As a Catholic, I’m very interested in your upcoming talk about Catholicism and Darwinism. However, I think you would do well to stress that Darwinism and Evolution are not one and the same – and further, that Darwinism (at least as you view it) pivots particularly on philosophy rather than science.

I ask this only because your past writings seemed to show you believe as much yourself (namely, that common descent, old earth, evolution, etc). One of the biggest problems with the modern ID or even TE debate is the confusion over the difference between darwinism and evolution after all.

I’d agree with this. The target with Hitchens, Dawkins, and most of the rest of the New Atheists is rather narrow – Christianity. And it has vastly more to do with social and political desires/aims than with fundamentals of the faith.

Or so goes my experience.

I am very happy to be the first one to post on this semi interesting thread just so you can read my response for sure. I think that with the worlds new trend towards socialism these usual suspects are feeling like they can loosen up. As a political science major I feel that for most people their political ideology comes first and their scientific, philosophical and theological views come second. I personally have read Steven Pinker’s wife’s book on Gödel and you can tell that she has a very intense respect for platonic- that is metaphysical philosophy, it is not hard to image that Steve would therefore have some sympathies himself towards a more liberal sociological world view (liberal in the literal not socialist sense).

I never thought Dawkins was really a true atheist but more a smasher of biblical literalism. His arguments defend an evolutionist world view but do not by any logical standard rule out ID or creation.

Don’t know much about Tom Wolf but I figure he is more or less a depressive leftist feeling revitalized himself.

Just wanted to share my view that these characters are more political than intellectual and their trend towards moderation is not really all that surprising.

By the way with the Obama crowed in the lead they probably figure that ID is as good as dead.