Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives

Book Description

What is the biological reason for gossip?
For laughter? For the creation of art?
Why do dogs have curly tails?
What can microbes tell us about morality?

These and many other questions are tackled by renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson in this witty and groundbreaking new book. With stories that entertain as much as they inform, Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, properly understood, they can illuminate the length and breadth of creation, from the origin of life to the nature of religion. Now everyone can move beyond the sterile debates about creationism and intelligent design to share Darwin’s panoramic view of animal and human life, seamlessly connected to each other.

Evolution, as Wilson explains, is not just about dinosaurs and human origins, but about why all species behave as they do—from beetles that devour their own young, to bees that function as a collective brain, to dogs that are smarter in some respects than our closest ape relatives. And basic evolutionary principles are also the foundation for humanity’s capacity for symbolic thought, culture, and morality.

In example after example, Wilson sheds new light on Darwin’s grand theory and how it can be applied to daily life. By turns thoughtful, provocative, and daringly funny, Evolution for Everyone addresses some of the deepest philosophical and social issues of this or any age. In helping us come to a deeper understanding of human beings and our place in the world, it might also help us to improve that world.

Customer Reviews:

wow.......2007-10-02

David Sloan Wilson is riiight. It's so simple! Oh thank you, jeez! My eyes are opened! Hey everyone, I'm an atheist! No, I totally get it now! Evolution explains everything! There is no great mystery to life, just evolution and God's a spaghetti monster! Thank you, David!

/sarcasm

Gee Whiz Science.......2007-09-06

I've never met David Sloan Wilson, but he strikes me as one of those professors we've all had at least once. You can imagine him clasping his hands together, looking straight through those large glasses and shouting with joy, "gee isn't that great!" "Evolution explains everything." Okay, maybe he didn't exactly say that, but the take home message is implied. A more accurate statement might be that most everything has been shaped by the forces of selection.

In his book, he sets out to show us that not only is biology best explained by natural selection but so is art, medicine, politics, war, economics, infanticide and religion. That's quite a tall order for one book, but in places he does uncover some nuggets, especially in group selection theory. Some of this ground has been covered before and if you can get past his gee whiz enthusiasm coupled with his goofy braggadocio, he is at times an engaging and entertaining writer.

Unfortunately, his anecdotes and case histories of art, dance and music rest on pretty shaky scientific grounds. And it is precisely this weakness that makes it hard to know who would benefit from this book. The evolutionists already know this is probably right, but the antievolutionists will be inclined to select his weakest arguments to bolster their case.

Nevertheless, I must admit that his intellectual journey provided a stimulating ride. Surely, he's no Dr. Feynman, but you come to realize that Wilson himself is the culmination of some rather curious selection forces.

Incredibly stimulating.......2007-09-03

I really appreciate this book. Well written, funny, precise, documentated and full of anecdotes. Undoubtedly a must read. I recommended it to all my friends and collegues.

Evolution as religion.......2007-08-14

I'm a broad reader and an evolutionist. I'd read a review, bought the book, read it and am truly disappointed. Wilson brags constantly about a previous book he wrote, saying he described religion in evolutionary terms. Sadly, he's doing the reverse in this book: Describing evolution as an acolyte rather than a scientist.

He spends too much time making a claim, waving a wand, and claiming he's proven something. His chapter on laughter is a good example: Lots of muttering, no scientific linkage and then a claim it must be evolutionary. He writes well so even that might have been passable and he does have occasional real examples that are worth reading (keeping this review from being a 1).

What's bad are the sections that completely lack logic, such as on page 184, where he's claiming the importance of dance in evolution. Not only does he show no evidence, he makes a false logical claim while talking about the military. As he writes: "The visceral power of dance made it possible for armies to be formed out ot people who had no objective reason for fighting. Merely by marching in time and other intense communal activities, they become emotionally bonded to each other. ... J. Glenn Gray puts it this way in 'The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle': 'Many veterans who are honest with themselves will admit, I believe, that the experience of communal effort in battle ... has been the high point of their lives...."

Notice, first, that he's quoting one man's opinion ("I believe") as factual support. More importantly, notice how Gray is specifically describing the effects of shared combat. Not dancing. Not marching. Not "other intense communal activities." Combat.

