The Case Against Darwin: Why the Evidence Should Be Examined

Book Description

The Case Against Darwin is James Perloff's newest title on the creation-evolution debate. Written from a creationist perspective, this 83-page book is a primer for those unfamiliar with the subject, and too busy for a full-length book such as the author's earlier Tornado in a Junkyard.

Perloff first explores the social impact of Darwinism to establish the relevance of the topic. Then, in layman's language, he discusses the growing body of evidence that is invalidating Darwin's theory of evolution: evidence from genetics, origins science, biochemistry, paleontology, taxonomy and molecular biology. Finally, he examines fallacies of certain evidences commonly said to support Darwin's theory: Ernst Haeckel's embryo drawings, vestigial organs, salt percentages in blood and seawater, babies born with "monkey tails," peppered moths, microevolution, and similarity as a proof of common descent.

Despite the scientific nature of the material, Perloff keeps it light and short, and most readers should find The Case Against Darwin an easy read.

Customer Reviews:

disappointing.......2007-09-12

I've read all the reviews here and I must say they all baffle me a little. There's simply not enough here to either hate or proclaim as the greatest thing since sliced bread. There's very little current religious thinking and I couldn't find any real science despite going back through it quite carefully. There are numerous valuable books on both sides of this debate, but unfortunately this isn't one of them.

Common Sense not based upon theory but fact.......2007-08-18

This was a great book. I enjoyed the refrences as well. It is a great starting place to part the fog that clouds most people's minds. Prove what you hear and read, don't just accept it because they are "scholars" or so called "scientists".

Fails at its Proclaimed Objective.......2006-10-13

Because its proclaimed objective is an impossibility.

All Perloff does is reiterate the same tired nonsensical "evidence against" the very real process of natural selection. Perloff's "arguments" have been repeatedly and summarily dismissed by the scientific community as either ignorance or willful misrepresentation of fact.

The notion that Science avoids the claims of so-called critics of evolutionary theory is both ironic and laughable given the fingers in the ears approach that "creationism" generally takes to the subject.

To call this book "logical" is to dilute the meaning of logic to the level of the superstitious pap that goes by the name of "intelligent-design".

Simple and straight to the point.......2005-10-12

For someone who didn't know there were any arguments against Darwinism, this book is small, easy to read and to the point. It summarizes a number of important arguments against Darwinism. It is a good "starter" book and has some references to some other books that the reader can follow up with if they are interested in pursuing this topic further.

However, don't expect this book to present you with "irrefutable evidence". If you don't have an open mind about the subject, this book will probably not force it open. But if you do have an open mind, it will point out some areas of the Darwinian theory that don't stand up against serious scrutiny. And given today's scientific bias, this may surprise you and awaken a desire to understand the issues in greater depth.

Therefore, I heartily recommend it.

Science, logic and clarity.......2005-09-14

The emperor has no clothes. Someone had to say it, and more and more scientists are choosing science over the religion of Darwinian evolution. Many of the books exposing macro-evolution as a fraud are written by scientists, and a bit over my head; James Perloff is a superb author, and puts matters clearly, with plenty of evidence from evolutionists. Only a totally closed-minded person would fail to be disturbed at the problems with evolution and the lies our children are being fed.

Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism

Average customer rating:

see Kitcher's new book
The Ultimate Refutation of Classic Creationism
A stellar piece of work!
Excellent Info on Creationist Irrationality
Doesn't cut the mustard

Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism
Philip Kitcher
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 026261037X

Book Description

Abusing Science is a manual for intellectual self-defense, the most complete available for presenting the case against Creationist pseudo-science. It is also a lucid exposition of the nature and methods of genuine science. The book begins with a concise introduction to evolutionary theory for non-scientists and closes with a rebuttal of the charge that this theory undermines religious and moral values. It will astonish many readers that this case must still be made in the 1980s, but since it must, Philip Kitcher makes it irresistibly and forcefully.

Not long ago, a federal court struck down an Arkansas law requiring that "scientific" Creationism be taught in high school science classes. Contemporary Creationists may have lost one legal battle, but their cause continues to thrive. Their efforts are directed not only at state legislatures but at local school boards and textbook publishers. As Kitcher argues in this rigorous but highly readable book, the integrity of science is under attack. The methods of inquiry used in evolutionary biology are those which are used throughout the sciences. Moreover, modern biology is intertwined with other fields of science--physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology. Creationists hope to persuade the public that education in science should be torn apart to make room for a literal reading of Genesis.

