> enthronizing the in-retrospect-irrelevant Jay Gould
What? Stephen Jay Gould is not irrelevant.
> I knew his novels were kind of silly
They are not silly. They belong to a different era of Science Fiction, sure. But silly? (He did engage in intentionally goofy humor, of course, but I don't think that's what you meant).
> he was supposed to be a Scientist educating us in the scientific view of the world, goddamn it.
Asimov? He was!
Now I realize the pervasive bad faith in them, e.g. dismissing Murray (The Bell Curve) and enthronizing the in-retrospect-irrelevant Jay Gould. I knew his novels were kind of silly, but he was supposed to be a Scientist educating us in the scientific view of the world, goddamn it.