Reports and commentary on the news, science, and creative ends of the media.

Contact:
info-AT-farrellmedia-DOT-com

Subscribe to our Atom Feed.

My Most Recent Book

Official Book Site

HOME

MEDIA LOG
ARTICLES
FICTION
MOVIES
ABOUT...

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Blogroll:
NielsenHaydens
Scott Carson
John Wilkins
Cosmic Variance
Mark Shea
Steve Matheson
Andrew Sullivan
Bill Vallicella
Darwin Catholic
Massimo Pigliucci
Mike Flynn
Boston Online
James Chastek
Larry Moran
Jay Fitzgerald
Amy Welborn
Edward Feser
Siris
Mike Liccione

follow ofearghailDV at http://twitter.com

Archives
March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010

 
Reconsidering Teilhard

I've been reading John F. Haught's God After Darwin, and he has an interesting section on the life and work of Teilhard de Chardin, the Jesuit paleontologist. I must confess I've never looked deeply into his career. I knew that he envisaged a sort of progressive direction to evolution which, while understandable at the time he wrote, is no longer taken seriously.

What I did not know, however, is how shabbily he's been treated by scientists like Stephen Jay Gould and Daniel C. Dennett. Dennett's attitude doesn't surprise me (most militant atheists are reflexively anti-clerical). But Gould's attitude is surprising.

Haught writes:

The late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, for example, was so certain that evolution is devoid of the directionality Teilhard discerned in it that he attempted to destroy completely the famous Jesuit's scientific reputation by making him appear to be an accomplice to the notorious Piltdown hoax. Gould's scurrilous attack, incidentally, has been thoroughly debunked; but, to my knowledge, he never publicly retracted his claims, in spite of clear evidence that Teilhard could not have been involved. (p.88)

Certainly takes my regard for Gould down a notch.

Labels: evolution, Gould

posted by John Farrell at 9:18 AM