Hmm, what’s this? We noticed that overnight eight 5-star reviews for Stephen Meyer’s book Darwin’s Doubt were mysteriously erased. Just vanished. Since these were positive reviews, it is unlikely they were “abusive” which is the normal criterion that Amazon has for removing reviews. Interesting.
These kinds of shenanigans always seem to happen when our critics are feeling maximally pressed because they can’t answer our arguments on the merits. They thus see the need to resort to schemes and tricks. It’s an admission of intellectual defeat.
We’ve also heard claims about people trying to reshelf Meyer’s book in the religion section at the bookstore or get it officially reclassified as a Christian title instead science, and so on. University of Chicago biologist and evolution defender Jerry Coyne applauds such efforts. Anything to avoid a real debate.
No words could be more appropriate than those of Coyne’s University of Chicago colleague, mathematician Leo Kadanoff, in thanking William Dembski for his presentation there yesterday:
I think the ball is in the court of people who believe in evolution. They have to deal with these questions. …Bill [Dembski] has made his case and we should all go home and think.
So…that was yesterday, and hours later someone is trying to sweep the positive reviews off the Amazon page for Darwin’s Doubt. No doubt a coincidence.
Dr. Kadanoff, whose own views on intelligent design we don’t know, thinks Darwinists should man up and address the evidence for ID rather than dodging, as per their usual custom. That would be most welcome.