Abusing Science refutes the popular complaint that the scientific establishment is dogmatic and intolerant, denying "academic freedom" to the unorthodox. It examines Creationist claims seriously and systematically, one by one, showing clearly just why they are at best misguided, at worst ludicrous.

Customer Reviews:

see Kitcher's new book.......2007-08-27

A recent review by Claudio d'Amato correctly points out that Abusing Science is somewhat obsolescent - it was indeed written 25 years ago so 3 stars is plenty. It should be noted however that Kitcher has since revisted the topic in a completely new book which touches on most of the new ideas and controversies that have arisen since 1982 ( and there are many!). The new book is Living with Darwin, Oxford University Press, 2007. Its a very good read. George

The Ultimate Refutation of Classic Creationism.......2007-05-31

"Abusing Science" is a simple, straightforward, and yet deep and lucid work. Kitcher is a philosopher of science, and philosophers have the unfortunate tradition of being bad writers--not Kitcher. The book flows beautifully, is very well organized, and exhausts the topics it purports to tackle. The refutation of classic creationist arguments (Henry Morris, the Institute for Creation Research, the Moral Majority, etc.) is without mercy, and yet Kitcher never falls in the trap of claiming the moral or otherwise absolute superiority of science. His goal is merely to show that whatever it is, creationism is not science; it may have its own merits (not discussed herein), but it has none as a scientific discipline.

Chapter 1 provides a solid, basic background in genetics and evolutionary biology for the layman. Without these basic concepts and terminology, the rest of the book would not be as readable. Chapter 2 explains simply and lucidly what science is and what the evolutionary theory is all about. It is the most informative, key chapter of the book. Chapters 3 and 4 debunk creationists' critiques and faulty assumptions about evolutionary theory in good detail, showing how flawed their reasoning is. Chapter 5 expounds the various types of creationism extant and their (indeed very limited) propositive claims. Chapters 6 and 7, finally, argue against "equal time" for creationism and evolutionary theory in high school science classes, and why evolution is not synonymous of atheism and immorality. The final chapter is written in cooperation with Kantian scholar Patricia Kitcher.

The reader needs to keep one key fact in mind: this book was written and published in 1982. So there are several things it does NOT include.

*** Intelligent design. There is no reference to ID whatsoever. This was before Johnson, Behe, Dembski, and others. Needless to say, ID is merely creationism in another dress, so most of Kitcher's objections will (retrospectively) apply to ID as well.
*** Dawkins' contributions to evolutionary biology. "The Selfish Gene" had already been written, but Kitcher does not discuss gene selection vs. organism selection, nor of sexual selection.
*** Gould's contributions. Punctuated equilibrium was already there, too, but Kitcher does not discuss it at length, probably because creationists did not take much issue with it before the late 80s.
*** The Human Genome Project. It had not even started back then.
*** Evolutionary psychology. Kitcher does hint at it in the final chapter, but this was a budding field then, and his assumptions about morality could be revised in the light of it (although they're still generally on target).

Finally, my only issue with this book is the treatment of theological issues in the last chapter. Kitcher argues in favor of a reconciliation of science and religion, that is, that a Darwinian can be a Christian--just not a fundamentalist, literal-reading-of-the-Bible one. However, there are many more issues that make evolutionary theory incompatible with even mainstream and watered-down Christianity, primarily the fact that religion would have to revert to sterile deism if it were to survive at all. Kitcher does not focus on these issues, but after all, it was never the scope of his book to do so. For more complete discussions of that issues, there are other texts (Haught, Miller, etc.)

Overall, "Abusing Science" is an excellent refutation of classic, old-school creationism and a GREAT starting point for research in the modern evolution-ID debate.

A stellar piece of work!.......2004-04-04

This book is an absolute must have for the science teacher. The creationists rely on the open mind of most teachers to obfuscate and confuse with half-truths and outright deception. This book examines the creationist's claims one-by-one and exposes the falsities in each of their arguments. Kitcher's work should be required reading in all teacher-training programs as it explains clearly and succinctly what science is and how it works to help us understand the world around us. Lastly, this is the kind of book that you will want to read several times just because it is so darned good! Another good book in this vain is Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World" ISBN 039453512X

Excellent Info on Creationist Irrationality.......2002-11-16

This book does exactly what it sets out to do: further reveal creationism as myth. It is not the job of science to make facts intertwine with scripture, facts will stand on their own whether you like them or not. Religion and science can co-exist but they must occupy their own domains.
Read this book if you would like additional insight into creationist shortcomings in the scientific realm.

