the intelligent design movement

You’ve probably heard about the so-called theory of intelligent design. Its advocates suggest that the world (or life, or intelligent life, or whatever) must be the work. Now, as far as the origin of the universe is concerned, it’s pretty hard to prove or disprove this; I actually agree with them, but that’s beside the point here. It’s a philosophical question, and in philosophy, most of the questions which were raised by Plato or Aristotle or any of those other dead Greeks still haven’t been answered with any greater confidence than they were more than two thousand years ago. If the intelligent design advocates limited themselves to philosophy, I really wouldn’t have any problem with them. What I have a problem with is what they have to say about the origin of living things, and of intelligent life. They dismiss all of the evidence in favor of evolution, put forth a few nonsensical theories, and then stir up all the controversy they can in an attempt to discredit evolution. What they are doing is taking a philosophical/religious concept and insisting that it is a scientific concept, when, in reality, it is about as far from science as possible, regardless of any validity it has in a philosophical context.

kelo v. new london

The Supreme Court has done some stupid things throughout the years–Dred Scott v. Sandford, anyone? Today I’d like to discuss a very recent, shockingly stupid decision, one which was attacked by a diverse coalition, everyone from the NAACP to the AARP to the Libertarian Party. That decision is Kelo v. New London. New London is a Connecticut city of some 26,000 people. Since the city was a rusted out dump (albeit one with lots of pretty old buildings), some folks in the city government decided that they should seize some old houses so that they could give it to a business which would redevelop it as a commercial property.