1. The Gullible Age: Review of 'The Enemies of Reason'

Comment #63684 by Tony Jackson on August 15, 2007 at 11:06 am

An excellent and much needed programme. But Richard, why were you so gentle with Steve Fuller? In some ways I regard him as more dangerous than many of the dowsers and assorted mystics you met. Fuller teaches at a serious UK university. Many of the students he teaches will go on to be politicians and assorted media types of the future. If his written work is a guide, it seems likely that he is teaching them a fundamentally misleading view of science.

2. Atheists and believers have got religion wrong

Comment #63670 by Tony Jackson on August 15, 2007 at 9:24 am

Who are these "militant atheists" that look down their noses at Afghan peasants?

I think many of Steel's defenders here are far too indulgent. Steel is an atheist and has happily (and deservedly) attacked the irrationalism of Christianity on film. But when it comes to Islam, Steel has a problem. I'm sure he personally doesn't believe for one minute that the Archangel Gabriel really visited Muhammad in the desert, but for grubby political reasons it's difficult for him to come straight out and say so. As ericcolumbar has pointed out, Steel is a member of George Galloway's Respect party, a bizarre marriage of convenience between SWP types and various shades of Islamist opinion. Steele can't afford to upset a major group of his party's supporters and is trapped on a hook of his own making. Let him twist.

3. The Panel

Comment #53420 by Tony Jackson on July 1, 2007 at 11:42 am

None of these questions is difficult. They really are a basic test of scientific literacy. So I for one was appalled at the ignorance displayed by the scientists ! Susan Greenfield - who remember is the director of the Royal Institution - saying the Earth is sixty billion years old is bloody pathetic! And the second law of thermodynamics answers in particular were atrocious. We really do have a problem……..

4. Chimpanzees 'hunt using spears'

Comment #26292 by Tony Jackson on March 18, 2007 at 1:29 pm

Um... did the researchers report the presence of a mysterious black obelisk in the chimps' teritory? :-)

5. Dawkins's version of the deity does not exist

Comment #7694 by Tony Jackson on November 19, 2006 at 4:16 am

Jake (no 51):Yawn......Do you really imagine you have discovered a killer logical fallacy in the theory of evolution that generations of working scientists have failed to notice? See this:

http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA500.html

6. Dawkins's version of the deity does not exist

Comment #7674 by Tony Jackson on November 19, 2006 at 2:52 am

You: I've got a dragon in my garage!

Me: Fascinating! Can I have a look?

You: Er...well it's invisible.

Me: Ok, maybe if we sprinkle some flour on the garage floor we can detect its footprints.

You: Er...it doesn't walk on the ground it floats in the air.

Me: Well let's set up an infrared camera and detect its heat emission.

You: Um...actually, it doesn't give off any heat.

Me: Look, I don't think your dragon exists!

You: Oh that's typical of you isn't it – such simple minded and vulgar scientism! The existence of my dragon is its essence; its characteristics can only be refered through limited human understanding.

(with apologies to Carl Sagan)