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<font size=3>I found the appended letter in the correspondence columns of
an old issue of the Guardian Weekly. I regret that I can't find the
article to which the letter referred. The Dawkins referred to is the
writer of that article, not the John Dawkins who "reformed" the
university system and its strategic values. Yet in a way perhaps the
correspondent does also refer to the former Education Minister.<br><br>
Dion Giles<br><br>
------------------------------------------------------<br>
<b>Dawkins got it all wrong<br>
</b> <br>
Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne entirely missed the point in their
attempt to debunk intelligent design (One side can be wrong, September
9). In a world comforted by the rise of Christian and Islamic
fundamentalism, intelligent design gives direct, comforting answers that
will fit into 30-second soundbites. Who has time to listen to the
long-winded pontifications of those tweedy nerds that rummage about in
nature's garbage dump?<br>
<br>
Indeed, our universities need a major revamp to keep up with our youth
culture. Boring old chemistry professors and their soulless labs need to
be replaced by alchemists with their satisfying arcane rituals. Astronomy
is too complicated and gives no guidance at all to the important
decisions in one's life. Replacing university astronomy departments with
high-level courses in astrology will not only result in huge cost savings
in equipment, it will encourage a lot more people to flock to
universities to study. The increased enrolment for real subjects will
raise the profitability of universities to the point where they can be
listed on the stock exchange. What will it profit a man if he gains
wealth and loses his soul? Well, for a start, if he were rich enough he
could buy a better soul.<br>
<br>
We desperately need to complete the process of replacing so-called public
benefit expenditure with bottom-line profits before we succeed in making
ourselves extinct. <br><br>
<br>
</font><h1>Art Raiche </h1><font size=3>Killara, NSW, Australia<br>
<br>
Guardian Weekly<br>
September 16-22, 2005<br>
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