Philosopher Daniel Dennett has made a career of addressing himself to professional academics who espouse variations of this 'strawman' view, with greater and le

Philosopher Daniel Dennett has made a career of addressing himself to professional academics who espouse variations of this 'strawman' view, with greater and lesser degrees of sophistication. I do think when stated plainly it does feel so absurd that it's hard to believe it could be anything other than a caricature, but it's a debate that's been raging in academic circles for the better part of 60 or 70 years. I also believe that academic philosophy has provided a safe haven to vulgar anti-scientific concepts such as intelligent design, just for another example. So I don't find it surprising that this view is out there in the wild.