Doesn't cut the mustard.......2002-08-16

Strong on research and defense of previously-established evolutionary theories, but fails to prove that life evolved out of still matter.

This book succesfully explains how organisms are malleable and evolve according to environmental demands. However, it fails to convincingly prove or even attempt to describe how life started and expanded into the plethora of plants and animals that now inhabit Earth. By what natural process did chemicals combine to form even a single living cell? This is not convincingly explained in this book.

While this book's details and technical information are quite hefty, there are innumerable questions concerning our origins that are left untouched. For example, what about anomolous creatures with features that cannot have been developed by a competition for limited resources, like the spider and her web, or the electric eel? How did an unconcious accident produce the first photoreceptor?

Until these questions are convincingly answered - especially the question of what kicked life off in the first place, the idea that the universe and life within it is the creative product of an unimaginable force or god makes more sense than the theory that it was all random.

Book Description

Why is Darwinâ€™s theory of evolution taught as fact? Based on current advances in genetics, astrophysics, microbiology, and other sciences, it should have been discarded years ago! In straightforward, easyâ€“toâ€“understand language, Ralph Muncaster investigates evolution and natural selection by examiningâ€”

Darwinâ€™s reservations regarding his theory
the â€œevolutionâ€ gaps in the fossil record
theories that counter evolution
the scientific evidence of intelligent design
why many scientists now believe in creationism

Dismantling Evolution helps people understand the facts that refute evolution between species and the scientific evidence that supports creationismâ€”and the divine creator.

Customer Reviews:

We are without excuse.......2007-04-21

Former evolutionist turned creationist, Ralph Muncaster saw the absurdities in evolutionary theory. He raises amazing, thought provoking questions. He tests theories made by scientists supporting evolution, and quotes their findings, indicating difficulties in the support of evolution; it is severely flawed.

When looking at creatures and plants we need to ask: "how" did they know........."how" to grow?, "how" to repair?, "how" to form?, "how" to reproduce? Through probability, Muncaster shows us that life by chance from a simple cell to a full life form is an unbridgeable chasm. There is such an irreducible complexity even within the simplest of life forms that if one bridge is broken the whole theory collapses. We have discovered: mutations are damaging, order can not come out of chaos, and the incredibly complex designed machines from nanotechnology. What we are learning on the molecular level is truly mind-blowing. These small molecular machines may hold the future. "It defies logic to pretend that such complex systems--systems that work together in such a precise and harmonious way--came about randomly. It is plainly obsurd."---------Gerald Schroeder

Why bother studying this? Because evolution is being taught as fact in our schools, and secularism is creeping into our church. This book will help reinforce us.

We should be asking why evolutionists don't mention "chirality" in their studies? Is it not because it cannot be explained, so it is then ignored? If scientists believe in the impossible probabilities of life by chance, why are we still in disbelief? One only needs to go to the textbooks, the Science Channel, the National Geographic Channel, PBS, the History Channel and the Discovery Channel, to see evolutionary thinking is rife.

Ralph believes no matter a young or old earth, there has not been enough time for evolution. We are without excuse, there is a Creator; He has manifested himself.

Wish you well
Scott

Building or burning bridges?.......2006-09-22

I found it amusing that a reviewer, Pattyo, states that anyone giving this book four or more stars must have a low IQ. Pattyo, what's your IQ? Feel comfortable posting that on the Internet for everyone to see? What advanced degrees do you hold, that you can make such a bold statement without actually providing any evidence from the book (or anywhere else) to suggest that all the evidence contained within is simplistic and unworthy of an intelligent person's attention? Is name-calling really the best you can do? How sad for you.

Dangerously misleading!.......2005-08-08

That's it! It really scares me that people can read this stuff and not question the validity of the material being presented. I generally read books with an open mind... different religions, god(s), worldviews etc; but this book is an insult to anyones intelligence. I'm seriously considering writing a book about religion, because it apparently doesn't matter how much filth, lies, half-truths, and bogus science you put in there people will still buy it! Yes, I'm guilty too... It's one thing to have faith, but at least keep at least a little sense of your reason while doing so! It's probably safe to say that people that rate 4 or higher on this book have a lower IQ than the average. Apparently fancy writing is all it takes to get people to believe in anything. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR REASON FOLKS!

