“7/16/2008, 4:51pm EST”
Arrogance in print
In my day job at a mainstream book publisher, I often encounter examples of extreme epistemic arrogance in print. This one’s from the introduction of What Dads Need to Know About Daughters / What Moms Need to Know About Sons (snappy title, guys) by John and Helen Burns:
Genesis 1 and 2 tell us the story of Creation. God created the stars, the earth, the animals, the whole universe—but his crowning achievement was man.
So “man”, despite being part of the universe, is a more stunning assemblage than the whole universe? We humans are so awesome that we defy possibility!
Clearly, thoughtfulness comes somewhere after book sales at my firm.
Note: The Burnses go on to articulate the claim that Adam was a perfect being, evidenced partially by the story point that he was able to name all the plant and animal species in the Garden. Well, you could too, John and Helen, if only you weren’t so wrapped up in remembering to pick the girls up from their respective soccer practices! Anyway, the point is: Adam sounds curiously like a native hunter-gatherer…
Never leave home without it.
