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RICHARD DAWKINS Ends All Debate RICHARD DAWKINS Ends All Debate Celebrating Reason and Humanity WINTER 2002/03 • VOL. 23 No. 1 f Susan HAACK • Christopher HITCHENS Nat HENTOFF Peter SINGER Paul KURTZ • • Introductory Price $5.95 U.S. / $6.95 Can. 24> John Dewey and Sidney Hook Remembered 7725274 74957 Published by The Council for Secular Humanism THE AFFIRMATIONS OF HUMANISM: A STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES* We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems. We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence, to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation. We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of human life. We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities. We are committed to the principle of the separation of church and state. We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual understanding. We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating discrimination and intolerance. We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves. We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together for the common good of humanity. We want to protect and enhance the earth, to preserve it for future generations, and to avoid inflicting needless suffering on other species. We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their fullest. We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence. We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be allowed to fulfill their aspirations, to express their sexual preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to have access to comprehensive and informed health-care, and to die with dignity. We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are normative standards that we discover together. Moral principles are tested by their consequences. We are deeply concerned with the moral education of our children. We want to nourish reason and compassion. We are engaged by the arts no less than by the sciences. We are citizens of the universe and are excited by discoveries still to be made in the cosmos. We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge, and we are open to novel ideas and seek new departures in our thinking. We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich per sonal significance and genuine satisfaction in the service to others. We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than blind faith or irrationality. We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as human beings. For a parchment copy of this page, suitable for framing, please send $4.95 to FREE INQUIRY, P.O. Box 664, Amherst, New York 14226-0664 * by Paul Kurtz free inquiry http://www.secularhumanism.org 2 EDITORIAL FEATURES 5 The Ethics of THE NEW BIOETHICS Humanism Without 27 Defending Cloning and Religion Stem Cell Research Paul Kurtz Against Faith-Based Curbs Introduction OP-ED Richard T. Hull and Tom Flynn 9 9/11/02 WINTER 2002/03 VOL. 23, NO. 1 Susan Haack ISSN 0272-0701 28 FI Interview Arthur Caplan on the 12 Why I Won’t Debate Future of Bioethics Creationists Richard Dawkins 30 Attack of the Anti-Cloners 15 Why I Did It Arthur Caplan Michael Newdow 32 Everybody Must 16 Thoughts for Today Get Cloned (and Tomorrow) David J. Triggle Arthur C. Clarke 34 Humanitas and the 17 Ashcroft vs. Human Genome The Constitution Faith Lagay Nat Hentoff 37 Cut Down the Tree 19 How Reliable of Knowledge Are Our Moral Kevin Bonham Intuitions? 38 Cloning Peter Singer Olliver Dyens 20 What Islamic World? 40 Stem Cell Research Christopher Hitchens Don Marquis 22 Changing Lifestyles 45 The Moral Status of and Perspectives the Human Embryo Vern L. Bullough Berit Brogaard 23 Where Credit Is Due 49 Recalling John Dewey Steven Devries John M. Novak SPECIAL SECTION 51 The Relevance of REVIEWS Sydney Hook Today Robert B. Talisse, Robert Tempio, 66 The Ghost in Matthew Cotter the Universe 53 Methodological vs. by Taner Edis Philosophical Tom Flynn Naturalism 66 Making the Massimo Pigliucci Manifesto: The Birth of 70 The Political 7 Letters Religious Philosophy of Wole Soyinka and DEPARTMENTS Humanism by William F. Schultz Other Narratives 25 Frontlines The Rubáiyát of Edward FitzOmar Frank L. Pasquale by Yemi D. Ogunyemi Norm R. Allen, Jr. 56 Church-State 68 Sisters in Spirit: Gary Sloan 70 Heretics: Update Haudenosaunee Churches’ Blessing for 61 Science and Religion The Bloody (Iroquois) Influence Candidates Nixed Second Thoughts on Fine-Tuning History of the on Early American Tom Flynn Jeremy Patrick Christian Church Feminists by W. Sumner Davis 57 Media Scan 62 Applied Ethics by Sally Roesch Wagner Churches Lose Liberty and Responsibility Alison Leslie Norm R. Allen, Jr. Market Share Tibor R. Machan C.M. Selby 69 Can We Be Good 65 The Humanist Activist Without God? 59 Great Minds S ecular Humanists by Robert Buckman Go to Washington Cornelia Fuykschot DJ Grothe FI Editorial Staff FREE INQUIRY (ISSN 0272-0701) is published quarterly by Editorial Board Editor-in Chief the Council for Secular Humanism, a nonprofit educational Paul Kurtz corporation, P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226. Phone (716) Robert Alley Editor 636-7571. Fax (716) 636-1733. Copyright ©2002 by the Professor of Humanities Emeritus, Thomas W. Flynn Council for Secular Humanism. All rights reserved. No part Univ. of Richmond, Virginia Managing Editor Deputy Editor of this periodical may be reproduced without permission Andrea Szalanski Norm R. Allen, Jr. of the publisher. Periodicals postage paid at Buffalo, N.Y., Hector Avalos Associate Professor of and at additional mailing offices. National distribution Columnists Religious Studies, Vern Bullough, Richard Dawkins, by International Periodicals Distributors, Solana Beach, Iowa State University Nat Hentoff, Christopher Hitchens, California. FREE INQUIRY is indexed in Philosophers’ Index. Wendy Kaminer, Tibor R. Machan, Joe E. Barnhart Peter Singer, Joan Kennedy Taylor Printed in the United States. Postmaster: Send address changes to FREE INQUIRY, P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226- Professor of Philosophy, Senior Editors North Texas State University Vern L. Bullough, Richard Dawkins, 0664. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the Martin Gardner, James A. Haught, views of the editors or publisher. No one speaks on behalf of H. James Birx Gerald A. Larue, Taslima Nasrin the Council for Secular Humanism unless expressly stated. Professor of Anthropology, Associate Editor Canisius College Wendy McElroy TO SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW George Bishop Contributing Editors • CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-458-1366 (have credit card handy). Professor of Political Science, Jo Ann Boydston, Paul Edwards, Albert Ellis, Roy P. Fairfield, • Fax credit-card order to 1-716-636-1733. University of Cincinnati Charles Faulkner, Antony Flew, Levi Fragell, Adolf Grünbaum, • Internet: www.secularhumanism.org Rob Boston Marvin Kohl, Thelma Lavine, Author, Americans United for Lee Nisbet, J. J. C. Smart, • Mail: FREE INQUIRY, P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664 Separation of Church and State Svetozar Stojanovic, • Subscription rates: $32.50 for one year, $55.50 for two years, Thomas Szasz, Richard Taylor Barbara Forrest $74.50 for three years. 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