You are conflating what Dennett about Fodor (clever) with what Dennett said about his thinking (irrational) and his book (laughable and dangerous). This kind of carelessness in argument is unhelpful.

Says Dennett, via email: “Jerry Fodor’s book is a stunning demonstration of how abhorrence of an idea (Jerry’s visceral dislike of evolutionary thinking) can derange an otherwise clever thinker . . . a responsible academic is supposed to be able to control irrational impulses, [but] Fodor has simply collapsed in the face of his dread and composed some dreadfully bad arguments.” What Darwin Got Wrong, Dennett concludes, is “a book that so transparently misconstrues its target that it would be laughable were it not such dangerous mischief”.

Interesting how a “clever thinker” and “responsible academic” is suddenly labelled “irrational”, “dreadful”, “laughable” and “dangerous” once he becomes a dissident.