Re: Firing Line

Ed Brayton (cynic@net-link.net)
Thu, 06 Aug 1998 17:00:59 -0400

Brendan Frost wrote:
>
> those debates are always pretty enlightening...
> I wish someone would put up a transcript on this list!
> Was that solipsist Buckley, Jr. on a panel? I always
> enjoy seeing his stances torn apart by superior
> debaters with better arguments (Ira Glazer and
> Nadine Strossen come to mind....)

Buckley was indeed on the panel. I'm not sure if I posted a review of
each of the participants on this list or not. I think I was not yet on
this list when the debate took place, but I know I posted it elsewhere.
Buckley was utterly incoherent in the debate, even worse than usual. He
did not make a single statement that had the slightest relevance to the
topic at hand. One would have thought he was stone drunk. Berlinski was
contradictory and egomaniacal (as is his habit in other circumstances as
well). Behe was quite good, to my surprise. Phil Johnson was, well, Phil
Johnson, hammering away at atheism as though he were doing any damage to
evolutionary theory whatsoever. On the negative side, Barry Lynn was
superfluous. He said little of any consequence and his summation was
patently absurd. Eugenie Scott was good, as she always is. Michael Ruse
was amusing, but pointless (he is a philosopher, after all <G>). Ken
Miller once again showed that he is the ablest debater in the evolution
camp.

Ed