Paul Zachary Myers
From RationalWiki
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers is a notable science blogger at ScienceBlogs and a biology professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris. His blog Pharyngula is one of the most popular and controversial on the tubes.[1] He knows Intelligent Design doesn't make sense.
Myers is famous for his Courtier's Reply: a refutation of the claim, often posed by theologians, that only clergy and those theologically trained are meant to analyze matters of faith because only they know the appropriate terms of art. According to Myers, that amounts to telling the people of the popular folktale about the King's Vestments that he is not actually naked, and anyone stating so is obviously ignorant of the many volumes written about royal fashion, as well and the learned essays on the magnificence of his feathered hat. All while the King's genitals are flopping all over the place.
Myers and many other members of the most recent generation of outspoken atheists do not subscribe to the notion that faith and science are "non overlapping magisteria". He argues that faith and superstition, while unfounded, have real impact upon the world through the deeds of believers and thus merit critical analysis by any and all means, including science.
In a bizarre mix up he was not allowed in to see the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed - though Richard Dawkins was!
He is a scientist, so he often writes about biology (usually evolution) on his blog. The vast majority of his posts, however, deal with atheism. There are rumors that he has tentacles. They are not true.
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[edit] Crackergate
On July 24, 2008, PZ desecrated a consecrated host, along with pages from the Koran and Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion. This was in response to the assault on Webster Cook, a student who kept a host in his mouth to show to a friend later, rather than eating it at a celebration of the eucharist at the University of Central Florida, and (according to some) an attempt to draw fire. In that, it succeeded, sparking a feud between Dr. Myers and William Donohue.
[edit] John Kwok
In March, 2009, PZ was stalked by a professional troll, John Kwok. Kwok started an email campaign to try to coerce PZ to buying Kwok an expensive camera to avoid a lawsuit against PZ stalking Kwok, simply for posting Kwok's emails to PZ's website. Kwok has also threatened to include PZ as an Irish terrorist in a novel Kwok is working on, and to email CAIR to put a fatwa on PZ.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The blog in question
- About PZ (The Mad Scientist. Biologist and blogger PZ Myers speaks out on the war on science, intelligent design, and the sexual habits of giant squid)
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[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ Myers also contributes to Panda's Thumb as one of many contributors.
