Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2009

Publication Title

Synthese

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Abstract

Why is the academy in general, and philosophy in particular, not more involved in the fight against the creationist threat? And why, when a response is offered, is it so curiously ineffective? I argue, by using an analogy with the battle against the Black Knight from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, that the difficulty lies largely in a failure to see the nature of the problem clearly. By modifying the analogy, it is possible to see both why large sections of the academy have remained unmoved and also why many of the reactions to the threat have been so unsuccessful. Finally, I offer some very broad suggestions as to how to modify our approach in light of this new perspective.

Comments

This manuscript was published in the journal Synthese. You may access the published version here (a subscription may be necessary to view this version): http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11229-009-9545-5

Share

COinS