Comments on: Francis Collins Picked To Head NIH http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/ From InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:44:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Micheal Hickerson http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/comment-page-1/#comment-1373 Micheal Hickerson Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:28:29 +0000 http://blog.emergingscholars.org/?p=1169#comment-1373 So, if I understand Harris, he thinks that a latent purpose of the government (i.e. the NIH) is "understanding human well-being at the level of the brain" and then acting on the brain in order to bring about human well-being. Is Harris advocating for <i>Brave New World</i>? So, if I understand Harris, he thinks that a latent purpose of the government (i.e. the NIH) is “understanding human well-being at the level of the brain” and then acting on the brain in order to bring about human well-being.

Is Harris advocating for Brave New World?

]]> By: Tom Grosh http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/comment-page-1/#comment-1351 Tom Grosh Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:48:26 +0000 http://blog.emergingscholars.org/?p=1169#comment-1351 I’ve been waiting for “the culture war” advanced by “the new atheism.” Sam Harris’ NY Times Op-Ed “Science Is in the Details” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/opinion/27harris.html, 7/26/2009) is a well written, must read piece in which he works to the conclusion: “Francis Collins is an accomplished scientist and a man who is sincere in his beliefs. And that is precisely what makes me so uncomfortable about his nomination. Must we really entrust the future of biomedical research in the United States to a man who sincerely believes that a scientific understanding of human nature is impossible?” Hmm. … How would you respond to him? I’ve been waiting for “the culture war” advanced by “the new atheism.” Sam Harris’ NY Times Op-Ed “Science Is in the Details” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/opinion/27harris.html, 7/26/2009) is a well written, must read piece in which he works to the conclusion:

“Francis Collins is an accomplished scientist and a man who is sincere in his beliefs. And that is precisely what makes me so uncomfortable about his nomination. Must we really entrust the future of biomedical research in the United States to a man who sincerely believes that a scientific understanding of human nature is impossible?”

Hmm. … How would you respond to him?

]]> By: Week in Review: Science, Religion, and Waffles Edition at The Emerging Scholars Blog http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/comment-page-1/#comment-1332 Week in Review: Science, Religion, and Waffles Edition at The Emerging Scholars Blog Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:22:20 +0000 http://blog.emergingscholars.org/?p=1169#comment-1332 [...] also directs us to an editorial by Michael Gerson in the Washington Post about Collins’ appointment to be Director of the NIH in which Gerson calls Collins “Obama’s Scientific Peacemaker.” Related posts [...] [...] also directs us to an editorial by Michael Gerson in the Washington Post about Collins’ appointment to be Director of the NIH in which Gerson calls Collins “Obama’s Scientific Peacemaker.” Related posts [...]

]]> By: JG http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/comment-page-1/#comment-1327 JG Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:16:44 +0000 http://blog.emergingscholars.org/?p=1169#comment-1327 FYI: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/14/AR2009071402890.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns FYI:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/14/AR2009071402890.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

]]> By: Dave Snoke http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/comment-page-1/#comment-1323 Dave Snoke Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:15:08 +0000 http://blog.emergingscholars.org/?p=1169#comment-1323 Collins is a good Christian man, but it is unfortunate that he has picked a fight with the ID movement. His book is widely panned as having two halves that contradict each other. The first half uses various scientific evidences to argue for the existence of God (the lack of an explanation for the fine tuning of the universe, the lack of an adequate evolutionary psychology to explain guilt and morality) and then in the second half he says that using scientific evidences is wrong-headed. It seems that in fact, evidences in nature brought him to belief, but afterwards, he fell into theistic evolutionist camps that convinced him not to argue that way. Collins is a good Christian man, but it is unfortunate that he has picked a fight with the ID movement. His book is widely panned as having two halves that contradict each other. The first half uses various scientific evidences to argue for the existence of God (the lack of an explanation for the fine tuning of the universe, the lack of an adequate evolutionary psychology to explain guilt and morality) and then in the second half he says that using scientific evidences is wrong-headed. It seems that in fact, evidences in nature brought him to belief, but afterwards, he fell into theistic evolutionist camps that convinced him not to argue that way.

]]> By: Christian intellectuals on campus at The Emerging Scholars Blog http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/comment-page-1/#comment-1318 Christian intellectuals on campus at The Emerging Scholars Blog Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:29:49 +0000 http://blog.emergingscholars.org/?p=1169#comment-1318 [...] There are many more people – and models for doing this – that could be mentioned. (Francis Collins, of course, is [...] [...] There are many more people – and models for doing this – that could be mentioned. (Francis Collins, of course, is [...]

]]> By: JTG http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2009/07/francis-collins-picked-to-head-nih/comment-page-1/#comment-1295 JTG Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:32:05 +0000 http://blog.emergingscholars.org/?p=1169#comment-1295 This is great, great news! You should also read an interview with Collins in the latest issue of Books and Culture. I don't know if they've made it available online yet, but it's a great read. This is great, great news!

You should also read an interview with Collins in the latest issue of Books and Culture. I don’t know if they’ve made it available online yet, but it’s a great read.

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