Even less reason and science than similar creationist drivel.......2005-04-20

Like virtually all other faith based attacks on evolution and promotion of intelligent design or other creationisms, this book presents no evidence or reasoned argument against evolution. Instead it resorts to absurd distortions of fact, logic and probability theory to construct a fallacious case only believable to the scientifically illiterate.

The authors assumptions and conclusions are insupportable via any of the branches of mathematics and science he distorts for his faith based ideological cause.

This book does provide clear evidence of something, namely that the anti-evolution and ID movement are fully willing to destroy the publics understanding of science and reasoned inquiry itself since they cannot find legitimate rational grounds for their attacks.

The real problem with the Theory of Evolution..........2005-02-19

... is not necessarily that Intelligent Design offers a much more rational and scientific explanation for the origin of life. As Muncaster explains, the real enemies of Evolution are the sciences of mathematical probability and microbiology. This book takes the Theory of Evolution apart piece by piece by exposing it to the hard light of scientific and mathematical review. As a result, Evolutionary theory is revealed as a complete fraud. Every Christian apologist should commit large portions of this book to memory.

From Genesis to Genetics: The Case of Evolution and Creationism

Average customer rating:

A Disappointing Attempt to Both Recount the History of the Evolution/Creationism Debate, and to Refute Creationism
Found it very useful.
The Creationist View of Science Explored
Worth Reading
Shows what evolution explains, but misses the point of faith

From Genesis to Genetics: The Case of Evolution and Creationism
John A. Moore
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520240669

Book Description

The clash between evolution and creationism is one of the most hotly contested topics in education today. This book, written by one of America's most distinguished science educators, provides essential background information on this difficult and important controversy. Giving a sweeping and balanced historical look at both schools of thought, John A. Moore shows that faith can exist alongside science, that both are essential to human happiness and fulfillment, but that we must support the teaching of science and the scientific method in our nation's schools. This highly informative book will be an invaluable aid for parents, teachers, and lawmakers, as well as for anyone who wants a better understanding of this debate. From Genesis to Genetics shows us why we must free both science and religion to do the good work for which each is uniquely qualified.
Using accessible language, Moore describes in depth these two schools of thought. He begins with an analysis of the Genesis story, examines other ancient creation myths, and provides a nuanced discussion of the history of biblical interpretation. After looking at the tenets and historical context of creationism, he presents the history of evolutionary thought, explaining how it was developed, what it means, and why it is such a powerful theory. Moore goes on to discuss the relationship of nineteenth-century religion to Darwinism, examine the historic Scopes trial, and take us up to the current controversy over what to teach in schools. Most important, this book also explores options for avoiding confrontations over this issue in the future.
Thoughtfully and powerfully advocating that the teaching of science be kept separate from the teaching of religion, Moore asks us to recognize that a vigorous and effective scientific community is essential to our nation's health, to our leadership role in the world, and to the preservation of a healthy environment.

Customer Reviews:

A Disappointing Attempt to Both Recount the History of the Evolution/Creationism Debate, and to Refute Creationism.......2007-05-09

"From Genesis to Genetics" is one of several easy-to-read books about the debate over evolutionary biology and creationism. John Moore, a science textbook writer and emeritus professor of biology at the University of California, Riverside, tackles a difficult set of goals in this work. Written in an accessible style without reference notes--although there is a bibliography for further reading--it traces in broad overview the history of the debate from its origins in the nineteenth century to the recent past, commenting on its major permutations. It does not offer an extended account of the point/counterpoint of the various arguments in the debate.

Moore presents a view from 30,000 feet of the larger landscape of the evolution/creationism debate emphasizing broad synthesis rather than detailed analysis. He seeks to write a general history of the debate between evolution and creationism. But he also seeks to write a defense of evolution and a refutation of creationism. Those two tasks at a fundamental level are mutually exclusive and Moore fails to do either of them justice. As a work of history it takes a straight line trajectory over some two-hundred years of scientific thought, touching on how scientists have dealt with the fossil record, geology and the age of the Earth, the development of biological theory, and more modern themes in the biological sciences such as genetics. Whatever virtues as history "From Genesis to Genetics" might possess, it is a linear overview that excludes any social or cultural factors. Such simplicity baffles historians when reality is always more complex and interesting. Likewise, Moore's discussion of the history of Christianity, the development of creationist arguments, and the nature of higher criticism of the Bible also leaves much to be desired. No doubt, those in creationism's camp will recoil at the one-dimensional depiction of their position relative to religious history and scripture. In seeking also to offer a refutation of creationism and a defense of evolution, the author is equally stereotypical and unsophisticated.