I hate it when people on my side are just as ignorant and pompous as the people I oppose. I'm afraid that people will not learn about evolution from this book, only that some evolutionists believe in it as strongly as others believe in the false science of ID. This book damages our cause, and I suggest people avoid it.

gnaw this juicy bone!.......2007-07-27

Some books you don't so much read as gnaw on like a hound with a particularly juicy bone. This is such a book. Some authors, far from remote figures lurking behind their texts, become much-valued friends. David Sloan Wilson is such an author. The title, Evolution for Everyone, is deceptive. While in fact very apposite, it suggests at first sight an over-simplifying textbook, an `Idiots Guide to Darwin'. No such thing. Wilson gives us a passionate and yet affably urbane argument for evolution as a kind of general theory of everything. He sees evolution as relevant to most aspects of human existence. For example, why do humans enjoy music? Why do they enjoy dancing? Wilson suggests that making rhythmic sounds and dancing may well have preceded speech among our remote simian ancestors. Peoples who communally dance unite in co-operation rather than exterminate themselves in fratricidal fighting. A rabble of a hundred individuals can be transformed into an effective regiment of soldiers working as one by drilling together (never more so than when accompanied by martial music). So also literature: it plays an essential role in cultural evolution. Wilson observes: "the primary human adaptation is for our behaviour to be acquired less and less directly from our genes and more and more from other people". Narratives, whether literary or historical, play a part in this process. These are only a few of scores of hares Wilson's engagingly fertile mind puts up for us to pursue. Good hunting!

A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love

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Dawkins addresses some myths
Nobody does it better, but . . .
Dawkins revealed
A Devil's Chaplain
Refreshing and Thought-Provoking

A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love
Richard Dawkins
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
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Similar Items:

Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder
The God Delusion
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author

ASIN: 0618485392

Amazon.com

Richard Dawkins has an opinion on everything biological, it seems, and in A Devil's Chaplain, everything is biological. Dawkins weighs in on topics as diverse as ape rights, jury trials, religion, and education, all examined through the lens of natural selection and evolution. Although many of these essays have been published elsewhere, this book is something of a greatest-hits compilation, reprinting many of Dawkins' most famous recent compositions. They are well worth re-reading. His 1998 review of Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont's Fashionable Nonsense is as bracing an indictment of academic obscurantism as the book it covered, although the review reveals some of Dawkins' personal biases as well. Several essays are devoted to skillfully debunking religion and mysticism, and these are likely to raise the hackles of even casual believers. Science, and more specifically evolutionary science, underlies each essay, giving readers a glimpse into the last several years' debates about the minutiae of natural selection. In one moving piece, Dawkins reflects on his late rival Stephen Jay Gould's magnum opus, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, and clarifies what it was the two Darwinist heavyweights actually disagreed about. While the collection showcases Dawkins' brilliance and intellectual sparkle, it brings up as many questions as it answers. As an ever-ardent champion of science, honest discourse, and rational debate, Dawkins will obviously relish the challenge of answering them. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

The first collection of essays from renowned scientist and best-selling author Richard Dawkins is an enthusiastic declaration, a testament to the power of rigorous scientific examination to reveal the wonders of the world. In these essays Dawkins revisits the meme, the unit of cultural information that he named and wrote about in his groundbreaking work The Selfish Gene. Here also are moving tributes to friends and colleagues, including a eulogy for novelist Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; correspondence with the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould; and visits with the famed paleoanthropologists Richard and Maeve Leakey at their African wildlife preserve. The collection ends with a vivid note to Dawkins's ten-year-old daughter, reminding her to remain curious, to ask questions, and to live the examined life.

Customer Reviews:

Dawkins addresses some myths.......2007-08-27

Some excellent essays. A touch too close to being a bit racist here and there, but perhaps that was inaccuracy of language. For the first time I think I actually understand something about evolution. His point about the 98% figure of genetic similarity with chimps was well made. He cited the fact that if you compare two books, there will be a lot of common letters and the figure would suggest similarity. But if you were to compare them sentence by sentence, they would probably share only a tiny fraction of commonality.

What I still don't understand about theorists on evolution is how they still discuss superiority or desirability for breeding in terms of strength, speed, size etc. After many hundreds of thousands of years during which human cooperation in agriculture, shared civilisation and eventually technological change has transformed the success rate of the species, why are qualities of cooperation, constancy or intellect now not also included in the factors that influence natural selection? Perhaps they are. Maybe I should read late Darwin.

