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SECTIONS

Critique of Intelligent Design

Evolution vs. Creationism

The Art of ID Stuntmen

Faith vs Reason

Anthropic Principle

Autopsy of the Bible code

Science and Religion

Historical Notes

Counter-Apologetics

Serious Notions with a Smile

Miscellaneous

Letter Serial Correlation

Mark Perakh's Web Site

Letters

[Write a Reply] [Letters Index]

Title Author Date
Steve Fuller Gallagher, Alex Mar 30, 2006
In his excellent article debunking Steve Fuller, Norman Levitt states;

"Fuller's connection with the ID crowd is a rather old one. He signed on as a fellow-traveler as early as 1998, embracing Intelligent Design Theory as a ploy in his more general campaign to challenge the hegemony of standard science and to compel scientists to accept the legitimacy of "local knowledges" of the sort that fail when confronted with scientific standards of rigor."

It might be of interest that in this article in the Daily Telegraph (UK), he is claiming to be "one of the architects of the theory".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/01/28/do2803.xml

Is Fuller correct? Is he actually an architect of ID?
Related Articles: Steve Fuller and The Hidden Agenda of Social Constructivism

Title Author Date
Steve Fuller Levitt, Norman Mar 30, 2006
I have long been aware of the evolution of "Intelligent Design Theory" and rather doubt that Fuller was an architect thereof. ID theory was and remains a ploy to eliminate or repress secularism as a leading strain in contemporary thought, replacing it with a Christian-oriented, sacralized view of the state and society. To the extent that it had an "architect", that dubious honor goes, I think, to Phillip E. Johnson, the Boalt Hall
(Berkely) law professor and convert to Fundamentalism who set himself up as
a critic of "Darwinism" long before ID, as such, took form and who subsequently turned to similarly motivated critics with scientific
backgrounds (Dembski, Behe, Wells) to provide window dressing for a concerted theocratic movement.

Fuller became a sort of fellow traveller fairly early, for reasons that my article analyzes, but can hardly be called a major figure in the ID movement, or even a true believer. Academic one-upmanship (rather ill-judged in this case) has a lot more to do with it.

Norman Levitt
Related Articles: Steve Fuller and The Hidden Agenda of Social Constructivism

Title Author Date
Steve Fuller Fuller , Steve Apr 04, 2006
At the risk of dissolving one of the urban myths that circulate on this website, Mr Gallagher might wish to have a second look at the surname on the article that purportedly said I was an architect of ID.

May you always find Creds under your beds!

Cheers!
Related Articles: Steve Fuller and The Hidden Agenda of Social Constructivism

Title Author Date
Steve Fuller Rossow, Amiel Apr 05, 2006
Until his appearance as a witness at the Kitzmiller vs. DASD trial, I never heard Fuller's name, and until the appearance of Norman Levitt's essay on Talk Reason I knew nothing about Fuller's literary output and about him in general.

A contributor to the Letters section on this site, Mr. Gallagher, commenting on Levitt's essay, referred to an article in a British newspaper.
Unfortunately, although the link provided by Mr. Gallagher opened the Daily Telegraph website, I could not find there any article mentioning Steve Fuller, so I don't know what this article in fact asserts and whose name
appears in its byline. Evidently, Mr. Fuller does not like Gallagher's letter (perhaps he has good reasons for that, but this is not the issue here). Responding to Gallagher's letter, Mr. Fuller not only points to the alleged error in Gallagher's submission (which may or may not be indeed an error) but also inserts a sniping remark regarding the entire Talk Reason
website. You see, Mr. Fuller's learned opinion is that Talk Reason is "circulating urban myths." Really, Mr. Fuller? Are your publications as well substantiated as your remark aimed at this site? If this letter by Fuller is indicative of his habitual treatment of facts, there is hardly a justification for getting acquainted with his other publications.

The roster of contributors to Talk Reason contains dozens of names of accomplished scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers; Mr. Fuller's opinion hardly will make them lose sleep.

It is interesting how a brief letter can instantly create an image of the character and intellect of a letter's writer, in this case of Mr. Fuller.
This image fits in well with the portrait of Fuller according to Levitt's essay.

Cheers,

Amiel Rossow
Related Articles: Steve Fuller and The Hidden Agenda of Social Constructivism