PZ Myers vs. Unscientific America: Summary

We've thoroughly read, and now plan to respond in detail to PZ Myers' review of our book. But first, some throat clearing. It may seem odd for authors to respond so extensively to their critics. In the olden days, such exchanges happened very slowly, if at all, through letters to the editor, and usually they weren't very long. But this is the Internet age, and there are very different circumstances here: The People Want It. Hordes of commenters are demanding that we respond to PZ. PZ Asked For It. Myers did not write a balanced review, an indifferent review, or even a negative review. Rather, he misrepresented our book, got its arguments wrong, assaulted its authors ("their hypocritical and ignorant paean to mealy-mouthedness"), and finally ended by concluding that our labor of over a year is "utterly useless." We may not be capable of objectivity judging our own work. But ...