The idea that atheists just go one God further was also a point well made. Many of us would admit to being atheists when it comes to Mithras, Zeus, Thor, etc etc. Of all the Gods, most people who claim not to be atheists probably only admit a belief in one and thus reject thousands of other. It's a bit like claiming to be a vegetarian on the grounds that you don't eat duck, but do eat all the rest of the animal world.

The point about cloning and identical twins was made a few too many times, I think, but then it was a collection of essays. It is a point, however, that the non-scientist would find it hard to relate to, since for someone from that starting position the twins are "natural" and the "clone" is not, despite the fact that genetically they represent identical concepts. The position would be really interesting, however, if the twins, or triplets or quads etc arose as a result of in vitro fertilisation and then implantation, and hence were not "natural".

Nobody does it better, but . . . .......2007-05-27

Richard Dawkins is more eloquent in explaining biology and more forthright in disparaging its critics than anyone else writing in English today. However, the Greeks said even Homer nods, and I want to pursue a thread in this collection of reviews, prefaces and articles where I think Dawkins does not follow his own argument.

A recurrent proposition in these essays is that humans evolved in Africa (even Dawkins haters could be charmed by his essays on his return to Kenya) to meet African conditions. Surprisingly, he does not then inquire: How does it come about that a genetic armamentarium designed for camping on the plains of Africa produced a species capable of both inventing absurd religions and working out, through direct observation and indirect, abstract arguments, what stars are? What possible selective value could having a brain capable of either have to a caveman?

The answer, of course, is that the mental function evolved for reasons unrelated to stars or spooks but once evolved proved to have other capacities. In medicine, it is not uncommon for physicians to discover that a drug selected for one organ or syndrome has a completely unexpected, positive effect on some other organ or syndrome. (And, of course, it is even more common for it to have an unexpected, negative effect elsewhere.)

The significance of this is that it opens the door to a special status for humans. Dawkins does not want to concede this, claiming, for example, that if we were aware of the continuous genetic gradient between us and chimpanzees, we would not countenance any fundamental difference between us and, therefore, would not `sacrifice' chimps in medical experiments.

This is very strange proposition for a professional zoologist to be making. What are species for?

The genetic continuity is present, obviously, and, as Dawkins himself sometimes says, goes right back to an ur-organism. So, where does the quantitative difference become qualitative? If it is unthinkable to torture chimpanzees (or, to put it positively, as Dawkins does, if it should be thinkable to imagine interbreeding with them), why not object to eradicating mosquitoes that carry the malaria plasmodium that kills a half a million African babies each year (or maybe a million, who's counting?).

One barrier is to claim for humans a soul. This is nonsense. No one has ever seen such a thing. But another barrier is the capability of being moral actors, and everybody has observed that.

It is not obvious that moral action has selective advantages for inclusive fitness. Dawkins himself worries that having too many babies risks famine. Indiscriminate breeding, without worrying about moral consequences, is likely to leave more descendants, at least in the nearest subsequent generations, than discriminate, morally driven breeding -- or non-breeding, as the case may be.

Surely the evolution of a trait that confers voluntary selective unfitness on a species makes that species qualitatively different from all other species that cannot do it?

I expect this deviationism is a result of Dawkins's desire to see certain outcomes. Very natural it is, too, but it needs to be struggled against. Evolution up to us was non-deterministic. We should keep it that way.

Otherwise, this is a marvelous book.

Dawkins revealed.......2007-05-21

It's pity about the title: the subtitle is slightly more informative. Dawkins defines the book himself in the first sentence of his introduction: " ... a personal selection from among all the articles, tirades and reflections, book reviews and forewords, tributes and eulogies that I have published (or in some cases not published) over 25 years." This would be a better title but it's a bit long.

If you want to learn more about the things Dawkins writes about, this book is not the best book to read. If you want to learn about genetics or evolution or the God Delusion, this is just an appetiser. But it's a good book to read if you want to get to know Dawkins and his way of thinking.

It's a well-chosen anthology of 32 of Dawkins' "minor works", grouped in seven sections, each with a common theme and an explanatory introduction. Dawkins is a prolific writer, and sometimes he must write in a hurry: you get the impression that in his "tirades" he is using a dictating machine while waving his arms about. But the same passion that makes him do this can, a few pages further on, emerge as language so carefully and economically crafted that it will make you cry or laugh out loud, as probably intended. And make you think, too.