Because it is neither fish nor fowl, I found the book less satisfying than other works on the subject. For those seeking a history of the debate between evolutionists and creationists the best book by far is Ronald L. Numbers, "The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design" (expanded edition, Harvard University Press, 2006). For those seeking a refutation of the creationist/intelligent design challenge a very good book is Mark Perakh, "Unintelligent Design" (Prometheus Books, 2003). For those wanting to read in an unfiltered way about creationism/intelligent design there are many publications; the most sophisticated of those recently published include the many books by William A. Dembski, Michael J. Behe, and Philip E. Johnson.

Found it very useful........2005-11-28

Previous reviewers have indicated that this book is a rehash of high school biology, to over-simplistically paraphrase them. But I needed a rehash of high school biology and how it relates to geological data. The book also introduced to me stuff that was entirely new. Using the book, I was able to put together a rough timeline of how the present-day bible came to be. This timeline is verifiable using other sources, and it is essential for arguing that, if one creation story in Genesis is to be considered, then BOTH contradictory stories in Genesis should be considered. Yes, the book could delve into this and aspects of biology more deeply, but it would have to be 1000 pages long. And yes, it was well worth sacrificing a weekend to read it.

The Creationist View of Science Explored.......2003-01-03

This book describes the way creationists approach evolution. If they can find just one thing that evolutionary biologists have yet to explain, they figure that one thing is enough to throw the whole thing out. Such a view is just wrong, and shows an abysmal understanding - or abuse - of science. There are more than enough transitional fossils to convince a fair minded skeptic, but no creationist would ever agree to classify anything as a transitional fossil. Not Archeoptryx, not Acanthostega (sp?), not the mammal-like reptiles. The beautiful documention of the evolution of the mammalian jaw from the reptilian jaw should convince anybody, but it will never convince a creationist.

Of course, there is a lot that scientists don't know about evolution. But there is a lot that we DO know, and there is just too much evidence to simply toss out evolution. This is a theory that will not go away, although I wouldn't be surprised to see it change as we learn more about genetics.

This book is not written for creationists, but for people who might be sympathetic to their cause. If people would learn more about the nature of science, they would be offended by the utter dishonesty and lack of integrity you find in scientific creationism.

Worth Reading.......2002-04-07

What a breadth of knowledge this man has! What humanity! What generousity of spirit! I read it in one sitting because I found it so fascinating. It was worth sacrificing a weekend.

Shows what evolution explains, but misses the point of faith.......2002-03-29

Why do we need another book that seems to explain 19th century scientific issues to a high school level audience ? The very real and serious undermining of science education that has been accomplished by various cultural movements in the United States seems to have forced us to retreat to this kind of reinforcement of basic scientific reasoning that previously could have been taken for granted.

The core of this book is a quick 20,000 foot high overview of the fossil record, Linnean taxonomy, the common cell structure, vestiges of evoltuon in embryological development, vestigal structures in fully developed organisms, layers of sediment, radiocarbon dating, and modern genetics. We get a good, if very simplified, presentation of the evidence that entire species of living things have appeared and gone extinct over the eons.

Moore also reviews the reasons why Biblical scholars have different interpretations of Genesis. Unfortunately, Moore never seems to fully appreciate why these modern lines of thought might not be convincing and might present a problem for a lot of people.

Between the lines you can sense the real frustration in this book, of science educators faced with the task of trying to teach to an audience relatively unaware of the tradition of causal models and scientific descriptions of the natural world, and better prepared to debate metaphysics than evaluate scientific theories.

Just as the transmission of heritable characteristics through reproduction requires a stable genome, the transmission of culture, whether it be scientific or religious in nature, requires a grounding of trust. The message we get from Moore is that his audience can't even be assumed to trust him that a Biblical narrative has a wholly different character than a scientific decription, they have to see it for themselves. And of course he doesn't trust his audience to even know that much.

Moore explains why each set of findings is better predicted by an evolutionary account than by the account in Genesis, even if it could be reconciled in some way with Genesis as an afterthought. He is more sympathetic to "faith" than anti-religious authors like Richard Dawkins, but he doesn't give his audience much credit at all.

Many aren't ever going to be convinced to stop trying to reconcile Genesis with science in some sense. There's an element of futility in some of Moore's arguments to take a view of faith as something useful and almost quaint.

