Lecture by Dr. Pipes at UBC

Submitted by Carey E. Stronach, Ph.D. (United States), Dec 10, 2003 at 12:43

Quite by chance (and by the scheduling committee of the cyclotron lab at UBC) this Anglo-Celtic physics professor from Virginia State University, who is also an active member of the National Association of Scholars, happened to be on the campus of the University of British Columbia on Friday, December 5, 2003. Having received an e-mail invitation to Dr. Pipes' lecture at UBC that day, I took the opportunity to attend.

Dr. Pipes gave an excellent, cogent, and focused lecture on the ongoing troubles in the Middle East. His opinion that there will be no peace until the Palestinians recognize the right of Israel to exist appears to this non-specialist observer to be right on the mark.

I am currently reading "Facing Up: Science and its Cultural Adversaries", a set of essays by Steven Weinberg, the Nobel Laureate in particle physics. He makes the point that of all the irrationalities in the collective human personality, those relating to religion are the most difficult to overcome. To the extent that the Palestinian rejectionists are motivated by Islamic fanaticism (i.e., Hamas), the more difficult and protracted the conflict is likely to be.

One further point: the "Palestine Solidarity Group" was out in force for Dr. Pipes' lecture. (So was the RCMP.) They showed themselves for what they are - loud, crude and vacuous.

CES

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