Surprised by Time (16 May 07)
Time Cover May 14 2007 was titled: “The Most Influential People in The World – The Time 100.” Professor Richard Dawkins can be found on page 76 of the section, “Science and Thinkers.” What is surprising for the reader is to discover Time had invited Michael Behe to write the comment on Dawkins. Behe is an Intelligent Design Theorist and author of the best seller, Darwin's Black Box. Behe is among other ID scientists who have been specifically attacked by Dawkins and is clearly in the opposite camp. Yet he was asked to pen a 400 - 500 comment on Richard Dawkins! But what is even more surprising is that Time is alleged to have then reduced Behe's comment down to187 words and placed phrases in the comment which Behe would never have written. William Dembski's blogsite presents the original version of Behe's submission to Time. Readers of Behe's original comment let off steam in their posts on Dembski's blogsite, indicting Time of seriously misrepresenting Behe, even using terms like ‘fraud' - (post 18 - “jerry: cutting is one thing - changing and adding to the words to the point where the author is made to say what he didn't is fraud => TIME is a fraud”). One critic (post 12) asks, “A question. Isn't a bad practise like cut a text without author's permission a deplorable act? I strongly think its is. But when the magazine also write under author's name something (quoted below) he didn't write this is not a deplorable practice, this is mere lying. Isn't Mike in the condition to prosecute against Time? [The quote in Time being addressed by this post followed]: “It is a measure of the artful way Dawkins, 66, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford, tells a tale and the rigor he brings to his thinking that even those of us who profoundly disagree with what he has to say can tip our hats to the way he has invigorated the larger debate”). One can see that Michael Behe fans and ID followers are not at all pleased with Time.
As a subscriber to Time I am seriously disappointed to read of Time being allegedly mischievous with its invitation to Behe, or with anyone at all? Was it? Will Time respond to these accusations? We must wait and see.
Islwyn
Revised 16/05/07
