Category Archives: Science without worms

Timewasting notes

A new hazard of technology: Roz Kaveney complains that every time she asks in a department store for a black beret, she is sent to the electronics department. A nice touch from Gideon Rachman’s FT blog: As we were assembling, … Continue reading

Posted in Blather, God, Net stories, Science without worms, Trouty things | 3 Comments

More Weizenbaum

A lovely passage, from the end of Chapter Seven: A theory is of course itself a conceptual framework. And so it determines what is and what is not to count as fact. The theories—or, perhaps better said, the root metaphors—that … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Science without worms | 1 Comment

The nerd is the enemy of civilisation

Inspired by Scott Rosenberg, I have started to read Joseph Weizenbaum’s book Computer Power and Human Reason. Weizenbaum, who died last month, was the inventor of ELIZA, the first chatbot; and he was so horrified by the enthusiastic reactions to … Continue reading

Posted in God, Net stories, nördig, Science without worms | 6 Comments

Ultimate procrastination

Thanks to John Naughton I have just stumbled upon a site which appears to list every public or semi-public talk being given in or around Cambridge University. It is a glorious searchable toyshop of interesting ideas and almost the best … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Blather, God, Journalism, Net stories, nördig, Science without worms, Software, Worms | 2 Comments

Midgley, Dawkins update and end

I don’t normally cross-post from the Guardian pieces here. But I finally stuck the Midgley/Dawkins story somewhere people might read it and now I know what it feels like to be Madeleine Bunting. It also occurs to me, afterwards, that … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Science without worms | 4 Comments

Adaptationism contested

Jerry Fodor, in the London Review of Books, takes a swing at adaptationism in the name of Evo-Devo. I’m not sure that he lands any really new or heavy blows, but I have only read it once and I am … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Science without worms | 4 Comments

Dennett and the appearance of design

Potentilla, in comments, draws attention to Steve Fuller’s defence of his own testimony at the Dover ID trial. There is a 115 comment thread on the Philosopher’s Magazine blog, in which Fuller attempts to defend himself against all comers. Life … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Science without worms | 3 Comments

Mary Midgley update

She had been due to speak today at a discussion of Intelligent Design in London; she is ill and won’t make it. That’s a shame. I would in any case have missed it, since I have to go to a … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Science without worms | 2 Comments

Dawkins and Midgley, from comments

Jeremy Ahouse writes: Our host points us to Dawkins’ unburying the hatchet in a recent post. Andrew himself admirably covered this episode between Midgley, Dawkins and Mackie (7, Chapter 5) from the late 70s-early 80s. For fun I reread those … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Science without worms | 2 Comments

Dawkins, Midgley, disfiguring vanity

I see on Pharyngula that Richard Dawkins has claimed that Mary Midgley confessed to never reading the Selfish Gene before reviewing it in Philosophy. This is untrue, whether or not he believes it. When he first told it me, in, … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Science without worms | 11 Comments