I’m listening to Science Friday right now, and host Ira Flatow just got punked by Randy Olson. Ira brought up the role of the Discovery Institute in pushing for ID in the schools, and Randy asked why there wasn’t anyone from the Discovery Institute on the show.

Ira was a little surprised at the counter question, and Randy went further to say that the science communicators should bring their claims out because there’s nothing to hide in science. This made me feel pleased because one of the things I do when talking about evolution and anti-evolution, is I periodically try to get anti-evolutionists on my show to present their case. Recently, on my series on anti-evolution since Dover, I interviewed Phillip Johnson.

Why? Why give a platform for pseudoscientists to present their case? Because if you give them enough time, and are well-prepared, you can demonstrate how empty their claims are. If every time they came out to speak or do an interview they were picked apart - people would stop listening to them. The fear that engaging them makes them seem legitimate can be dispensed with if you add just the right touch or humor and logical analysis to the interview. Check out how I did it.