Evidently, if the appeal to nature is foolishness, it is natural foolishness, and as such deserves some attempt at sympathetic understanding.  A notable attempt at a balanced view is provided by Bertrand Russell.  In "What I Believe" he saysThere is a certain attitude about the application of science to human life with which I have some sympathy, ( Read more... )

One Sunday, must have been in the late 1960s, I was visiting some rockclimbing friends in Kingston, NY, and I went out to buy the Times.  The route to the store led thru a decrepit neighborhood that was designated for urban renewal.  I passed a house on the front porch of which sat 3 boys (might have been 8 or 10 years old) and a dog.  The dog ran ( Read more... )