From The Boston Globe and Mercatornet: When those without philosophical training speak with authority on philosophical issues, problem ensue. The authority they hold in one domain – say, science – doesn’t translate in the way they imply. Richard Dawkins is arguably the most prominent example, but others – such as Neil deGrasse Tyson – are also culpable. The most recent instance occurred in the Saturday edition of The Boston Globe, when psychologist Steven Pinker took aim at bioethicists. Students can examine the reasoning in this article and the response in Mercatornet to tease out the underlying issues.
