Carl Bajema on Richard Dawkins
Presented by Carl Bajema, PhD, Retired Professor of Biological Sciences, Grand Valley State University
About the Speaker
Recently retired from Grand Valley State University, Dr. Bajema taught evolutionary biology for more than 40 years. He has conducted scientific research involving the measurement of the direction and intensity of selection in human populations. Professor Bajema also has been very active as a science educator helping students, teachers and others gain a better scientific understanding of the natural processes involved in evolution.
About the Event
Announcements
Meeting #41, for February 17, 1999.
Upcoming meetings/ topics are: March 17: “Reality Therapy”, moderated by
Walt Van Dam, March 31st- at the Wyoming Pub. Library- Charles LaRue
will moderate “Fundamentalism and Abuse”, April 14th: Ben Ingerbretson
will moderate “Civil Discourse in the Age of Road Rage.” For more
information, suggestions and comments e-mail us:
http://members.aol.com/faowm, or by postal mail to: PO Box 649, Jenison,
MI 49429-0649. We will be joining our discussion group list with the
Great Lakes Humanist Society’s soon. This will occur automaticaly for
those already on the list, unless they unsubscribe
“How is it that hardly any majorreligion has looked science and
concluded, ‘This is better than we thought! The universe is much bigger
than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant?’ Instead
they say, ‘No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay
that way.’ A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificece of the
Universe as revealed by modern sciece might be able to draw forth from
reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by conventional faiths.”
>From Pale Blue Dot (‘95), by Carl Sagan.
Among books shared @ this meeting, The Dark Side of Christianity by
Helen Ellerby; publshed by Morningstar Books, was offered for our
perusal.
Charley M. passed around a sign up sheet for anyone interested in doing
some highway clean-up this year under our group name. He needs support
in making calls as well as the roadwork itself. He has made the initial
contact.
Don H. called our attention to the availablility of the book, The Best
of Ingersoll, by Unitarian People’s Church minister and Ingersoll
biographer, Roger Greeley. Many will recall Geeley’s excellent
presentation on Robert Green Ingersoll in the auditorium @ the UICA on
Nov. 18th of last year. Greeley is offering this book on the great
debater, orator and leading light of his time for equality and
freethought @ the reduced price of 15.00 per copy to our group. Contact
Don H. if you are interested in obtaining a copy.
We will be relocating to the Wyoming Public Library for our meetings,
beginning on March 31st. Our last meeting @ the
UICA will be March 17.
A member of the local branch of Dignity—Eric- attended our meeting and
passed around information sheets pertaining to this support, social and
information-sharing group for gay and lesbian individuals. While it is
officially linked with the Catholic faith, no such connection is
necessary and indeed, he said many members are non-theistic. We discussed
exchanges between FAOWM and Dignity.
Presentation
Our topic this meeting was presented by Grand Valley State University
professor of evolutionary biology, Carl Bajema on Richard Dawkins and
his contributions to the field and the popular understanding of
evolution and animal behavior. Dawkins holds the first Charles Simonyi
Professorship @ Oxford in the Public Understanding of Science.
Carl handed out additional materials on Dawkins and his writings, to
those he passed out @ our last meeting. Dawkins has authored such books
as The Blind Watchmaker and Climbing Mount Improbable; both countering
the arguments against evolution masterfully; The Extended Phenotype and
The Selfish Gene; where he takes a gene’s eye view of survival and
propagation via successful adaptations of its “survival machines” (i.e.
bodies). He also coined the term “memes” dealing with the way ideas and
cultural information is spread. Dawkins believes that cultural ideas are
on a genetic leash.
He has made significant contributions in computer modeling to simulate
evolutionary processes as well as in explaining via computer metaphor,
the process of information spread as it relates to living organisms. He
is a gifted popularizer of difficult animal behvior concepts and never
shies away the role of sex, propogation, and sexual selection as the
basis for survival via evolutionary adaptation. It was mentioned how
other animals ensure through extreme measures the survival and
propagation of only their own genetic legacy and this was compared with
the alarming statistic of children of non-biologically related parents
being about 10 times more likely to be killed by this step parent.
Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins were contrasted in their differing
views of the relative importance of differing factors in evolution. In
his most recent book; Unweaving the Rainbow, Dawkins acknowledges
Gould’s literary gifts but accuses him of using these poetic skills to
lead his readership astray from evolutionary truths.
Dawkins is very outspoken in his views of science and religion and is
considered by many “dangerous” for these. One very memorable line as to
God’s creation of life forms is: “god seems to know his Darwinism.”
Unweaving the Rainbow; Science, Delusion and the Appetite For Wonder is
his argument for how investigating the deep truths of our world and
universe does not negate the beauty and awe—the stuff of poetry and
wonder. He also takes on “bad poetry” (that lulls lay readers down false
scientific paths), the paranormal and New Age mythologies; encouaging
critical thinking skills instead of pat answers that may provide comfort
but reveal nothing.
Our hoped for chance to hear R. Dawkins on the Allendale campus of GVSU,
as a stop on his American tour, didn’t occur due to personal reasons.
Some of our group attended a “commiseration party” on the scheduled day
of that event in lieu of it.
recorder: C. LaRue
