Episode 63 of the Mindcast is up!
Download it here.
Show topics:
On the State of the Union speech, Bush finally acknowledges climate change, latest climate change report avoids “smoking gun” and introduces “battalion of intergalactic smoking missiles” label, glaciers in the Alps may be gone by 2050, one scientist says that two snowflakes may be alike, spinal nerve cells have similar processes going on as in the cerebral cortex, bumblebees split tasks between hive cluster warmers and fanners, and low-birthweight correlates with adult salt intake.
Two interviews on evolution, religion, and atheism: The first is with Dr. Ken Miller at Brown University, author of Finding Darwin’s God and one of the expert witnesses in the KvDover case. and Dr. PZ Myers at the University of Minnesota, Morris, author of the popular science blog, Pharyngula, and as we found out during the show, he’s working on a book as well!
Theme = Music from “The Body” by Roger Waters, by special request of PZ Myers.
Brought to you by Cinnamaldehyde.
Note on the episode: Someone messed with the mixer board at the station and I had to spend some time resetting it so that the phone-in interviews would work. Consequently, I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked for the interviews, and because PZ’s interview was second, it ended up being a little bit shorter. (The station’s computer also cut off the last ten seconds of the email PZ read on the air) I didn’t get to ask all of the questions I had, which is usually the case, however, I think I did get a little bit out, and hopefully this should make a contribution to the overall discussion. I stayed at the station and added my own commentary to the end before mixing in the cinnamaldehyde commercial and uploading the show.
It was suggested over at Pharyngula, that PZ and Ken do a radio show debate. Because the station has only one phone line, I don’t yet have a way to do that, however, I might have such a set-up possible in the next few days. If both parties are interested, I would be happy to host them, edit it, and put it on my show sometime in the next month or two. Healthy discussions of the issues are always good. Your Honor, I reserve the right to recall the witnesses!
Anyway, I’m working on a dual-phone-in setup, for the reason that next week I will be interviewing Philip Johnson, credited as the founder of the Intelligent Design movement. And next week I will announce who else may be participating. Thanks for listening.
As an Orthodox Jewish woman who believes in evolution, and sees no conflict, I quite enjoyed your interview with Dr.Ken Miller.
I don’t think we need to force science and religion together in any kind of gun-shot wedding, but the attitude on the part of at least many atheists that I listen to (on various podcasts) is; religious people are all idiots and trying to force their beliefs on us.” Not so. I am intelligent and believe in G-d. What anyone else believes is entirely their own concern.
I find it odd that Dr. Myers sees atheists as having been quiet for so long and that is why we don’t notice they aren’t the nice guys next door. I do wonder what his version of “quiet” is. It seems to me that atheists have been quiet vocal over the past twenty or at least ten years. Though the main sortie against the religous are aimed at Christians, I feel the same attacks.
I want evolution taught in school. I homeschool my 13 year old, and carbon dating, evolution, age of the universe in terms of millions of years, are taught as fact. We also teach that the Torah is truth.
Perhaps who really needs to speak out are those such as Dr. Miller, my husband, and myself; religious evolutionists.