health, since 1993 and headed up the Human Genome Project until it concluded a decade later.

Dr. Collins said he was leaving his position in order to write and to explore other professional opportunities. “I may need greater latitude than my current position allows,” he said in a written statement, “to pursue other potential positions of service without encountering any possible conflicts of interest, whether real or perceived.”

The current deputy director of the institute, Alan E. Guttmacher, will become acting director while a formal search for a permanent director is under way.

The NIH’s director, Elias A. Zerhouni, thanked Dr. Collins for “15 years of outstanding leadership” and called him “a trailblazer in the scientific community at large.” —Lila Guterman

 

Scientific Researchers: Abstinence causes the spread of STDs

Abstinence-only sex education programs may lead to increased cases of STDs, as pointed out in the article, but abstinence itself, while it may lead to lots of things (lonely nights, awkward dates, and…well, I don’t really need to relive high school, do I?), will not lead to STD since it is missing the S.

(And while I do not want to post it here myself, I will point you to a very funny Harry Potter-themed comic on the topic. Don’t worry, it is not too rude. Just a bit Tilling, is all.)

(Via Looney.)

 

Scientific study into religious belief launched – University of Oxford

This study will not prove or disprove any aspect of religion, it will allow us to have a more intelligent and informed debate.
-Professor Roger Trigg

Is that really what we want? Isn’t name calling and dilettantism more fun?

 

MORE: CH is so incredibly obnoxious finally a person in the crowd shouts “Let Stephen talk!” and everyone applauds. They are on to audience questions now (a lot of American bashing in the whole thing) and I realize that haven’t really said anything of substance. Like the best of British humor, a lot of wonderful word play and wit and very little content. A bit like eating a meringue…

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I have not yet listened to it (I will while cleaning the dishes in a mo) but I am looking forward to it. Apparently Fry defends God!

Stephen Fry And Christopher Hitchens Debating Blasphemy

Stephen Fry and the journalist Christopher Hitchens discusn freedom of speech, religious tolerance, multiculturalism and orthodoxy… 

The speakers at the debate were the actor and writer Stephen Fry and the journalist Christopher Hitchens, and their frequently heated discussion covered issues of freedom of speech, religious tolerance, multiculturalism and orthodoxy. It was a fascinating, thought-provoking and – as you’d expect from two such consummate orators – extremely entertaining event, and as a warm-up to this year’s Hay Festival, the good people at Radio Hay, the festival’s online broadcaster, have kindly allowed us to offer you the chance to hear it for yourself

And Dvorak warns, course language!(Via Dvorak Uncensored.)