Francis Collins to step down as director of the National Institutes of Health

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

Francis Collins to step down as director of the National Institutes of Health

[nwrickert (Neil Rickert)]

And he is already being attacked by the DI:

The Appalling Moral Failure of Francis Collins

I guess they don’t like theistic evolutionists.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

Does anyone care though? Doubtful.

[CrisprCAS9]

I don’t know, I feel like attacks from DI are an extra badge of honor for Collins. Not that he needs more.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

He has been attacked and praised by the DI over the years. Nothing new here, unless it marks a more enduring shift to appeal to COVID truthers. That would be bad, but it also isn’t clear that’s happening yet.

[Mercer (John Mercer)]

@nwrickert

And he is already being attacked by the DI:

The Appalling Moral Failure of Francis Collins

I guess they don’t like theistic evolutionists.

There’s one spectacular whopper in there that most readers may not catch:

Among evangelical Christians and other people of faith in America, Collins has long been the equivalent of a rock star.

As a person of faith who has heard him sing and play guitar live at an ASCB meeting, I would never describe him as a rock star. But he’s been a great director AFAIK.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

He is a celebrity scientist. I think that’s what they mean.

[Mercer (John Mercer)]

I know. Hence the wink.

[Art (Arthur Hunt)]

@nwrickert

And he is already being attacked by the DI:

The Appalling Moral Failure of Francis Collins

I guess they don’t like theistic evolutionists.

If the DI and ENV weren’t casting aspersions on the character of leaders in the scientific community (past and present), the web site would be pretty much a blank slate. The occasional “it looks to me, thus…”, but only a trickle of new content.

[Joe_Felsenstein]

The genomicists I know who know him personally consider him a good guy and very supportive of good science. I suspect that of the evangelical Christians who know of him, those that like theistic evolution like him, and those that don’t like theistic evolution do not consider him a “rock star” at all.

[Spinosaurus-729]

Came here to mention that. And of course they have to link that to ‘Social Darwinism’.

[Faizal_Ali]

@swamidass

Nothing new here, unless it marks a more enduring shift to appeal to COVID truthers.

It seems to me the shift that occurred is that COVID denialism has become one of the shibboleths of the American extreme right. The DI has, from the start, been affiliated with that movement, so it is not surprising that they will now be signing on to this denialism as well.

But let’s not allow the DI to distract us from paying tribute to an important scientist as he approaches a career milestone.

[Jesse_England]

I thought the language of God podcast with Steven Meyer was a sign of progress between DI and Biologos frustrated noises