If anyone's interested and can bear it, Bob Wright has posted a reply to Dan Dennett's complaints that he's being misrepresented. Really, though, it's just Wright digging himself a deeper hole. If you haven't seen the video of the interview that started all of this, let me summarize it for you: Wright builds his case with a series of rapid fire points, getting Dennett to agree to it piece by piece (e.g. "Okay... yeah"), and ignoring the qualifications that Dennett adds to each point to which he agrees. Then at the end, Wright literally claims victory, cuts Dennett off and moves on to a new topic.

In the response above, Wright quotes from the transcript of this interview in "gotcha!" fashion, essentially saying "but you said this! you're committed to it!" Now, I'm no expert on this, but I don't think philosophy is usually conducted by videotaped deposition. I think the traditional way to win a philosophical grudge match is to prove that the other person's position is logically incoherent. Or just be the last combatant to commit suicide -- either way. You certainly don't win these arguments by pointing to a transcript and telling people what they think.

Wright seems very intent on pushing this Gaia-theory-ish business of his, about the planet evolving into a living entity according to some let's-not-say-so-but-secretly-he-thinks-maybe-divine plan. Bob, hey, I like living planets as much as the next guy -- particularly when they're evil, voiced by Orson Welles, and accompanied by a bitchin' hair metal soundtrack. But I don't think Dennett is ready to join the club, and you probably shouldn't try to force him.