Now on ScienceBlogs: Technology and Intent

Subscribe for $15 to National Geographic Magazine

Search

Profile

pzm_profile_pic.jpg
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
zf_pharyngula.jpg …and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
a longer profile of yours truly
my calendar
Nature Network
RichardDawkins Network
facebook
MySpace
Twitter
Atheist Nexus
the Pharyngula chat room
(#pharyngula on irc.synirc.net)



I reserve the right to publicly post, with full identifying information about the source, any email sent to me that contains threats of violence.

scarlet_A.png
I support Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Random Quote

It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.

Jacob Bronowski

Recent Posts


A Taste of Pharyngula

Recent Comments

Archives


Blogroll

Other Information

« Botanical Wednesday: Is everything weird in Australia? | Main | Friday Cephalopod: Svelte »

More articles by PZ Myers can be found on Freethoughtblogs at the new Pharyngula!

The late John A Davison

Category: Creationism
Posted on: May 4, 2012 5:01 PM, by PZ Myers

As regulars here may know, I've been getting crank email from John A. Davison for many years now. Until recently, he was sending me his tirades almost every day — and they were just piling up in my spam folder. He was remarkably persistent.

Here is his very last email to me, fished up out of that spam folder, from 26 March.

Stuart "mad dog" Campbell

So the heir apparent to Pee Zee Myers has finally joined that degenerate pig by pretending that WE do not exist. You are in great company. The question you should be asking yourself is - why am I the only one treating Davison with naked contempt? Now, finally, all six of you are doing what all your predecessors have always done, fervently praying that your silence will somehow prevail. It sure took you long enough to join with the others and you still have not shared your monumental ignorance, bigotry and vicious personality with another Natural Selectionist (NSist) You are all pathetic, but you Stuart Campbell are the worst of the lot by far.
----- Original Message -----
From: john a davison
To: Staurt Campbell
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 9:40 AM

Check my weblog again you cowardly, snotty little worm.
John A. Davison, Professor of Biology Emeritus, University of Vermont. L4 Grandview Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403

webpage jadavison.wordpress.com

There are about 50 others in there (I really need to flush out that folder), and they're all this same incoherent angry ranting, the same attitude that got him banned for his obsessive commenting all over the net.

That was definitely the last message I'll ever be getting from him. Shortly after sending that, he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, and succumbed rapidly: John A Davison died last week.

His favorite catch phrase, typically used in all kinds of weirdly inappropriate situations, was "I love it so". I can't use it here — I'm just sorry he wasted so much of his life flailing wildly for his failed cause, creationism. At least it sounds like he refocused his life on his family in his last weeks.

Share on Facebook
Share on StumbleUpon
Share on Facebook

Jump to end

Comments

#1

Posted by: semi Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 5:33 PM

Always sad to hear of anyone's passing, even a crank.

#2

Posted by: Tomato Addict Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 6:12 PM

Seems like he had a pretty good run, crankiness and all. I will honor him by bothering Creationist until I am 84 (and hopefully longer).

#3

Posted by: margaret Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 7:55 PM

The guy's vital organs ceased functioning and his brain slowly lost electrical potential and then he was gone. I agree that it's sad that he wasted so much time and effort on pushing absurd "theories" of creation, rather than paying attention to his symptoms. I suppose the best thing that could be said for the comfort of his survivors is that he probably never knew how mistaken he was before he died.

#4

Posted by: user-illusion.myopenid.com Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 9:32 PM

The molecules dance on in new arrangements.

#5

Posted by: ChasCPeterson Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 9:54 PM

Davison was a first-class crackpot and an internet legend. He believed that evolution had happened throughout the past, though certainly not by natural selection (he had other ideas, including something he called the 'semi-meiotic' hypothesis iirc), but had recently stopped, having finally completed its ontogeny-like course by culminating in humans.
He always thought for himself, I'll say that.
His social skills were...poor, though. And, of course, he was completely wrong.

#6

Posted by: Ichthyic Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 10:34 PM

His favorite catch phrase, typically used in all kinds of weirdly inappropriate situations, was "I love it so".

how about them apples?

Davison was sick mentally long before he was physically.

