Very interesting piece on the Simon Conway Morris/Steve Gould conflict at 
http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/curse_you_simon_conway_morris/

----Original Message Follows----
From: Chandler Davis <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Science for the People Discussion List              
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To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: dealing with creationism and intelligent design
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 19:21:41 -0500

Frank Rosenthal, it is true that some scientists are fundamentalist
Christians (or other) and say that the Genesis account of the originaof
life is perfectly true but only metaphorically.  It seems that Simon
Conway, the greatest analyst of the Burgess Shale, is one such.  He
must still have to reason in terms of physical causation when studying
the Cambrian Epoch, I think.  I hope.
	My wife is reminded of Renaissance Platonist philosophers who
regularly wrote whole treatises of what reason teaches us-- ending with
a page saying that of course it can't be believed if it contradicts
faith.  I don't know whether to tell her that Conway would find Adam
& Eve in the Burgess Shale if faith told him to.  The Renaissance
philosophers didn't admit publicly that reason and faith ever DID lead
them to conflicting conclusions.
			Chandler Davis

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