Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[SkeptInq@aol.com]

Stephen Jay Gould, 1942-2002

Skeptical inquirers deeply regret the passing of Stephen Jay Gould. He
played a unique role in the public square, for he was an eloquent exponent
of the scientific outlook. His prolific writings and brilliant lectures at
Harvard and universities far and wide on evolutionary paleontology and
biology and his forthright criticisms of creationism cast him as a powerful
defender of science. At a time when pseudoscientific and fringe claims
continue to grow, there are all too few scientists willing to enter into the
fray.

Gould's death leaves a void; and it dramatizes anew how important it is to
have popularizers of science. This role was played by Carl Sagan and Isaac
Asimov, CSICOP Fellows of the past. We need to encourage today new and
daring defenders of science, gadflies in the name of critical inquiry;
interpreters able to extend the public's understanding of science and its
methods. All too few scientists and scholars today are willing to venture
beyond their specialties in order to communicate with a wider audience.

Gould offered his own often controversial theories on how evolution
occurred--such as his punctuated equilibrium hypothesis--and he suffered
criticisms as a result. A veteran polemicist, he stood his ground in many
debates with scientific colleagues. Throughout, he demonstrated that science
grows by constant questioning, and peer review.

Stephen Jay Gould was a Fellow of the Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal and a recipient of its highest "In
Praise of Reason" award. He was a frequent speaker at our conferences. He
will be sorely missed.

Paul Kurtz
Chairman, CSICOP