In a response in this thread Mike Smith wrote:
Of course individual scientists can 'respond' or get involved in politics if they want (witness that clown Dawkins). But when doing so, they are engaged in politics not science.
Mike: Referring to someone whose views on a specific subject you strongly disagree with as a "clown" is not conducive to rational discussion. I happen to disagree with some aspects of Dawkins' views on religious belief (though not his atheism), and when he steps outside his specialty I think his views/arguments occasionally verge on the simplistic, but he is a highly intelligent man whose arguments and attitudes deserve to be treated in dispassionate terms without resorting to name-calling.
Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
