Reply #107: Autorank, et al

[FarrenH]

This series is complete bull. It is a misinformed, distorted and ideologically tarnished account not just of contemporary evolutionary biology but even of what A16 is really about.

Its utterly irrelevant and thoroughly disingenuous to claim that the views of some respected scientists are represented in the e-books. It is the composition that is misleading, not all of the individual parts. And the entire Kuhn sidetrack is just a massive red herring that does nothing to dignify claims of major failings in the Modern Synthesis.

The views of respected, competent scientists are thrown together with those of crackpots and mixed with ideas that are at best entirely speculative, in a manner that gives the impression of non-existent seismic shifts in evolutionary biology and leaves the lay reader with the impression that tried and tested ideas for which there is plenty of evidence are being in some way confounded by ideas that in fact complement them, or seriously challenged by philosophical musings for which there is no evidence thus far - and even those by people who for the most part themselves don't believe a seismic shift will come out of this conference.

The author's interpretation of the facts and presentation of them is so misleading it amounts to flat out deception, whether intentional or not. This is not science reporting, it is an attack on science. Either she and her team should learn some science or they should stop reporting on it.

And I don't understand why this topic deserved a http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x370774">second thread.