You don't have to read this book in page order. It's a good book to dip into. The memo for Tony Blair is a gem; every politician should be given briefs like this and made to read them. The eulogies are both moving and funny. The book reviews will make you want the books. The last essay is a letter Dawkins wrote to his daughter: it's personal and revealing and rather sad; I suspect the letter wouldn't have worked; he doesn't say. (I'm older than Dawkins and have had more children.) Look for the other personal bits, the anecdotes scattered through these writings: for each anecdote, you get one insight.

This is a great book for an atheist to own and lend.

A Devil's Chaplain.......2007-05-08

Of the several books by Richard Dawkins that I have recently read, this is my favorite. I read it forth in my list, and have since read six more of his books. This one is especially poetic and answered a majority of my questions in one reading. In my opinion if you are only going to read one of his books, this is the one to grab.

Having explored a variety of studies on religion, I decided to have a serious look at the opposing views. I spent many years trying to make sense of the contridictions in creation based beliefs. I had not until recently considered evolution as a serious consideration of belief. I found reading Dawkins to be a serious, yet sensitive presentation of his reasons for not believing in a personal God. I particularly like his respectful, detached approach to the subject. I personally can't imagine anyone taking personal offense to his way of sharing his point of view. . His writing style is witty, intelligent and engaging. He is practical and respectfully present in his dialogue. I will read anything he writes and I highly recommend his work to anyone who is looking for answers that makes sense of a complicated subject. I have greater respect for those who choose to practice religion now than before I read Dawkins' work on the theory of evolution. The The Meme Machine, by Susan Blackmore is my second favorite read so far~

Refreshing and Thought-Provoking.......2007-03-30

Richard Dawkins tells us not only why the Emporer has no clothes, but tell us how he knows - by discussing his logical processes for making his determinations. It's nothing short of brilliant, and offers much to contemplate.

If you enjoy a series of 'articles' on an array of different subjects, as I do, you will find that Dawkins manages to pack a lot of punch into each and every one of his selections on topics that range from Ethics to Public Education to Cloning with a seemless thread that makes it hard to put this book down.

It's my first book by Dawkins, but definitely not my last.

Billions of Missing Links: A Rational Look at the Mysteries Evolution Can't Explain

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ID light- an honest review
3 stars
Excellent book
Same old rhetoric.
A Pleasure to Read

Billions of Missing Links: A Rational Look at the Mysteries Evolution Can't Explain
Geoffrey Simmons
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism
What Darwin Didn't Know: A Doctor Dissects the Theory of Evolution
Darwin Strikes Back: Defending the Science of Intelligent Design
Genetic Entropy & the Mystery of the Genome
The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine

ASIN: 0736917462

Book Description

Dr. Geoffrey Simmons focuses on the millions of structures and systems on the Earth that came about all at once, entire...with no preceding links, no subsequent links, no “sideways” links.

To illustrate, he surveys examples like...

the hummingbird and its circulatory system
insects and insect–eating plants
the role of the thousands of species of viruses
chemical signals and the sensory apparatus that detects them
the self–regulating capacity of the Earth’s ocean/air/soil system

It’s clear: Nature contains only leaps, not links. Only the intelligence and purpose of an all–powerful Designer can explain the intricate creatures, connections, and “coincidences” everywhere.

Excellent for students and parents, especially homeschoolers, and for educators who want to present the “full picture.”

Customer Reviews:

ID light- an honest review.......2007-10-05

I call this ID light because its not as in youre face as some of the other ID literature. I don't think someone who is against ID would be compelled to change their minds after reading this book. If you are an evolutionist, I think you should still find some beauty in this book, and not think of this as a direct insult on youre intelligence. This is a book filled with all kinds in neat facts that I think everyone can enjoy. Yes he clearly promotes ID, but he says you be the judge, could this model fit in with a design or do you think evolution has a better explination?

What really sold me on this book was scamming through it in the book store. I didn't even really want to buy it till I flipped through. It seems almost every sentence has something interesting. For example I just opend it to get a random quote and here it goes on page 212 about halfway down the page states "The bristle millipede is covered with tiny tufts and rows of velcro-like bristles that easily detach when the insect is attacked." Not that its the best part or anything, but I hope you can see how this book reads.

