Talent and Patents: The sciences fight for intellectual jurisdiction [1]

...This is not the first intellectual iconoclasm of a practical science. In the early nineties, the so-called Third Culture arose under the patronage of New York literary agent John Brockman [3]. Since then, in bestsellers and in the online magazine Edge.org [4], scientists have begun to conquer the realm that traditionally belonged to philosophy and theology. With enormous success, Steven Pinker [5] destroyed the great myths of the Enlightenment with his book The Blank Slate, Daniel Dennett [6] reduced free will to biological processes, and Richard Dawkins [7] supported the core beliefs of millions with his onslaught against religious faith in The God Delusion. ...