Nicely done, wow a commentator who doesn’t scold us unsophisticates.

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Sam Harris and Micha Stone are correct that we need to question the wisdom of the Collins appointment. It’s abundantly clear that the religion virus is asserting some domination over the rational part of the man’s brain. Although this may or may not have a negative effect on the performance of his duties at NIH, it is simply too great a risk to take.

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Sam Harris has pointed out that religious moderates betray both, faith and reason equally. I can only trust that Collins will continue to betray his faith just as he has been doing it so far. Collins my profess a lot of parochial believes for a reason that is, to me, yet unknown (perhaps for political purposes), but his unquestionably outstanding carrer has thrived only by way of his overt neglect of these beliefs.

Collins has found ways of accomodating his biblical exegesis to his understanding of science and not the other way around.

My point is: Is he wrong to “believe” (if he really believes)  that raft of blatanty absurd notions about the nature of the universe and the nature of humanity?  - Absolutely

Will it interfere with his scientific work? - It hasn’t so far, so I have no reason to deem it likely that it will. Collins is simply a lousy believer.

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I see Andrew Brown of the Guardian responded to this by calling Sam “Shallow, narrow, and self-righteous” !!

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Fascinating that Harris would complain as he has admitted that he, himself, is becoming a scientist not in order to conduct unbiased research but in order to evidence his atheist presuppositions.

http://atheismisdead.blogspot.com/2009/05/atheism-new-emergent-atheists-part-2-of.html

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I find it astounding that no matter how coolly and rationally people like Sam Harris and Jerry Coyne frame their reservations about Collins, how his public advocacy of religion, as well as how his rejection of scientific rationalism as an explanation of human behavior, might effect his outlook when handing out research grants, their critics only real rebuttal is to deliberately twist and misinterpret those reservations. “Oh, the mean New Atheists just want to start having religious tests for public office now! They just hate the idea that Christians can be scientists!” So much for public and open debate about ideas…

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As I have pointed out several times elsewhere, Dr.Harris and Dr.Dawkins seem to be acting as the forefront of a new “scientific McCarthyism” Era.One thing is to consider science the best known tool so far to understand the universe -I fully agree with that- another thing is to confuse science with “the ultimate thruth” and act accordingly as the Roman Catholic Inquisitors did beginning a witch-hunting from the other side around. Dangerous path indeed.
http://www.awakenthegolem.blogspot.com

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Science should get us closer to balance and eventually world peace, but with religious faith (reasonless) and religious dogma (senseless) we cannot get closer to the balancing of sense and reason.

Thank you for advocating rationally focused thought in US politics.

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Wow.

So you don’t mind “his rejection of scientific rationalism as an explanation of human behavior”?

I’m with Harris, I’d rather the leader of such a powerful organization mete out decisions based on science rather than superstition.

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I suggest Sam Harris studies the “demarcation problem” in science, particularly the writings of Kuhn, Fleck, Lakatos, and Feyerabend.

Furthermore, simply because a scientist believes in God does not prevent him or her from contributing to the scientific community in meaningful ways, nor does it prevent him or her from creating effective public policy.

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just got word from the NIH.  Francis Collins has been elected into the position by the senate. 

He’s official, now.

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La Revolution n’a pas besion de savants.

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S. Harris is quite right when disagrees with Collins appointment in such crucial for the NIH position and his doing so by pointing out Collins’ highly religious biased wordings and almost schizophrenic beliefs & ideology. But one is left to wonder why a whole relevant academia don’t fiercely and actively oppose on Obama’s blunder instead of quietly accepting such an intellectual insult… After all, aren’t there any better and not so polarized candidates for such an important post?

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The big danger, which the religious apologists simply overlook,  is that Dr. Collins might start diverting funds into make-weight projects like curing disease and away from important scientific research into the ultimate meaning of life.  Thank God that Sam, at least, had the courage to point this out!

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