Freethought & Rationalism Archive

KC · 05-01-2003, 12:45 PM

I saw this piece of inanity posted over at ARN...

National Review's 'Best Non-Fiction Books of the 20th Century'

Number 92 is Micheal Behe's Darwin's Black Box...with this blurb:

Quote:

Gilder: "Overthrows Darwin at the end of the 20th century in the same way that quantum theory overthrew Newton at the beginning."

Sure it does....ROFL!!! I will go out on a limb here and predict that 20 years from now nobody will know who the hell Michael Behe ever was.

KC

pangloss · 05-01-2003, 01:02 PM

Room for one more on that limb?

I would add one caveat - he won't be remembered in the same light as, say, Darwin or Haldane is, rather, more like Lysenko...

Peregrine · 05-01-2003, 01:05 PM

Also showed a deep ignorance in physics as well.

theyeti · 05-01-2003, 01:09 PM

In case anyone doesn't know, George Gilder is head of the Discovery Institute.

And I also find it amusing that DBB takes its place one slot below The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test.

theyeti

Kosmo · 05-01-2003, 01:29 PM

I found it interesting that The Starr Report actually made this list. I wonder if any of these people read even 1/2 of it.

(For the record, I've read 3 of the books on this list... and heard of about 4 more.)

Valentine Pontifex · 05-01-2003, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kosmo
I found it interesting that The Starr Report actually made this list. I wonder if any of these people read even 1/2 of it.

(For the record, I've read 3 of the books on this list... and heard of about 4 more.)

You're kidding?

I can't believe anyone would put any government report in a list of great books regarless if one agreed with it or not.

theyeti · 05-01-2003, 02:26 PM

Yeah, the funny thing is the quote they give it:

Hart: "A study in human depravity."

I agree, but for a completely different reason.

theyeti

gcameron · 05-01-2003, 02:34 PM

On the other hand, here is #17 on the list...

Quote:

17. Sociobiology, Edward O. Wilson
Lind: "Darwin put humanity in its proper place in the animal kingdom. Wilson put human society there, too."

gcameron · 05-01-2003, 02:39 PM

Quote:

78. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson

Lind: "For all the excesses of the environmental movement, the realization that human technology can permanently damage the earth's environment marked a great advance in civilization. Carson's book, more than any other, publicized this message."

What a cute disclaimer. They wouldn't want anyone to think they were a bunch of wacky granola tree-huggers or something...

Valentine Pontifex · 05-01-2003, 02:42 PM

That this is a list by committe voting is made obvious even if one did not see the introduction with

Quote:

Sociobiology, Edward O. Wilson
Lind: "Darwin put humanity in its proper place in the animal kingdom. Wilson put human society there, too."

Now this one is puzzling to me:

Quote:

23. Relativity, Albert Einstein
Lind: "The most important physicist since Newton."

I bet most of the panelist have not read it. And I really don't see putting it in this type of list. Now maybe if a list of 100 greatest scientific papers in history was made then some of Einstein's 1905 papers would do.

I do see a bunch of books that do really belong in the list.

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05-01-2003, 01:02 PM	#2
pangloss Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 1,302	Room for one more on that limb? I would add one caveat - he won't be remembered in the same light as, say, Darwin or Haldane is, rather, more like Lysenko...

05-01-2003, 01:05 PM	#3
Peregrine Regular Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 385	Also showed a deep ignorance in physics as well.

05-01-2003, 01:09 PM	#4
theyeti Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Denver, CO, USA Posts: 9,747	In case anyone doesn't know, George Gilder is head of the Discovery Institute. And I also find it amusing that DBB takes its place one slot below The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. theyeti

05-01-2003, 01:29 PM	#5
Kosmo Regular Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 255	I found it interesting that The Starr Report actually made this list. I wonder if any of these people read even 1/2 of it. (For the record, I've read 3 of the books on this list... and heard of about 4 more.)

05-01-2003, 02:26 PM	#7
theyeti Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Denver, CO, USA Posts: 9,747	Yeah, the funny thing is the quote they give it: Hart: "A study in human depravity." I agree, but for a completely different reason. theyeti

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