My overall favorite part is about ratios and symmetry. The fibonacci sequence is incredible! The bodys symmetry, The body mass and blood volume in mammals are intricately related. Even the heart size is dependant on the animal. There were better facts than that, but thats what sticks out currently in my mind. Sounds to me like a design! Like I said before, that may not convince you, but these are great facts and a fun read!

3 stars.......2007-05-20

*** Could the universe have come into existence by chance? That is what proponnants of atheistic evolution would have us believe. However, after reading the evidence presented in this book, such conclusions should seem to not have a chance to anyone with a reasonable mind. Though little is said about God, the evidence is laid out in such a way as to show that there had to be design, hence a Designer, orchestrating life. Beyond making that case, a variety of fascinating, little known facts are rendered that will enlarge your acumen, even if you never have the need to engage in a debate over evolution vs. intelligent design or creation. ***

Amanda Killgore

Excellent book.......2007-05-07

It just helps to demonstrate that it takes a bigger leap of faith for evolution than for a creator God.

Same old rhetoric........2007-05-03

Same old , same old. X can't be explained..........YET, therefore "GOD", the biggest assumption of all which doesn't EXPLAIN ANYTHING. And of course we all know this means the christian god as opposed to the thousands of other "GODS" throughout history. Same old "god of the gaps" arguement. Sorry, but that does not follow.
Evolution is an established fact of life, if you don't believe it, then I suggest you quit taking antibiotics along with using or eating domesticated animals for food,work, and or companionship. According to this book scientist should just throw in the towel and fling their hands collectively in the air and say "WE QUIT!". I suppose that should have been done before Copernicus,Kepler,Newton,Lavousier,Faraday,John Clerk Maxwell,Crick and Watson,Einstein etc made their discoveries. Utter nonsense. One assumption after another regarding nature and the cosmos has been toppled like sandcastles. The skeletetal backbone (no pun intended) and general principles have been quite established in evolutionary biology. Anybody with an inkling of reading regaring the sciences realizes all the emperical evidence for evolution is quite firm. These disciplines include,molecular biology, comparitve genome studies,physics,geology,paleoanthropology,paleontology,comparitive anatomy etc etc etc. The book has nice pictures though.

A Pleasure to Read.......2007-04-11

This book puts forth some very interesting trivial information about many animals that is often left out in the biology classroom in order to teach other information. Did you know the pupil of your eyes and the tip of your nose forms an equalateral triangle? The tip of you nose forms another one with the edge of your lips? That a square exists between your pupils and your lips' edge? In fact your body contains many such wonders. The belly button is the exact center of a circle that you can make with your body. Design or Chance....interesting.

The forethought and first chapter were very nice to read. The forethought basically said if you've convinced the miracle of birth and the beauty of it.. came about by trial and error... you might as well stop reading now. Birth is so amazing I think anyone will be struck with awe when reading his description of birth. However; Even if your a staunch evolutionist I think you would still like this book very much, I would encourage you to read it, even if you disagree with his view point you'll love the information. It contains alot of information that teachers/professors should talk about in class since it will keep students interested. I am a biology undergraduate and some of his book actually went over some of the things we were learning in university study, but put forth simply enough that anyone with no biology backround could unnderstand it. It presented the information in a fresh way to me, which was nice.

I thought his first chapter was great because I think many scientists (ID theorists and Neo-Darwinists) forget exactly what the scientific method is all about. It was designed to eliminate bias. I agreed with his suggestion that the scientific method should the foundation of biology not a philosophical theory like evolution by natural selection. Why? The scientific method begins with "observation". With that being said and to be fair he says the same flaw is found in the Intelligent Design and Evolutionary arguments alike. If you look into it you would be surprised how much of the whole molecules to man theory has never been observed its pure conjecture. Simmons says there could be some problems with the scientific method as the cornerstone of science, but they could easily be resolved.

Many people constantly say that ID theory says it is so complex that it could not have been designed. That is not true. In the first chapter he says ID says that life is natural systems that cannot be explained by natural forces, yet in any other circumstance would naturally be attriubted to design. Such a good definition. Why is it not attributed to design? Some people have a hard time comprehending something made them I guess. The same way other people cannot imagine that unintelligent processes made them. I think the first argument is weaker than the latter. The more we know about life he harder time Darwin's theory is having. Simmons also points this out in the first chapter.

