More about ME: I’m Polish Rationalist of the year, and I’m not even Polish

Each year the Polish Society of Rationalists (“Polskie Stowarzyszenie Racjonalistów”) gives out a Rationalist of the Year award. Actually, there are two: one for a Polish rationalist and the other for a foreign one. I’m chuffed to announce that this year, according to the PSR’s website, I’m the foreign awardee.  They promised to translate the award notice into English, but haven’t yet, and I’m not sure they will, so I ran it through Google translate, which always gives some amusing results:

We are pleased to announce that it comes rationalists Year 2013 were :

– In the category of foreign prof. Jerry Coyne
– In the category of national Maciej Psyk

Congratulations to both of the candidates – in the belief that the Main Board – acting role since the beginning of the Chapter competition – made ​​the right choice and make J.Coyne ‘a and M.Psyka – on their rationalist areas of action – this award ( to some extent ) – time will increase even more.

For Main Board
Jacek Tabisz – President

Here is the initial text eulogy for Jerry Coyne , which , in similar form, wygłosimy , handing Professor award in person :

Title rationalist Year for Jerry A. Coyne

Dear Professor ! We have the honor to present to Professor our annual rationalist of the Year award in recognition of his contribution to the development and popularization of biological sciences , as well as for protecting the image of science against the desire to mixing it with the popular religious myths .. Greatly appreciate the contribution of Professor ogrony to study the evolution of life on Earth, not distorted when the ” politically correct ” akomodacjonizmem . Mr. Profosor is a not so big group of biologists studying the evolution of the whole and perceiving its importance to the worldview and philosophical ground is not afraid of the truth about the world and themselves representatives of our species.
Priceless are the work of Professor on speciation , ie the separation of the species .. Speciation is one of the main mechanisms of natural evolution overlap . Road to the understanding offered by the work of Professor , the strictly scientific and the popular , is absolutely invaluable for all those interested in the natural sciences, as well as the actual answers to the questions ” where we come from , who we are and where we are going .”

The Professor is a tireless defender of rational thinking , which is very valuable for us . Professor strikes at the very source of popular irrationality and unwillingness to learn, and hence , the reluctance of the world as it is. He is Professor one of the most effective critics of creationism and akomodacjonizmu , who under the guise of a false acceptance of the theory of evolution often precludes the evolutionary process of human consciousness , which believers call the soul . Thank you, Professor, for courageous defense of science embedded in the notion of a totally materialistic and naturalistic surface of the human psyche .

Kindness of Professor owe a great lecture in Warsaw and Krakow , conducted for members, supporters and visitors PSR . Thank you also for the way the defense made ​​a scientific worldview in its full form in the Polish media. We hope for another wonderful lectures of Professor for our association and its guests, which is a great honor for us . This modest distinction , we would like to thank you, Professor, for a huge contribution to the development of science and rationalism in the world, the development of ourselves.

ME! My award photo, in which I look as if I had bed-head

This, of course, gives me the opportunity to go to Poland again to get the award and see my friends.