Re: Shermer


Subject: Re: Shermer
From: Michael Wright (cleburne@EARTHLINK.NET)
Date: Tue Dec 28 1999 - 16:45:17 EST


David: Is this the Michael Shermer of Skeptic fame? I think I read a book by
him called Why People Believe Weird Things. Is it the same guy?

 BTW, to you smart folks who post erudite messages on this board, thanks. I
admire and enjoy your insights.

    MFW

David Tye wrote:

> Dear Percyphiles,
>
> I am a longtime lurker on this list, and appreciate the contributions Dr.
> Percy has made - especially his non-fiction. "Lost in the Cosmos" and
> "Message in the Bottle" have been two indispensable elements in my
> self-education.
>
> Lately I have been reading the book "How We Believe - The Search for God in
> an Age of Science" by Michael Shermer. The book is a perfect candidate for
> Percy-style analysis. It attempts to explain religion, mythology, in
> short, all manifestations of "belief" in terms of evolutionary theory. The
> author is an archetypical case of the familiar Percy character of the
> scientist for whom scientific knowing is the only real way of knowing. The
> book, in fact, does offer some fascinating insights from the scientific
> investigations the author has performed. But, read in the light of Dr.
> Percy's writings, the book inadvertently highlights the limitations of
> science and what happens when investigators are unaware of them.
>
> Has anyone read this book, or care to discuss it? Even if you haven't, I
> would like to share my insights about the book (based on Percy) and see if
> those of you more versed in Percy could expand on them.
>
> Regards,
> David Tye
>
> ----------
> > From: Nikki Barranger <Nikkibar@AOL.COM>
> > To: PERCY-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
> > Subject: Re: A Christmas Present to the List
> > Date: Friday, December 24, 1999 1:17 PM
> >
> > Dear Friends,
> >
> > I am attaching hereto the splendid paper that Kenneth Holditch delivered
> at
> > the last Percy Symposium. It is twenty one pages in length and best read
> from
> > hard copy so I suggest you down load and print it out. Merry Christmas to
> all.
> >
> > Nikki Barranger
> >



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