Simmions puts forth a good analogy of the ID/Darwinist battle in the opening chapter. Imagine coming up to an oil rig in the ground and you said to your friend wow I wonder who made this, and you friend said "wait no one made this what are you talking about?" You try to convince you friend it was designed... maybe showing him parts that pump oil out of the ground and are needed to make it functional.. if they are not there the rig would not work.. and your friend says well you can't prove who made it...your making dogmatic statements about the existence of oil rigs. Sadly the friend is right you cannot prove someone made it dispite how much you try to convince your friend the oil rig was designed because neither one of you were there to see it so neither know for sure was that it was made. Darwin's challenge to his theory which was "if something could be shown to have not developed through slow steps my theory would absolutly break down". It certainly has broken down. So now darwinists say it has not broken down but then they themselves put forth unobserved senerios to try to preserve the theory. Big Surprise, evolutionary scientists are humans too all of them have a bias like all humans.

But regadless of your view of biology you will love this book just because its so fun to read. When I was reading I thought the information was great. It was like reading Planet Earth on the Discovery channel instead of seeing it. Simmons shows some amazing facts of the differences in life and what needs to be found for a fully comperhensive theory of evolution to be correct. You will come out of this book having a better appreciation of all life regradless of your views. Read the book

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Turning the baloney-detector on Philip Johnson
Science can be Dogma, Scientists can be fanatic.
watered down
Some of you are missing the point!
Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds

Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds
Phillip E. Johnson
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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No Doubt About It: The Case for Christianity
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Darwin on Trial

ASIN: 0830813608

Book Description

Voted one of Christianity Today's 1998 Books of the Year!For decades, Christians have felt voiceless in the critical debate over evolution. Until now. Finally, ordinary Christians have the opportunity and the resources to defeat the false claims of Darwinism.With all of the complicated scientific debate swirling around the topic of evolution, Christians need an easy way to understand the basic issues without oversimplifying. Phillip Johnson has the answer: the key to defeating the false claims of Darwinism is to open our minds to good thinking habits. Here is first-rate advice on avoiding common mistakes in discussions about evolution, understanding the legacy of the Scopes trial, spotting deceptive arguments, and grasping the basic scientific issues without getting bogged down in unnecessary details.In the bestselling and critically acclaimed Darwin on Trial and Reason in the Balance, Phillip Johnson took on the academic elites and exposed the misleading claims of evolutionary naturalism. Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds provides a new and powerful treatment of these issues for high-school students, parents, teachers, pastors, youth advisors and ordinary readers. Johnson aims not just to defeat a bad theory, but to defeat it in the right way-by opening minds to the truth.

Customer Reviews:

Turning the baloney-detector on Philip Johnson.......2007-09-22

For someone who purports to build a case against evolution with a fair & open mind, Johnson sure stacks the deck by intentionally biased means. His primary techniques, repeated over & over, are: 1) quoting scientists out of context, & 2) lightly dismissing pro-evolution evidence that deserves serious consideration.

1. Our-of-context: It is not a secret, hidden from the public, that there are, & have been, mildly differing interpretations of the precise ways in which evolution works. The best known recent example of this is the proposal by Stephen Jay Gould & Niles Eldredge that the history of life on earth exhibits Puncuated Equilibria, as distinct from the incremental gradual changes that Charles Darwin envisioned. This hardly makes Stephen Jay Gould & Niles Eldredge anti-evolutionists. It does however allow Mr. Johnson to quote Niles Eldredge out of context, as if he were precisely an anti-evolutionist:

"No wonder paleontologists shied away from evolution for so long. It never seems to happen...that's how the fossil record has struck many a forelorn paleontologist looking to learn something about evolution." pp. 60-61.

Johnson oh so conveniently neglects to explain how Eldredge & Gould resolve this apparent dilemma in a manner that is perfectly consistent with neo-Darwinism, in fact in a manner that in my opinion (bolstered by my geology PhD) strengthens neo-Darwinism.

Similarly, Johnson abuses the work of Tim Berra (OSU zoology prof, pp. 62ff), George C. Williams (evolutionary biology prof, emer., Stony Brook; pp. 70ff.), and others.

Laymen may innocently misinterpret the healthy vigorous debate that constantly stirs within the scientific conmmunity regarding details of the evolutionary process as indicating some sort of growing weakness in the overall theory itself. Nothing could be farther from the truth. But Johnson is not an innocent layman, he is willfully misconstruing the thoughts & words of others. To a scientist, this is perhaps the purest form of evil, & consequently it makes me wonder how Johnson manages to square his actions with his Christianity.

