tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post3596993375907510106..comments2024-03-26T14:20:38.103-04:00Comments on The Thought Criminal: Write Out Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post-11384924508468673762014-11-03T08:31:57.425-05:002014-11-03T08:31:57.425-05:00Is that "Wilson" in the excerpt E.O. Wil...Is that "Wilson" in the excerpt E.O. Wilson?<br /><br />The mere fact that Wilson and Pinker (who's popular work I do know) cite the story of Gage to support their claims proves to me they are neither scientists nor scholars. They are insufficiently curious and skeptical to be either.<br /><br />You cannot swallow the popular story about Gage and then use it as evidence for scientific claims any more than you can accept as history that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree. If you are going to use the story of an historical figure to buttress a scientific theory, science and scholarship alike demand you investigate the story and get an accurate set of facts to work from.<br /><br />Which, of course, is why scientists like Pinker and Wilson turn to popular science to make their fame and fortune. First, it's fame and fortune; second, it's far easier than doing actual science.<br /><br />I'm growing more and more skeptical of Stephen Hawking for the same reasons.Rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06811456254443706479noreply@blogger.com