Madam, - Peter McDonagh (October 24th) has "yet to read a letter criticising Richard Dawkins for writing against religion" instead of concentrating on science. I wonder what planet Mr McDonagh been living on.
That aside, nobody is begrudging Prof Reville the right to express his views on religion. The main question whether it is appropriate for so much space to be taken up on the subject in the science section of the paper.
There is, of course, a relationship between the methods and discoveries of science and our arguments for and against religion. This relationship is a complex one, and has been a cause of controversy for centuries. Another interesting issue, in view of Prof Reville's obviously incomplete acquaintance with the philosophical arguments surrounding this question, is whether he is in a position to do justice to the subject according to the standards of your newspaper.
Whether Prof Dawkins would be better equipped to do so is another question. Perhaps The Irish Timesneeds a philosopher on its staff? - Yours, etc,
JAIME HYLAND,
Berlin, Germany.