We see how all sorts of predictions made by evolutionary theory were eventually validated by observations, and how the whole puzzle gradually has come together in the 20th century to eliminate nearly all the pieces that were missing in the 19th century when Darwin and Wallace first proposed a basic natural mechanism for natural selection.

Although it is all pretty much laid out here for them, I can't imagine that very many people who think it is their Christian duty to oppose evolutionary theory will be persuaded very far by this book to learn about evolutionary biology or let their children learn about it. Not because it isn't persuasive logically, but because it doesn't really address their blindspots nor their concerns realistically. It is sympathetic but not empathetic regarding relgious faith, it doesn't adequately address the nagging concern of creationists that naturalism regarding origins undermines morality.

Finally, the book doesn't go very far demonstrating what I think is the main *non-religious* conceptual sticking point of anti-evolutionists; how small variants can possibly accumulate in a meaningful way over time if nothing is guiding each act of selection. It seems fairly common to hear creationists arguing that it is unlikely for random mutations to ever add up to useful variation in structure. Clearly if we are to reach someone with that odd view of the process we have to find a way to describe to them in simple terms how the genome changes and how changes in the genome relate to changes in phenotype.

The most powerful notion of all and the whole point of Darwin's theory is that selective survival of variants cause stable features of the environment to guide the process, even without a plan. We can't expect someone to understand adaptation through natural selection if they are imagining that dinosaurs jumped off of cliffs until one finally achieved a useful mutation and sprouted wings and turned into a bird. This is very close to the account implied by the recent movie "X-Men," and I suspect that many consider this almost realistic.

Richard Dawkins is one of the most talented authors for describing the accumulation of tiny useful features, but Dawkins unfortunately is so hostile to religion that he is one of the least likely people to be read carefully by creationists, although he would be perhaps the most helpful for them conceptually if they sincerely want to understand the argument for adaptation through natural selection.

This is a good book, but if Moore had a more realistic understanding of the profound role of faith in the lives of most of Darwin's detractors and borrowed a few pages from Dawkins to illustrate the piecewise accumulation of features, it would have been even better. The logical structure and explanations for understanding the evidence for evolution are a little easier to follow here than in Ken Miller's "Finding Darwin's God," but that book does a better job addressing creationism more directly.

Of course, even with these changes, this still will not convince many of the "intelligent design" crowd about the importance of evolution in biology. Perhaps Pennock's recent book on "Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics" would be a good supplement as well, if it indeed still makes sense to argue 19th century creationism in 21st century biology classes in order to teach evolution.

Book Description

The documents and essays in this book portray the Arkansas creation-science case, emphasizing its implications for our understanding of the proper relationship between science and society.

The documents include the original "Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act" of 1981, the initial briefs of the plaintiffs and defendants in the case that challenged the Act, the opinion of the court written by Judge William Overton, and several pieces of followup legislation and legal opinion.

Essayists include attorneys from the New York firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom, who describe why they volunteered their services to the plaintiffs and what special problems they encountered in working with scientists, and several of the expert witnesses and advisors who organized the probing of the nature of science that lay at the heart of the trial.

Sociologist Dorothy Nelkin explores the evolution of creationism from the time of the Scopes trial to the present; theologian Langdon Gilkey examines the interrelation of inquiry and belief; anatomist Joel Cracraft describes the scientific response to creationism; philosophers Michael Ruse and Larry Laudan debate the implications of the definition of science finally adopted by the court; and historian Stephen Brush assesses the possible impact of creationism on education in the physical sciences.

Marcel Chotkowski La Follette - editor of the journal Science, Technology, & Human Values, where much of this material was first collected - has rounded out this case book by adding an introduction, an extensive bibliography, and a review of the media coverage of the trial.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding!

Case for Creation
Wayne Frair
Manufacturer: Moody Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802401767

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding!.......1998-07-13

This book gives an excellent, clearly defined explanation for science that no scientist would dispute, and then investigates Evolution, Taxonomy, and other related fields in light of true science. Extremely well written, a bit technical in some areas.

Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design

Average customer rating:

Does a Faulty Design Imply a Faulty Designer?
Why does ID matter?
Intelligently-Designed atheism.
Why does it matter
Why DOES Darwin matter?

Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design
Michael Shermer
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805083065
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Book Description

Science is on the defensive. Half of Americans reject the theory of evolution and intelligent-design campaigns are gaining ground. Classroom by classroom, creationism is overthrowing biology. In Why Darwin Matters, bestselling author Michael Shermer decodes the scientific evidence to show that evolution is not just a theory and illustrates how it achieves the design of life through the bottom-up process of natural selection. Shermer, once an evangelical Christian and a creationist, argues that intelligent-design proponents are invoking a combination of bad science, political antipathy, and flawed theology. He refutes their pseudoscientific arguments and then demonstrates why conservatives and people of faith can and should embrace evolution. Cutting the politics away from the facts, Why Darwin Matters is an incisive examination of what is at stake in the debate over evolutio

Customer Reviews:

Does a Faulty Design Imply a Faulty Designer?.......2007-10-16

This is a book of persuasion, not explanation or information. Don't buy it expecting to learn much about current theories of evolutionary development. The knots in evolution are addressed briefly here and there, but the ever-present purpose of the book is to persuade YOU the reader that Intelligent Design is untenable both scientifically and philosophically.
It's easy to find Shermer's arguments persuasive if you already agree with him, as I do. However, assuming that selling copies was not Shermer's primary purpose, we will have to believe him when he declares that he is addressing his book to "the Fence Sitters" -- those who are still struggling to make sense of Intelligent Design chiefly because they lack clear understanding of evolution. Though he can't help being a little smug at times, Shermer is respectfully persuasive indeed -- for those who are attentive and ready to be persuaded. That's the weakness of his book, I fear, that very few of the target audience will lay their eyes on his arguments. The dozens of reviews here on amazon amply demonstrate that the most likely readers are already strongly committed for or against ID. When and if I find one review or comment by someone who fits Shermer's definition of a Fence Sitter, who declares that s/he has been persuaded by the book, I shall immediately revise my rating from three stars to five, plus I'll buy a crate of copies to send as Christmas cards to my numerous cousins in the American hinterlands.

A DAY LATER: I've just spent an hour reading the impassioned debate threads attached to the reviews by Tim Beazley and Fritz Ward of the book "Living with Darwin" by Philip Kitcher. With apologies to both gentlemen, I have to say that they have amply demonstrated the ineffectiveness of debate as an intellectual tool (as if that hadn't been demonstrated ages ago!). Mr. Shermer's book is formulated as a debate, and as such it is both elegant and concise. Readers of the ID persuasion will inevitably claim that Shermer is partial to the Darwinian side and frames their positions merely as straw men. I would have to disagree; Shermer's explications of ID arguments are reasonably fair and not far from Mr. Ward's comments. But the debate will resound all the louder, no matter how acerbic and how ultimately convincing the arguments of Shermer or Beazley! Thus I'll stick to my three-star rating of this book, not because it's flawed but because it's futile.

Why does ID matter?.......2007-10-11

I have long wondered what all the fuss was about ID. It all seemed so pointless. That was why I purchased the book. Now I understand.
As a professional Biologist, what the book did for me was to re-focus my thinking about the crucial significance of the Darwinian synthesis.
In a way the most important part of this book is "Why Darwin Matters", because there really is no need for a case against "Intelligent Design".
The Darwinian thesis, as developed and elaborated over the last 150 years, works. It explains most, if not all, of what needs explaining in Biology and provides the basis for the development of testable hypotheses. Intelligent Design, as a thesis, explains nothing, because it makes no predictions other than 'Dolly did it!' It is not and cannot be Science.
I do not agree with everything Shermer says. Sometimes he goes too far, sometimes not far enough, however the book is an extremely worthwhile read.
If Science is important, then so is an understanding of Darwinisn, until a better theory comes along!

Intelligently-Designed atheism. .......2007-09-28

For the past year, writing what I think will be the definitive reply to the likes of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett(The Truth Behind the New Atheism), I've immersed myself in arguments for the falsity and dangers of religion. So far Shermer has seemed, if not the most intelligent, the most open to contrary evidence, and the most likeable, of those I've read.

Shermer's arguments helped persuade me of the truth of Common Descent. (Along with those of Francis Collins and other Christian scientists.) He does not as directly challenge the ideas of ID proponents like Lee Spetner or (in his latest book) Michael Behe, who grant common descent, but argue that mutations can't explain it.

One of the most interesting sections of this book is Shermer's discussion of his survey of the basis for religious beliefs. Shermer asked 10,000 Americans why they believed, and why they thought other people believed. He found that most people think others believe for non-rational reasons, but themselves saw reason (design of universe, experience of God, etc) as the grounds of their own faith.

