07.03.09
Soon to be fossil takes on Buchanan, and misses!
Old Fossil Takes On DarwinPosted by PZ Myers, Pharyngula at 5:01 AM on July 2, 2009.
The old fossil is Pat Buchanan, who has published a freakishly antiquated diatribe against Darwin.
Myers manages a miracle: he’s even more confused, or else untruthful, than Pat Buchanan.
The book in question, The End of Darwinism, actually hit 300 rank at Amazon, which is stupefying.
This book has problems, but all in all, it touches on many of the problems with Darwinism. Myers lambastes the author for his views on Marx and Darwin. Great, I have denied Marx’s Darwinism many times, but here: why not press this criticism on the current left? And the usual denial of the Darwin to Hitler connection. The connection is there, but it is worth reading Weikart’s book on this, to see the complexity of the question.
This attack of Myers is worthless, and not defense against these right-wing anti-darwinists.
Timothy Birdnow said,
July 4, 2009 at 9:53 am
Myers is nothing but a liar; his is a religious crusade draped in pseudoscience.
One needn`t just read Weikart; there are innumerable sources that illustrate the connections between Darwin and Hitler. Another useful book that I know that`s still in print is The War on the Weak by Edwin Black. This is a good primer on the history of eugenics for laymen.
Marx thought Darwin was upper class twit of the year, but his economic theories were modeled along the same lines as Darwinian evolution. Both were enamored of Thomas Malthus, and both bought into the Dialectic. Nemo, I don`t think one can make the case that Marxism was born of Darwinism, but I think it can be said that these two very different theories were “kissin` cousins” as it were.
At any rate, thanks for a fine post.
Darwiniana » Marx and Darwin, again said,
July 4, 2009 at 1:59 pm
[...] Birdnow comments on Soon to be fossil takes on Buchanan and misses It is almost impossible to get Marx straight: marxists fail, liberals fail, and conservatives break the bat, and fail. [...]