Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Old Times There Are Not Forgotten
I've been reading Ken Miller's Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul, about which I'll doubtless have more to say, but one thing caught my eye:
Thinking of the role that Kansas played in the years before the Civil War, it seems only fair to wonder if history has repeated itself. Electoral politics in Kansas, as we've seen, have recently made it a burned-over district in the struggle over evolution. A century and a half ago the issues that divided Kansas went national, and so they have again. And, very much as in the Civil War, the struggle reached a climax, if not a resolution, in a small town in Pennsylvania.
Thanks to Abbie at ERV, I found a copy of the first chapter (scroll down to near the bottom for "free downloads") of William (Ol' Blood and Farts") Dembski's new book, Understanding Intelligent Design, with this interesting bit about the bloodletting:
[Judge] Jones's main distinction before being appointed a federal judge was to serve as chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. As neither a scientist nor a scholar, he was ill-equipped to preside over this case. It won't be the last on intelligent design.
I can see the parallel in the result, however I can't see anyone on the ID with nearly the gravitas to play the role of Bobby Lee.
Maybe Mike Behe as George Pickett.
And yeah, it's laughable that Dembski of all people is complaining about qualifications. After all, he is not a scientist either, and barely a scholar. If you're generous at what constitutes a scholar.
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