The Wit and Wisdom Lives On

With little Ricky Santorum (BA, MBA, JD) heading off into the sunset, it is difficult to forget what a great philosopher of science and education he was. Here, therefore, are some of his greatest hits:

"Therefore, intelligent design is a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes." 2002 Washington Times op-ed article (source)

"[M]ainstream science does not simply "discover the truth"; instead it relies in part on a set of unscientific, false philosophical presuppositions as the basis for many of its conclusions. Thus, crucial aspects of what modern science teaches us are simply shabby philosophy dressed up in a white lab coat." 2004 endorsement of Dembski's The Design Revolution.

"Only a shallow, partisan understanding of "science" supports the false philosophy of materialist reductionism, with its thoroughly unscientific denial of formal and final causes in nature and its repudiation of the first cause of all things? As the decline of true science has been a major factor in the decline of Western culture, so too the renewal of science will play a big part in cultural renewal." 2005 Foreword to Dembski's Darwin's Nemesis.

"I'm not comfortable with intelligent design being taught in the science classroom. What we should be teaching are the problems and holes, and I think there are legitimate problems and holes, in the theory of evolution. And what we need to do is present those fairly from a scientific point of view. We should lay out areas in which the evidence supports evolution and areas in the evidence that does not. And as far as intelligent design is concerned, I really don't believe it's risen to the level of a scientific theory at this point that we would want to teach it alongside of evolution." Interview in August 2005 on National Public Radio

He will be missed.

Right.