My own, more limited, study of people in conservative churches, underlined the point. When I asked smaller groups of people who had been Christians for many years, "why do you believe in God?" the least popular responses were those farthest removed from facts. ("You have to believe in something;" "I enjoy the fellowship in church . . . ") A large majority gave responses that had at least some intellectual component, such as "The evidence seems good" (62%), and "I have had supernatural experience that taught me the reality of the spiritual world."

What this reflects, I suggest, is just how far wrong the Dawkins crowd are, in their uncritical assumption that Christianity demands "blind faith." Shermer seems to have assumed that, but then to begin changing his mind when the evidence undermined his assumption. I respect that. He should go further, and study what Christians have said about the subject down through the years.

Shermer's book is moderately persuasive until he begins talking about the law and the philosophy of science. At that point he discredits himself a bit, to me anyway. He warns us that ID proponents want to "get government to force teachers to teach it," (not I think the position of the Discovery Institute at all). Then in the following chapter says not only that teachers should be forced to teach evolution, but that it should be illegal even to say God was behind it! I prefer the Shermer who writes, "In the freemarket of ideas, turning to the government to force your theory on others -- particularly children -- goes against every principle of liberty upon which Western democracies are founded."

"Science knows no religious or political boundaries," Shermer says. This is more reasonable than when, a few pages earlier, he calls Philip Johnson's Wedge a "religious war against all of science." While I am not a big fan of Johnson, it seems to me his proposal is at heart pretty conservative: he wants us to do science as the inventors of science -- Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Boyle -- did it, within the context of a life infused with the glory of God. The founders of modern science were hardly at war with the discipline they founded; neither need be people who do science in the same spirit today.

In short, there are claims in this book one can argue with. (I could add others.) But unlike some of his allies, Shermer gives the impression of one with whom one can civilly disagree.

Why does it matter.......2007-09-24

I am Halfway through the book and it is a struggle....
I am at a loss as to why the author felt compelled to write this. I agree with the premise 100%, but there is no hook and all in all this is a VERY dull read...

Why DOES Darwin matter?.......2007-09-22

An excellent treatice on an increasingly important subject. It "turns on the light" that so many fundamentalists of any faith so abhor. Certainly, along with Hitchen's God is Not Great, allow free thinkers to gird their loins for battle.

Average customer rating:

Abusing Science The Case Against Creationism
Philip Kitcher
Manufacturer: MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VUP7I4

Average customer rating:

Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism
Philip Kitcher
Manufacturer: MIT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Outstanding reading for creationists
Weak Apology for Creationism

The Case for Creationism
Colin Mitchell
Manufacturer: Review & Herald Pub Assn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1873796358

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding reading for creationists.......1998-06-30

While a 283 page book cannot be expected to address every aspect of creationism, it will no doubt be enough to outrage your average evolutionist. It's refreshing to occasionally see a book that challenges the "party line" in geological and evolutionary theory. Mitchell discusses all of the annoying little details that simply don't fit the evolutionary model, and are commonly ignored by mainstream science.

Weak Apology for Creationism.......1998-03-30

Mitchell's book is a disappointment. He opens by blaming Nazi and Soviet atrocities on Darwinism while ignoring the crusades, the inquisition and other earlier horrors that arose from fundamentalist religious beliefs. And though his book is recent, Mitchell fails to discuss any developments in genetics and molecular biology that evolutionists have used convincingly in the last few decades to show the ancestry and relationships of organisms. In his discussion of the fossil record, Mitchell primarily bases his case for creationism on the absence of intermediate forms (between genera or families) but ignores the most convincing specimens discussed by evolutionists. He doesn't explain why there are no undisputed mammalian fossils in the lower strata, even though creationists believe there have been mammals, including humans, since the inception of the earth. Mitchell does briefly cite some cases of human teeth, bones and other human artifacts supposedly found in the 1800s and early 1900s in coal deposits and other early strata, but the references for these archeological finds are all from other creationist books or tracts, not scientific journals. Finally, his discussion of vestigial structures (evolutionists say they show ancestry) is a non-scientific ramble about human embryology that fails to discuss the most convincing cases posed by evolutionists. (For example, why do pythons and boas have vestigial legs and pelvic structures?) Mitchell's The Case for Creationism appears to be a creationist response to Douglas J. Futuyma's earlier and much more convincing and authoritative Science on Trial: The Case for Evolution. Unfortunately Mitchell, a soil geologist, hasn't made a very effective case.

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