Re: virus: About Dawkins

Tadeusz Niwinski (niwinska@direct.ca)
Thu, 14 Nov 1996 17:23:43 -0800


David Leeper wrote:
>Dawkins says "The only way to explain blah blah blah is by the process
>of slow gradual evolution." Later in the book he describes evolution
>as occuring "instantaniously".

David, can you give the page number(s) where Dawkins describes evolution
as occurring instantaneously? If you can mis-quote when *quoting*
I am sure there is some major mis-interpretation here.

>> >I didn't call Dawkins an "idiot" just to be a smart-ass.
>>
>> Here is a challenge for you, David: rephrase this sentence from the cover
>> flap of "Climbing Mount Improbable" the way you think a *non-idiot* author
>> would write it.
>
>I don't know if I'm a non-idiot, but I'd be happy with changing
>
>"The only way to explain seemingly designed objects is by slow, gradual
>evolution blah blah blah"
>
>to
>
>"The only way to explain seemingly designed objects is by the processes of
>evolution blah blah blah"
>
>or keep the statement as is, and later on don't refer to evolution as
>occurring "instantaneously".
>
>The first option is better, since evolution of a new species can occur
>within the lifetime of one human being.

So "the only way" is now OK, eh?

You don't like the adjectives "slow" and "gradual" and have no guts to
replace them with better ones -- just make it vague enough so nobody
complains...

I'm not sure how you define "a smart-ass" above, but this kind of explanation
sure looks like a good example. Do you prefer to be called a "smart-ass"
or a "dumb-ass"? (It all comes to Zero after all...)

---------------------
Tad Niwinski from TeTa where people grow
3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816
40628620899862
Danger!!! Danger!!! DANGER!!!
The Level-3 Hypocrisy Virus (L3HV) is threatening YOU and your children!
PROTECT yourself: never talk to an infected person without a condom!