Vatican Meeting with Intellectuals to Discuss Evolution

[BurtWorm]

Will there be a shift in policy from JPII's relatively enlightened view? This is from Kevin Drum:


http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2006_08/009412.php

BLINDED BY SCIENCE....Just in case you chose today to feel a wee bit of optimism in an otherwise gloomy world, the Guardian sends along the following bracing news:

Philosophers, scientists and other intellectuals close to Pope Benedict will gather at his summer palace outside Rome this week for intensive discussions that could herald a fundamental shift in the Vatican's view of evolution.

There have been growing signs the Pope is considering aligning his church more closely with the theory of "intelligent design" taught in some US states. Advocates of the theory argue that some features of the universe and nature are so complex that they must have been designed by a higher intelligence. Critics say it is a disguise for creationism.

A prominent anti-evolutionist and Roman Catholic scientist, Dominique Tassot, told the US National Catholic Reporter that this week's meeting was "to give a broader extension to the debate. Even if <the Pope> knows where he wants to go, and I believe he does, it will take time. Most Catholic intellectuals today are convinced that evolution is obviously true because most scientists say so."

Sigh. One step forward, two steps back.

[Ian David]

1. There's no such thing as an intellectual "Close to Poop Benedict" n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Anyone who wants to take humanity back to the Dark Ages

is not an intellectual.

[Joanne98]

3. Why can't they just DROP IT! They lost the debate 100 years ago.

Can't the Vatican find something USEFUL to do?

[rman]

4. There's no "theory" of intelligent design, since theres no evidence

for it. Maybe it's a religious theory, but scientifically it's at best an hypothesis.

[hlthe2b]

5. the more these Cretins talk about it...

the less the evidence for "Intelligent Design." :evilgrin:

[Benhurst]

6. Yeah, Intelligent Design rules all!

[shain from kane]

7. The Pope of the Chimps, by Robert Silverberg

From the internets ---


Majipoor.com: The Works of Robert Silverberg

The Pope of the Chimps
by Robert Silverberg
Form: Novelette

Year: 1982

ID: 899

Publication history:
1982 : Perpetual Light (pb) Warner
1983 : The Best Science Fiction of the Year Vol. 12 (pb) Pocket
1983 : Nebula Award Stories 18 (hc) Arbor House
1984 : The Conglomeroid Cocktail Party (hc) Arbor House
1984 : The Conglomeroid Cocktail Party (hc) Science Fiction Book Club, 243 pp., 1642
1985 : The Conglomeroid Cocktail Party (pb) Bantam, 317 pp., ISBN 0-553-25077-9
1985 : The Conglomeroid Cocktail Party (hc) Gollancz (UK), 284 pp., 03544-7
1987 : Det brokiga cocktailpartyt (pb) Korpen (Sweden), ISBN 91-7374-186-8 (in Swedish tr. Erik Andersson)
1989 : The Conglomeroid Cocktail Party (pb) Gollancz (UK), 284 pp., 04622-8
1991 : Sacred Visions (pb) Tor
2000 : Sci-Fi.com (ol)
2000 : Fictionwise (ol) Fictionwise
2000 : The Conglomeroid Cocktail Party (ol) Peanut Press
2003 : Voile vers Byzance: Nouvelles au fil du temps, tome 3, 1981-1987 (tpb) Flammarion (France), 768 pp., ISBN 2080682547, 41 (in French as Le pape des chimpanz)
2004 : Phases of the Moon (tpb) iBooks, 623 pp., ISBN 0743498011

Comments:
Nominated for Nebula Award for best short story, 1982. This is the moving story of a long-term chimpanzee sign-language project. When one of the scientists studying the chimps gets leukemia and talks to them about death, the chimps develop a religion. Humans are above chimps, and God is above humans. When chimps die, they become human; when humans die, they go to God. The time period is unspecified (apparently late twentieth century), and there is no technology mentioned. In fact, some might say it's not science fiction at all. An interesting side note is that Silverberg, himself atheist, assumes a more or less Christian perspective for the story. Another odd thing is that the first person narrator is never given a name.

[Finder]

8. This makes no sense, all theists believe in intelligent design or...

they wouldn't be theists in the first place. Intelligent design as a theory(scientific)does not exist.

[sui generis]

9. I think the Jesuits treat creation as a parable for the most part

oddly, they can be pretty forward thinking on scientific topics, treating what other's take within the faith as literal to be philosophical, at least in my experience.

I wonder how that came about?

[Finder]

10. I agree..The Jesuits were the result of the Enlightenment for the most ...

part. I feel their theology is closer to Deism than Christianity to be honest. That said, Deism believes in an architect of the universe or intelligent designer theologically. As far as ID as a science theory--doubtful.