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IN THE END OF HISTORY AND THE
LAST MAN, Francis Fukuyama '74 created
one of the great works of fantasy fiction of
the end of the last century ("Frank's Place,"
March/April 2006). It postulated a glorious
alternative universe, one that at no point
touched the world in which we live and
work. How this achievement, enormous as
it is, could possibly qualify Fukuyama as a
sage--or even a professor of international
relations--is quite another matter. Surely,
his recent decision briefly to visit earth is
purely personal, quite without interest to
the rest of us, and utterly devoid of serious
political significance.
Donald Mintz '49, PhD '60
Ringwood, New Jersey
NOW THAT YOU HAVE PROFILED NOT
one but two influential neoconservative
alums--Paul Wolfowitz '65 (July/August
2004) and Francis Fukuyama--am I the
only one who sees the irony? While at
Cornell,Wolfowitz and Fukuyama could
have studied the results of arrogant idealism
in American foreign policy with Walter
LaFeber in the history department or
George McTurnan Kahin in government.
Instead, they soared above it all in Cloud-
Cuckoo Land with Allan Bloom. Unfortunately,
we are all paying the price for this
misguided idealism.
Diana Christopulos '70
Salem, Virginia
Mistaken I.D.?
IN MARCH/APRIL 2006,YOU CORRECTED
two of the three errors in "Leap of Faith"
(the sidebar to "God and Man at Cornell,"
January/February 2006). I was saddened
that CAM was unwilling to correct its
third error, which called the IDEA Center
"a large and well-funded machine." The
IDEA Center is a small organization with
no physical office and a budget of about
$10,000. It receives no funding from any other I.D. organization and survives
by the
volunteer work of less than ten staff members
who have other full-time jobs that
actually pay. The growth of IDEA is attributable
to the grass-roots interest of openminded
students, like Cornell IDEA Club
leader Hannah Maxson '07, who simply
want to explore scientific evidence and
viewpoints that are typically unmentioned
in science classrooms.
Casey Luskin
Co-Founder & President-Emeritus
IDEA Center
Seattle,Washington
Ed. Note: Luskin is also an attorney and
program officer for the Discovery Institute,
which has an annual budget of $4.1 million.
DURING MY SENIOR YEAR, I was fortunate
to be enrolled in Astronomy 321,
Life in the Universe, taught by Professor
Frank Drake '51. During the "origins of
life" portion of the class, Professor Drake
described some alternate explanations for
the origins of life, including the one
known today as Intelligent Design. He
described a scientific basis for the theory
and, despite his disagreement with it,
respectfully named some scientists who
espoused it.
One basis for the theory was a statistical
model showing that the "natural" or
"random" construction of long-chain
amino acids was so unlikely as to be effectively
impossible despite the vastness of
time and space. This was consistent with
the observation that only short-chain
amino acids are created within the repeatable
bell jar experiments that combine primordial
sludge and electricity.
The presentation of this alternate theory
was considered appropriate as a subject
to be taught to undergraduates by the
world-renowned inventor of SETI. Today,
many school committees and parents insist that the theory be prohibited
from
public classrooms. Is this progress?
Steve Elias '83, MEE '84
Amherst, New Hampshire
I.D. IS NOT A CHALLENGE to the
broad body of science. It may or may not
be a challenge to evolution, depending on
the mind of each individual. I consider I.D.
to be a complement to evolution, presented
as a perspective and applicable to evolutionary
theory where evolution falls short.
I agree with Hunter Rawlings that
"evolutionary theory says nothing about
the existence or nonexistence of God." The
author of the theory, however, was not
neutral on this matter. Charles Darwin, an
ordained minister, abandoned God and
religion in favor of his new theory, which
in his mind contradicted God. Additionally,
he alienated and abandoned his
friends who, though they supported his
new theory, were not willing to abandon
their religion. After his landmark publication,
Darwin essentially became a hermit.
When a second Beagle voyage presented him with the opportunity to revisit
the
evidence in light of his conclusions, he
declined. This is hardly the mark of an
open-minded, critical scientist.
Debate must be encouraged at our
universities, but this is not what Rawlings
is encouraging.He has made up his mind
on this matter, and he does not want to
hear or respect your opinion.He wants to
change it.
Joseph Dos Santos '74, MCE '75
Winfield, Alabama
Out of Our League
I WAS UPSET BY A QUOTE use in the
article "A League of His Own" (Currents,
March/April 2006). Marc Zawel '04 and
his anonymous quoted student are certainly
allowed to have an opinion about
the "girls" at Cornell, but I am dismayed
that CAM would choose to showcase the
statement that "the girls offer very little at
Cornell." Surely there were other juicy
quotations about Cornell that could have
been used in this piece. That quote is
insulting not only to more than half the
student body currently at the University
but to scores of female alumni, as well as
the countless Cornell men who are married
to or dating their female counterparts.
I hope that most Cornellians, male
and female, agree with me that there are
beautiful, intelligent, and sexy Cornell
alumnae and students. And I hope that
the stereotype that women can either be
smart or pretty, but not both, sees no further
light in this magazine.
Thalia Goldstein '02
Boston, Massachusetts
Author's Request
ARE YOU A MOTHER WHOSE children
have left home? If so, you are eligible
to answer my survey. I am a social psychologist,
the author of The Sacrificial
Mother, and a reporter for the New York
Times. This is my official invitation to you
to help me with my research for a book I
am writing on how women feel about
their children leaving and what they plan
to do in the next stage of their lives. By
doing so, you will become part of my
original research. But you may also find
that answering the questions will be
thought provoking and provide you with
insights about yourself. Go to www.DrCarin.com and click on "Answer
Survey."
Carin Rubenstein
Sleepy Hollow, New York |
