Thanks for that post.
Time to throw some Belloc into the mix.
"...the absolute powers ascribed to reason [would] lead to the exclusion of truths which the reason might accept but could not demonstrate."
From The Great Heresies, IIRC.
Cheers!
"One thing all real scientists agree upon is the fact of evolution itself. It is a fact that we are cousins of gorillas, kangaroos, starfish, and bacteria. Evolution is as much a fact as the heat of the sun. It is not a theory, and for pity’s sake, let’s stop confusing the philosophically naive by calling it so. Evolution is a fact"
How can Dawkins maintain respectibility in this area? He is such an obvious zealot; he reminds me a little of Howard Dean. The more he states or yells something is true, a fact, the more fragile he appears. Poor guy!