Over at the London Review of Books, Steven Shapin, a professor of the history of science at Harvard, analyzes the past year of Darwin festivities, mentioning several books along the way and taking a swipe at adaptationism: ‘Adaptationists’ take it as securely established that organic change proceeds through the natural selection of individual traits, each … Continue reading The Darwin Show

A little over two years ago, Jerry Fodor, a well-known and respected philosopher of mind, wrote an article in the London Review of Books, “Why Pigs Don’t Have Wings,” criticizing the concept of natural selection because it was both philosophically incoherent and empirically untenable. The high tide of adaptationism floated a motley navy, but it … Continue reading An attack on evolution, from our side

Ah, New Scientist always jumps gleefully on any idea that combines the words “Darwin” and “wrong.”  Remember their “Darwin was wrong” cover a year ago?  Well, they’ve befouled themselves again, this time by publishing, without any critical comment, a piece by Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini that is a precis of their upcoming book, What … Continue reading New Scientist blurbs dumb ideas about evolution

h/t: Occam and, of course, xkcd To quote Davy Crockett:  “Be always sure you’re right—then go ahead.”

What Darwin Got Wrong, the new book by Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini (not to be confused with Massimo Pigliucci), came out two days ago.   Its thesis is that while evolution may be true, natural selection plays at best a minor role in evolutionary transformation.  Selection, say F&P-P, can be rejected on two grounds:  it … Continue reading Ruse and Midgley on Fodor and Piattelli-Palmerini on natural selection

The latest issue of The Boston Review contains a long and thorough critique of Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Palmerini’s new book, What Darwin Got Wrong. Summary: F&P-P don’t come off well: We admire the work that both Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini have produced over many decades. We regret that two such distinguished authors have … Continue reading Two philosophers review What Darwin Got Wrong

As I predicted*, creationists are all over Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Palmerini’s new book, What Darwin Got Wrong, like a cheap suit.  If you want to see the Discovery Institute’s prize loons—David Berlinski, Jonathan Wells, Stephen Meyers, and Michael Behe—falling over each other to praise F&P-P’s misguided attack on evolution, go here. Let’s hope that … Continue reading Discovery Institute: We heart Fodor and Piattelli-Palmerini

So you’re a widely-read website and decide to get someone to interview Jerry Fodor about his latest book (with Massimo Piattelli-Palmerini), What Darwin Got Wrong. Do you get somebody with some training in evolutionary biology? Or philosophy? Or, better yet, both? Naah, you get someone like this: . . . an associate editor at Salon. … Continue reading Spiders to Fodor: get lost!