Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 12:01:40 -0400 From: David Hawkes <dh05 at lehigh.edu> Subject: Gould review in The Nation
It has come to my attention that Carrol Cox and others have been complaining that I dared to review Stephen Jay Gould's last book in The Nation. It seems to offend them that a professor of English literature should comment on matters beyond their bailiwick. Myself, I have no time for the academic division of labor, which fosters needless and irrational over-specialization. I've been interested in the philosophy of science for many years, and I know a great deal about it. To be frank, evolutionary theory isn't exactly rocket science, and its perfectly possible for people other than professional scientists to grasp the issues and form opinions about them. The professional scientists who have reviewed the book have in my opinion produced mind-numbingly boring and predictable responses that do nothing to advance the debate. Finally, with regard to Cox's most serious insinuation, let me make it clear that I have never met or had any communication whatsoever with Michael Behe, and I did not even know he was at Lehigh until I began doing my research for this review.
Cheers,
David Hawkes