The Day the Enlightenment Went Out (Garry Wills loses it)

The New York Times ^ | November 4, 2004 | Garry Wills

[EveningStar]

This election confirms the brilliance of Karl Rove as a political strategist. He calculated that the religious conservatives, if they could be turned out, would be the deciding factor. The success of the plan was registered not only in the presidential results but also in all 11 of the state votes to ban same-sex marriage. Mr. Rove understands what surveys have shown, that many more Americans believe in the Virgin Birth than in Darwin's theory of evolution.

[Give Piece A Chance]

This clown is a History professor? Our education system is in more trouble than I thought.

He's just an adjunct professor - i.e., not on a tenure track. Essentially an academic temp.

[Elsie]

He lived and died a Christian.

You are half right.

Later in life he gave up belief in a personal GOD and became an agnostic.

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His wife prayed for his soul......

[hinckley buzzard]

"Professor Wills badly needs his meds"

I don't think they make a medicine for anti-Catholic hate which has metastasized into a generalized anti-religious bigotry. Yeah, Wills is a lapsed Catholic who likes to trash his former faith.

[Boiler Plate]

that many more Americans believe in the Virgin Birth than in Darwin's theory of evolution.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."
-Jesus

"Eat your neighbor before he eats you."
-Darwin

Geez isn't Christianity horrible?

[Elsie]

Read more about Darwin in this month's National Geogaphic.

(Even after being fooled by the Chinese chicken hoax a couple of years ago, NG STILL believes in 'Evolution'!)

[Give Piece A Chance]

I feel obliged to defend Wills. I've read many of his books and some of them are truly brilliant, like his bio of St.Augustine. Like virtually all writers, he's not consistantly great in either his prose style of analysis, so slack should be cut.

I lost any respect I had for Garry Wills during his shameless whoring for Michael Bellesiles and the now thoroughly discredited Arming America. His NY Times review of this book is one of the most unabashed exercises in advocacy-disguised-as-analysis that I have ever read.

[durasell]

I'm only judging him on the books that I've read by him...mostly the Lincoln book and the Augustine book. Very rarely read his reviews or magazine pieces. Again, the Lincoln book is terrific.

[dr_lew]

Thank you for that.

Perhaps apropos, Isaac Newton kept a diary of sins. One of them - "Making water on His day."

Yikes! And Newton was a Unitarian heretic!

[jennyp]

but to think that one species can evolve to another species has never been proven. if fact, many scientists doubt the hypothesis of darwin's evolution based on the paleonotlogical record and the mathematical probabilities of it happening. there are other scientific evidences discrediting darwin's hypothesis, but i have bloviated too long here.

bottom line, darwin's evolution is at best a hypothesis by his own definition of evolution.

Could this election really give creationists a renewed sense of power? Will we see a rash of creationism-in-science-class referenda in the states in 2006 as a new wedge issue to keep all these brand-new Christian conservative voters coming to the polls next time?

And is this something the crevo gang should hash out?

[maryz]

Wills was a Catholic back when he was sane. That must be at least 30 years ago, though.

[PatrickHenry]

Could this election really give creationists a renewed sense of power? Will we see a rash of creationism-in-science-class referenda in the states in 2006 as a new wedge issue to keep all these brand-new Christian conservative voters coming to the polls next time? And is this something the crevo gang should hash out?

We will indeed be dealing with this. But for now, I'd rather enjoy the election victory. It means that western civilization will be preserved. There are always forces of irrationality working against the modern world, and probably always will be, at a back-burner level of intensity; but Bush was dealing with a world-class problem and had to win so we could survive. We can deal later, probably state by state, with the unfortunate byproduct of a few Luddites feeling like it's springtime for the Dark Ages.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Does enlightened mean "Atheist." I think that is what he is talking about here. I guess I am not enlightened because I am a God fearing Protestant and I guess I don't have the ability to think in Mr. Wills opinion.

Yeah "enlightened" is one of them code words that historically precedes "reeducation camps".

[Elsie]

...forces of irrationality...

HMmmm...

FoI

Yes; it DOES have a certain ring to it - almost as good as VRWC, I think.

[Elsie]

But if fill in blank REALLY becomes ascendent in this country it would eventually do a lot of damage on its own.

But... will the TRAINS run on time?

[Elsie]

...by his own definition...

But, here in FR, RE-defining long dead folk's intentions, faith, lifestyle, is something we do best!

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We are (by definition) agenda driven.

[Cincinatus]

The Day the Enlightenment Went Out....

....was the day he wrote this column.

[Elsie]

Let's see..........

So far, in THIS thread, I'm a Luddite, gang-member, irrational, and, a moral zealot.

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It's almost like being over at DU!

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They KNOW that they are right: "Why don't those foolish Conservatives see the Light??"

[RogueIsland]

It would probably come as a suprise to those on FR's crevo threads to learn that Bush voters are monolithic Creationists.

[mlocher]

Could this election really give creationists a renewed sense of power? Will we see a rash of creationism-in-science-class referenda in the states in 2006 as a new wedge issue to keep all these brand-new Christian conservative voters coming to the polls next time?

your point is well taken. i hadn't look at it that way. i think it would be great, but politically i don't think evolution is quite the emotional issue that gay marriage is. but i hope i am wrong

[mlocher]

and our agenda is drien by principle and character!