Category Archives: Science without worms

Timewasting notes

Posted on April 10, 2008 by acb

* A new hazard of technology: “Roz Kaveney complains”:http://rozk.livejournal.com/199421.html 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: bq. As … Continue reading →

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

More Weizenbaum

Posted on March 25, 2008 by acb

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

Posted on March 20, 2008 by acb

Inspired by Scott Rosenberg, I have started to read Joseph Weizenbaum’s book [“Computer Power and Human Reason”:http://www.librarything.com/work/68469/details/28383752]. 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

Posted on November 20, 2007 by acb

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

Posted on October 23, 2007 by acb

I don’t normally cross-post from the _Guardian_ pieces here. But I finally stuck the Midgley/Dawkins story “somewhere people might read it”:http://tinyurl.com/2orrr6 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

Posted on October 15, 2007 by acb

Jerry Fodor, in the _London Review of Books,_ “takes a swing at adaptationism”:http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n20/fodo01_.html 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

Posted on October 7, 2007 by acb

“Potentilla, in comments,”:http://www.thewormbook.com/helmintholog/archives/2007/10/03/mary_midgley_update.html#comments draws attention to Steve Fuller’s [“defence of his own testimony”:http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=50] 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

Posted on October 3, 2007 by acb

She had been due to speak today at “a discussion of Intelligent Design”:http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/mary-midgley-to-debate-id-in-the-uk-october-3rd-kings-college-london/ 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

Posted on September 24, 2007 by acb

_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

Posted on September 21, 2007 by acb

I see on Pharyngula that Richard Dawkins has claimed that Mary Midgley “confessed to never reading the Selfish Gene”:http://www.richarddawkins.net/article,1664,Against-the-grain-There-are-questions-that-science-cannot-answer,Mary-Midgley-The-Independent#71923 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