Yes, I know there's been a lot of discussion of Dawkins here lately, some good and some bad. And though I've been critical of him in some areas, I'll gladly defend him against the charge of supporting Hitler-style eugenics. Actually, I don't need to because Orac has already done a terrific job of debunking this latest absurd accusation from the anti-evolution crowd. From a perfectly reasonable, if provocative, afterword to a book about "designer babies" and the possibility of selecting traits, people like MikeGene, Vox Day and Wesley Smith have Dawkins preparing the ovens for the unfit and infirm. It's all quite ridiculous and unjustified and Orac does a thorough job of fisking it.
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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)
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Defending Dawkins
Posted on: November 28, 2006 9:57 AM, by Ed Brayton
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Comments
Ed,
Thanks for that link. Dennett is a pleasure to read and I must say in my opinion that was the single best review of Dawkins that I have read thus far.
Posted by: GH | November 28, 2006 10:05 AM
I'm really glad to see this discussion making the rounds. It is sad that it seems eugenics is so caught up in the Nazi/Hitler paradigm. Certainly coercive eugenics is a dangerous spectre that we must guard against. But to refuse to even discuss voluntary eugenics or the science behind it is ludicrous.
This is a topic that deserves a lot more discussion. I applaud and appreciate Dawkin's bringing it up.
Posted by: DuWayne | November 28, 2006 2:54 PM
Where is a link to the claim that Mike Gene has "Dawkins preparing the ovens for the unfit and infirm?"
Posted by: Wiliam Bradford | December 14, 2006 3:12 PM
"Document where I "have Dawkins preparing the ovens for the unfit and infirm.""
http://telicthoughts.com/?p=1096
Posted by: Mike Gene´s Public challenge for Ed Brayton | December 15, 2006 10:04 AM
I can't think that Richard Dawkins would agree with Nazi style Eugenics that was horrific, for a start he is a member of the British humanist association, I am sure his words have been taken out of context. Some people object to his stance on evolution and Darwinism. He I think does clash with people of religion but that is because their beliefs are so different from his. Richard is a free-thinker and many people like him in the past have been seen as a threat to mainstream religion, which is sad as it would be a dull world if we all thought the same. Richard is very interesting to listen to, and has many views like myself on certain topics.
Posted by: Carole Heath Wallington Surrey | February 20, 2009 12:24 PM
I can't think that Richard Dawkins would agree with Nazi style Eugenics that was horrific, for a start he is a member of the British humanist association, I am sure his words have been taken out of context. Some people object to his stance on evolution and Darwinism. He I think does clash with people of religion but that is because their beliefs are so different from his. Richard is a free-thinker and many people like him in the past have been seen as a threat to mainstream religion, which is sad as it would be a dull world if we all thought the same. Richard is very interesting to listen to, and has many views like myself on certain topics.
Posted by: Carole Heath Wallington Surrey | February 20, 2009 12:24 PM
I can't think that Richard Dawkins would agree with Nazi style Eugenics that was horrific, for a start he is a member of the British humanist association, I am sure his words have been taken out of context. Some people object to his stance on evolution and Darwinism. He I think does clash with people of religion but that is because their beliefs are so different from his. Richard is a free-thinker and many people like him in the past have been seen as a threat to mainstream religion, which is sad as it would be a dull world if we all thought the same. Richard is very interesting to listen to, and has many views like myself on certain topics.
Posted by: Carole Heath Wallington Surrey | February 20, 2009 12:24 PM
I can't think that Richard Dawkins would agree with Nazi style Eugenics that was horrific, for a start he is a member of the British humanist association, I am sure his words have been taken out of context. Some people object to his stance on evolution and Darwinism. He I think does clash with people of religion but that is because their beliefs are so different from his. Richard is a free-thinker and many people like him in the past have been seen as a threat to mainstream religion, which is sad as it would be a dull world if we all thought the same. Richard is very interesting to listen to, and has many views like myself on certain topics.
Posted by: Carole Heath Wallington Surrey | February 20, 2009 12:24 PM
I can't think that Richard Dawkins would agree with Nazi style Eugenics that was horrific, for a start he is a member of the British humanist association, I am sure his words have been taken out of context. Some people object to his stance on evolution and Darwinism. He I think does clash with people of religion but that is because their beliefs are so different from his. Richard is a free-thinker and many people like him in the past have been seen as a threat to mainstream religion, which is sad as it would be a dull world if we all thought the same. Richard is very interesting to listen to, and has many views like myself on certain topics.
Posted by: Carole Heath Wallington Surrey | February 20, 2009 12:24 PM
I wonder why someone would comment on a thread that's been inactive for more than 2 years.
Just curious.
Posted by: Dave S. | February 20, 2009 12:46 PM