You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe

The evidence, so far at least and laws of Nature aside, does not require a Designer. Maybe there is one hiding, maddeningly unwilling to be revealed.

All of us cherish our beliefs. They are, to a degree, self-defining. When someone comes along who challenges our belief system as insufficiently well-based - or who, like Socrates, merely asks embarrassing questions that we haven't thought of, or demonstrates that we've swept key underlying assumptions under the rug - it becomes much more than a search for knowledge. It feels like a personal assault.

Across the sea of space, the stars are other suns.

I don't want to believe. I want to know.

Our concern for the future can be tested by how well we support our libraries.

One of the great commandments of science is: 'Mistrust arguments from authority.'