Friday, October 21, 2016

Indeed …

… We’re Only Human | commentary — Review of 'The Kingdom of Speech,' by Tom Wolfe. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

… Clearing the popularizers from the field, as many specialists would like to do, would cede all scientific argument to scientists, who in many notable cases have not earned the deference they demand. The danger is doubled when scientists use science to draw metaphysical lessons—when, that is, they assert that human beings and primates are in essence the same kind of creature. A flurry of data and polysyllabic detail shouldn’t obscure the fact that such a thesis defies human experience and devalues the noblest human endeavors (including science, by the way).
One might add that, as often as not, when scientists draw those metaphysical, they mostly reveal their utter ignorance of philosophy in general and metaphysics in particular.

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