Being a wealthy, best-selling author is not a right. Of course he deserves a second chance as a human being. I'm sure he's not that bad of a guy.
But I feel he's forfeited this opportunity [to be a high-profile science journalist]. At least as far as I'm concerned. Plenty of other great stuff to read.
I've never read any of his writing, so I have no opinion about its quality.
But this was as thorough an apology as I can recall seeing from anyone about anything. I will be very surprised if he turns out not to have meant it.
It actually predisposes me to take a look at whatever he writes next. The process of confronting one's character flaws and addressing them deepens a person. I expect that whatever he has to say next will be edifying -- as indeed this piece was.
EDITED to add: it's certainly possible I'm being naive and accepting his apology too easily.
> But this was as thorough an apology as I can recall seeing from anyone about anything.
I thought that at first too, but then I wondered what was with that story about the Muslim lawyer who was erroneously picked up and jailed by the FBI and it turned out they had it wrong. Is he saying he's a victim?!?!? That's what it started to sound like to me. So I'm not sure I believe it's an apology.
If that story is supposed to be an analogy, Jonah Lehrer is the FBI. The Muslim lawyer wasn't the one who made mistakes that had consequences, and the Muslim lawyer wasn't the one that needed explicit procedures to decrease the odds of it happening again. That was the FBI (and Lehrer).
But I feel he's forfeited this opportunity [to be a high-profile science journalist]. At least as far as I'm concerned. Plenty of other great stuff to read.