Jon Rowe has an excellent essay on the concept of natural law, its influences on the founding of this country, and the problem with taking Aquinas too seriously in this regard. Well worth reading.
More like this
I have to admit to having taught students that essentialism - the belief that species have an essence and thus could not evolve - was prevalent prior to Darwin. This was something I got from reading the writings of Ernst Mayr.
I only just saw this today - here's a nice (and more informed) discussion of my use of Aquinas on design.
This type of brain drain happens when physicists get carried away by the ingenuity of their own brains. Lawrence Krauss is reminded of Thomas Aquinas' supposed theological argument about dancing angels (and their poop in the heavens).
I have always had a sneaking admiration for neo-Thomistic accounts of creation and evolution, because they tend to think of creation as the actualisation of the real world with no limitations on natural law within the created universe.
Thanks!