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Does Francis Collins's Faith Have Any Benefits for the NIH?

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ы весело!

InvenueNomo of AL 6:43PM October 30, 2009

Спасибочки, я когда устаю работать перерывчики делаю, к вам бывает заглядываю, так держать.

googlefakel of AL 5:42AM October 08, 2009

Это хорошо что вы начали вести блог,ведь у вас это отлично получается и надеюсь будет еще лучше. Главное писать о том,в чем вы разбираетесь. Удачи. :)

чeлoвeк2мaн of AL 5:35PM August 21, 2009

"Don't those ethics have to be rooted in some moral or religious system that transcends pure science?" No. Simple answer. If you can't find the answer in science you aren't trying hard enough.

Anthony of OR 1:34AM July 30, 2009

I can't help but feel that the appointment of Collins to head NIH was an attempt to appease the fundies, particularly regarding their opposition to stem-cell research. As I said, I don't expect this appointment will change their minds.

Larry Fafarman of CA 8:52PM July 27, 2009

The last thing you should want is an administrator basing his decisions about bioethical issues on one of the many religious systems that are available in a free society, none of which should be imposed by means of political power. Although my own latest contribution to the blogosphere doesn't raise that issue, partly because I'm not at all convinced that Collins would actually behave in such a high-handed and divisive manner, it's one of the very reasons that some people are worried. There's at least the theoretical possibility that a specifically religious moral system could be used to skew what research gets funded and what research doesn't.

Russell Blackford 6:28PM July 27, 2009

While I disagree with some of the conclusions of this post, I thought most of them were at least reasonable, and definitely interesting. In particular, the idea the Collins' faith is part of what drives his scientific curiosity, and that therefore it is partially a good thing, is compelling.
I have a major issue with your final paragraph though, which suggests that somehow Collins' Christian evangelism is going to help him to be moral. Uh, wha? It seems to me that true morality and ethics exist independently of religion. My Orthodox Jewish cousin, for example, strictly follows some parts of the Torah but ignores things like stoning your children for disobeying you. The only explanation I can see is that my cousin knows right from wrong from some OTHER source, not from his religion.
I have to believe this is the case for most people. Otherwise, I'm surrounded by people who would just as soon kill me and steal all my stuff if it weren't for the threat of eternal punishment. That's a pretty scary world, but luckily, morality comes from elsewhere.
I think you raise some interesting points overall, but your assertion that Collins' religion might help him with ethical decisions is absurd.

James Sweet of NY 4:09PM July 27, 2009

Muser of NM said,
--Why would anyone criticize a guy who will not dump Jesus and His teachings just because he has studied science enough to know that the literal story of creation 6000 years ago in six earth-defined days is unlikely to be literally factual. --
What is likely to be "literally factual" about the gospel?
Logically, Collins should dump Jesus and accept the creation story of Genesis. The creation story is fairly straightforward whereas the gospel is full of illogic, inconsistencies, ambiguities, and unintelligibility. And the creation story is consistent with the idea of an all-powerful god (except for the fact that god had to rest after all that hard work of ordaining creation for six days) whereas the god of the gospel is a weak, limited god who must struggle against Satan for control of the world.
It doesn't matter how good the evidence for evolution is (the evidence is not good, but that is another matter), because the fundies will always be able to claim that there can be no absolute proof of evolution because no one was there to see and record it.

Larry Fafarman of CA 1:37PM July 27, 2009

--If Collins' faith mollifies even a few political conservatives who would otherwise continue to waste time and money fighting research efforts that violate their specific religious tenets, then the benefits of his faith should outweigh whatever qualms scientists might have.--
Does anyone really believe that this is going to change anyone's mind about, say, stem-cell research?

Larry Fafarman of CA 1:04PM July 27, 2009

I read Collin's book and was impressed. He looked at the coin from the other side and came to very reasonable conclusions. He asked difficult questions and did a good job of answering them. I have a few issues where he tried to fill in the gaps, but found his writings to be very challenging overall. I guess it goes to the bottom line, are we created or are we evolved. There are profound ramifications in which one of the two you believe. It goes to moral accountability either to a creator or to creation. Our human nature compels us to be God and create utopia here on earth. Everything we see in the universe tells us we are part of creation and are accountable to a higher power. Collins did a great job of looking at both sides. Those who would dismiss him because of their preconceived miss perceptions need a little more intellectual honesty and more importantly, a closer look at their own heart.

Dr. Gray B. Myers OD of CA 12:48PM July 27, 2009