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From: dubois@uwmacc.UUCP (Paul DuBois)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Harper's
Message-ID: <697@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Feb-85 18:08:42 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.697
Posted: Mon Feb  4 18:08:42 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Feb-85 01:55:08 EST
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Organization: UW-Madison Primate Center
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> [Richard Carnes]
> Now some bad news:  The February *Harper's* contains another article
> attacking evolutionary theory by Tom Bethell.  If this sort of thing is
> finding its way into such publications as *Harper's*, now is not the time
> for complacency among evolutionary biologists.  If you guessed that Bethell
> is a journalist, not a biologist, you guessed right.

This is, I suppose, the converse of the argument from authority,
although it ends up in the same place.  Paul Dolber has well said:
Bethel speaks not only for himself, but summarizes the views of others -
which is, after all, a journalist's job.  But Richard takes an immediate
crack at Mr. Bethell.  And perhaps it is justified; but we shall never
know from his article, nor shall we seek to find out, for he has settled
the issue for us:  Bethell is not a biologist, so he has nothing to say.

Citing no reference, bringing up no fact or observation for discussion,
nor any logical proposition, Richard shows us that it is enough to know
that Bethell is a journalist, not a biologist.  Instantly we see, and
agree, that his comments are thus obviously entirely out of court.

Very well.  I am not a biologist either.  I guess anything I might
propose about evolution is similarly invalid by virtue of not being
proposed by a biologist.  The logical extension is of course that should
we desire knowledge of evolution we should bow to the keepers of the
Truth, the biologists, saying "surely you are the people, and wisdom
shall die with you!"  Which brings us round again to authority.  Or
perhaps, religion?

You may suppose that I am overreacting.  I assure you that I am.
However, I trust the point is clear.

-- 
Paul DuBois	{allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!dubois          |
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Vegetarian Geology:  Is it a True Concept?                          |
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