Reflectorites
On Thu, 19 Oct 2000 16:45:42 -0700, Hofmann, Jim wrote:
>Date: 10/19/00 11:32 AM
>From: Larry Brumley
>DEMBSKI RELIEVED OF DUTIES AS POLANYI CENTER DIRECTOR
>
>William Dembski was relieved of his duties as director of Baylor
>University's Michael Polanyi Center today. He will remain associate
>professor in conceptual foundations of science within the university's
>Institute for Faith and Learning.
>
>The action follows by two days the release of a peer review committee's
>report on the Polanyi Center that affirmed the academic work of the center
>while calling for the appointment of a faculty advisory committee and the
>dropping of the Polanyi name.
>
>"The theme of the report emphasized the need for the individuals associated
>with the center to work in a collegial manner with other members of the
>Baylor faculty," said Dr. Michael Beaty, director of the Institute for Faith
>and Learning, which houses the center. "Dr. Dembski's actions after the
>release of the report compromised his ability to serve as director."
Thanks to Jim for posting this, which saved me the trouble.
While this was of course a bit of a shock, the feeling within the ID
movement is that it was probably inevitable.
The feeling also is that there is a `silver lining' to this in that now Dembski
will be free of the contraints of the so-called "collegiality" (aka. thought
control) of those on the Baylor faculty who have already shown they were
implacably hostile to ID.
All new scientific paradigms have had to go through a rocky time in order
to be accepted, and ID should not expect to be any exception.
BTW I wonder who they will get to replace Dembski to carry forward
Baylor's ID program - Richard Dawkins? :-)
Steve
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"The theory of natural selection can describe and explain phenomena with
considerable precision, but it cannot make reliable predictions, except
through such trivial and meaningless circular statements as, for instance:
"The fitter individuals will on the average leave more offspring." (Mayr E.,
"Toward a New Philosophy of Biology: Observations of an Evolutionist,"
[reprint of Mayr E., "Cause and effect in biology," [Science, Vol. 134, 1961,
pp.1501-1506], Harvard University Press: Cambridge MA, 1988, pp.31-32)
Stephen E. Jones | Ph. +61 8 9448 7439 | http://www.iinet.net.au/~sejones
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