I have no idea if anyone in his family ever managed to reach out to him and help him in the end. I know his brother actually tried to help him a few years back, and was summarily insulted publicly and rebuffed by John.

I do hope that John will at least serve as a reminder that when you see a regular crank like this, they do actually need help. Reach out to them if you are close to them.

#7

Posted by: Ichthyic Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 10:36 PM

If you want to see John's life's work, post his mental breakdown in the 80s at University of Vermont, you can see the link to it here:

http://www.crank.net/evolution.html

scroll down to his "evolutionary manifesto"

yes, this is what he pushed until the day he died.

#8

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM Author Profile Page | May 4, 2012 10:59 PM

Goodbye, John. You were interesting to watch.

#9

Posted by: David Marjanović Author Profile Page | May 5, 2012 4:53 PM

The man was partly responsible for my Molly. *sniff*

He believed that evolution had happened throughout the past, though certainly not by natural selection

He also believed a creator god had existed and was now dead.

having finally completed its ontogeny-like course by culminating in humans.

It was very important to him that humans were the last species ever to appear. Nobody has yet found a species concept under which that is true.

He always thought for himself, I'll say that.

Well, he was a shining example of what can happen when you think but refuse to learn facts about which to think.

#10

Posted by: David Marjanović Author Profile Page | May 5, 2012 4:56 PM

*facepalm* Forgot to close the <font> tag after that sentence.

I tried at least once to teach him about examples of species that are younger than us. IIRC, he just got angry.

#11

Posted by: Jonathan Bartlett Author Profile Page | May 5, 2012 9:38 PM

Dr. Myers -

Would you be willing to post a file containing your correspondence with Davison? I have long been interested in his work, and would love to archive what he had to say.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Bartlett

#12

Posted by: Ichthyic Author Profile Page | May 6, 2012 12:28 AM

I have long been interested in his work, and would love to archive what he had to say.

well, if you want to see the SANE things he had to say, you should read his publications prior to 1980.

http://www.uvm.edu/~jdavison/jad-cv.html

if you want to actually, for self torture perhaps, read what he had to say post-breakdown, UD collected his "greatest hits" here:

http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/collected-evolutionary-papers-of-john-a-davison/

I highly recommend you read his earlier work, so you can clearly see where he went off the rails.

have fun.

#13

Posted by: Ichthyic Author Profile Page | May 6, 2012 12:32 AM

...oh, I see by your link you're a cretonist.

nevermind.

you should know, though, that Davison never denied evolution is what was responsible for the diversity on earth... it's just that he thought the process died when god did.

yes, you heard right.

now, with that addendum...

have fun.

#14

Posted by: mrpoxman Author Profile Page | May 6, 2012 4:12 AM

Wonder if the Cancer he could have had for possibly 20 + years before before it became obvious was sending him mad all those years?

#15

Posted by: Stanton Author Profile Page | May 6, 2012 9:14 AM

Unlikely. Prostate cancer doesn't cause or induce insanity: if it spread directly to the brain, he would have died much quicker.

#16

Posted by: epigene13 Author Profile Page | May 6, 2012 11:02 AM

Scott Hatfield here. I remember my first encounter with Prof. Davidson. Innuendo, insult and more than one hint that he was at the center of a vast conspiracy to suppress his views. My attempts to engage him on the substance of his views were rebuffed. He seemed to genuinely prefer to play the part of the victim rather than explain his views. After a few email exchanges, I despaired of getting straight answers from him. He was a genuinely troubled person who found it necessary to bash real science in order to sustain a self-serving narrative. I wish I could say something good about the dead, but in this case...I can't. There was no point in arguing with him while he was alive, and there is certainly no point in arguing with him, now.

Leave a comment

HTML commands: <i>italic</i>, <b>bold</b>, <a href="url">link</a>, <blockquote>quote</blockquote>

Site Meter

ScienceBlogs

Search ScienceBlogs:

Go to:

Advertisement
Follow ScienceBlogs on Twitter

© 2006-2011 ScienceBlogs LLC. ScienceBlogs is a registered trademark of ScienceBlogs LLC. All rights reserved.