Re: virus: About Dawkins

David Leeper (dleeper@gte.net)
Wed, 28 Aug 1996 01:35:33 +0000


Tadeusz Niwinski wrote:
>
> David Leeper wrote:
>
> >* From the cover flap.
> >"The only way to explain evolution is by slow,
> >gradual evolution."
>
> You suck David! When you "quote" I assume these are quotes and *not*
> your funny way of interpreting the original!
> Only L3HV infected people can do such things!
> The original cover flap of "Climbing Mount Improbable" says:
>
> "The only way to explain seemingly designed objects is by slow, gradual
> evolution".

You got me dead to rights. I mis-quoted. It was an honest mistake.
However, this was on the list because of the "only way" and "slow,
gradual evolution" part of the quote, so it stays on the list.

> Besides, it hurts (111 or 7 in Cohesive Math) to hear that your idol is
> being called an idiot. I have found this "Church of Level-3 Engineering"
> when searching the Net for Dawkins' work. Please be more honest when you
> quote (if you are not already infected and "honesty" is not "just" another
> "distinction-meme" for you).

Hurts me too. If you go back through the Virus archives for about a year
ago, you'll find a posting where I called Dawkins a "genius" and compared
him to Albert Einstein.

I didn't call Dawkins an "idiot" just to be a smart-ass. As I read his
book I keep looking in other books for something to support what he was
saying. It got to the point where everything I read contradicted
something Dawkins wrote. I was stunned beyond belief, and didn't sleep
for even one minute that night.

On the other hand, I guess there comes a day when we out-grow our heros.

-- 
David Leeper         dleeper@gte.net
Homo Deus            http://home1.gte.net/dleeper/index.htm
1 + 1 != 2           http://home1.gte.net/dleeper/CMath.html