2. Lightly dismissing substantive evidence. There are many examples of this scattered throughout Defeating Darwin, but one example will suffice, since it is repeated at least 10 times in Johnson's book. This is his constant derision of the thirty years of work by Peter & Rosemary Grant (& their multitude of students & associates) on the year-by-year changes in the fauna of the Galapagos. Johnson sneers at this massive body of work as "measuring finch beaks", of no relevance whatsoever. But he just happens to neglect to remind his readers that the Galapagos were precisely Darwin's unexpected natural laboratory that suggested the theory of evolution to him in the first place.

Consequently, when the Grants report on the remarkable physical changes that can occur in some species in a single season, that does in fact point precisely to the powerful potential for speciation to occur, given even a very minor amount of geologic time.

Two other points about the book: First, Johnson surprisingly does not speak in this book of 'speciation'. That used to be his mantra: micro-evolution yes, speciation no. Apparently he realizes that he is slowing but surely being driven from that particular battlement by the patiently accumulating work of tens of thousands of evolutionary scientists. Instead, Johnson focusses on demanding proof of the evolution of the first lifeform on earth from non-living organic chemicals. This is as reasonable as my refusing to believe that Philip Johnson exists, unless he can show me the particular sperm & egg cell that gave rise to his embryo-hood. But this sort of pretended willful ignorance is, I suppose, a highly useful tactic on his part, occupying a battlement that he knows can never be stormed, however silly a point it might be.

Second, this book advances no positive program of its own. It is an attack on evolution, but it fails at every instance to state what Johnson would substitute for evolution in the biology & earth science courses of this nation, beyond Behe's Intelligent Design. And presenting ID takes about 5 minutes, for what is there to discuss once the teacher has established that a supernatural intelligence (wink, wink) was responsible for Life, every different species, & every organ of moderate or greater complexity.

One is pretty much forced to conclude, by default, while reading Johnson's repeated pieties, that he imagines the remainder of the semester will be filled with detailed studies of the New Testament (& how many open-minded questions will be asked then?).

Science can be Dogma, Scientists can be fanatic........2007-06-02

Obliviously, most of the negative reviewers didn't even read this book. The main focus of this brief book is to give a quick introduction to philosophical, scientific and theological arguments against the Evolution. What most of the negative reviewers are missing is his main point: Evolution as asserted by Dawkins and other fanatics, means the universe and all life in it came by about by chance - it doesn't mean you disagree with darwin's finches or other microevolution.
He brings up cases of logical, particularly from microbiologists - objections to evolution that are shot down by 'fanatics' and just as illogical as fundmentalist creationists. For example a 15 year boy in denver objected to NOVA special on evolution being shown in his school. The press portrayed him as a fanatic, but his objection was that the flaws in the show, such as 'the first form of life was a bacteria that fed off of other bacteria' (!).
In short, this isn't the either or argument that the press makes it out to be - evolution cannot and has not explained all aspects of life -and for example Richard Dawkin's reductionist theories that we are just walking bits of DNA meant to pass on DNA passes the line from science to fanatical dogma

watered down.......2007-04-05

This was an unecessary book. It is simply a watered down version of Darwin on Trial. This book leaves out the evidence of the scientific flaws of Darwinism that Darwin on Trial contained. Also be warned, Johnson is not a 6 day creationist nor is he a scientist like Duane Gish. He is more in line with intellegent design. You can decide if that is a good or bad thing.

Some of you are missing the point!.......2007-03-01

There are scores of books on scientific arguments with evidence available for those who want to know. This book is designed to get people to use critical thinking and common sense to start a new dialogue on the origins of life. This is the sole purpose of this book, persuading a person to fairly look at both sides. IMHO the naturalistic evidence is so lacking that belief in evolution is equivalent to belief in God as creator in that neither side can explain exactly how it was done. However, the prescence of conciousness and information alone argue in favor of ID for the origins of life on earth. Many people are totally unwilling to consider any evidence contrary to naturalistic theory. And the reference made by another reviewer about Billy Graham is a little lacking. Mr Johnson explains quite clearly that Billy didnt have the time to fully investigate all the evidence and chose instead to believe God. This is not the same as being afraid to evaluate the evidence for fear of finding out you are wrong. In addition I think that most people would agree that just in the last 30 years there have been new discoveries in many fields that place intelligent design in a much more favorable light. So in the past Billy Graham's contemporaries may very well have been swayed by the evidence of naturalistic origins. Today, I think that anyone who honestly weighs the evidence on both sides would be hard pressed to believe that all we see in nature could have arisen by chance.

Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds.......2007-02-28

I recommend this book if you're someone who is straddling the line between believing evolution and creationism, or believe both. This book will teach you how creationism and evolutionism cannot coexist. I'm almost 14 years old, and I can understand this book, surely anyone else can. This book clearly portrays the falseness of evolution and makes it easy to understand that they can't be true at the same time. Remember, it takes more faith to believe evolution than creationism, because with creationism at least you have a starting point with God, and evolution you have nothing!

Darwinian Fairytales: Selfish Genes, Errors of Heredity and Other Fables of Evolution

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A skeptical, analytical philosopher takes on Darwin, Dawkins
This is not what I expected
The H.L. Mencken of sociobiology
Stop misunderstanding texts!
enjoy the ride

Darwinian Fairytales: Selfish Genes, Errors of Heredity and Other Fables of Evolution
David Stove
Manufacturer: Encounter Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1594031401

Book Description

Philosopher David Stove concludes in his hilarious and razor-sharp inquiry that Darwin's theory of evolution is a ridiculous slander on human beings. But wait! Stove is no creationist nor a proponent of so-called intelligent design. He is a theological skeptic who admits Darwin's great genius and acknowledges that the theory of natural selection is the most successful biological theory in history. But Stove also thinks that it is also one of the most overblown and gives a penetrating inventory of what he regards as the unbelievable claims of Darwinism. Darwinian Fairytales is a must-read book for people who want to really understand the issues behind the most hotly debated scientific controversy of our time.

Customer Reviews:

A skeptical, analytical philosopher takes on Darwin, Dawkins.......2007-10-02

"[Stove] is particularly good at exposing the `amazingly arrogant habit of Darwinians' of `blaming the fact, instead of blaming their theory' when they encounter contrary biological facts. Doctrinaire Darwinists have an answer for everything, always a bad sign in science, since it means that mere facts can never prove them wrong." - from Roger Kimball's Introduction

It is not at all the case that Stove objects to Darwinism on religious grounds, in fact he believes that present life has by some means evolved from earlier forms; however he is quite certain that "Darwin's explanation of evolution, even though it is . . . still the best one available, is not true." Stove would object, and strongly so, to having his essays cast as being sympathetic to `creationism' or `intelligent design', as he defines himself as a man "of no religion." His knowledge and scholarship of Darwinian theory is self-evidently vast; he suggests that he has "wasted" his time reading hundreds of Darwinism's books and `Darwinian Fairytales' makes it quite evident that he has indeed studied every prominent Darwinian "from 1859 to the present hour."

I had just begun reading Richard Dawkins' `The Blind Watchmaker' when I noticed that David Stove's `Darwinian Fairytales' had been reprinted. While reading them both it quickly seemed imperative that I read Dawkins' `The Selfish Gene' before proceeding with either TBW or DF. So that is what I did. Reading the three books in close conjunction was quite a fascinating experience, and, as I have indicated elsewhere (my review of TSG), Dawkins didn't fare to well.

Stove, the late Australian philosopher of science, effectively skewers Dawkins (especially TSG, but, to a lesser extent, TBW as well), Stove nails E.O. Wilson too, in fact he takes a troupe of Darwinian champions to the woodshed -- T.H. Huxley, R.D. Alexander, R. Trivers, R.A. Fisher, among many others. A skeptic in Hume's mold, Stove has acerbically critiqued various iconic founts of Western thought, some more effectively than others, so Darwinians need not feel singled out (but of course they probably will). This book was his last, completed not long before his death in 1994.

Although he presents a few other criticisms, Stove relentlessly targets (1) Darwinism's ideological death-struggle with "altruism" -- that it must deny is actually altruism, and (2) Darwinism's non-falsifiable teleological doctrine: the immutable Lordship of "the selfish gene" -- a doggedly fideistic article of simple faith. Darwinism's teachings on altruism are easily sacked, both by clear logic and by mere empirical evidence; its supposedly anti-teleological teleology of itself qualifies Darwinism as being a religion.

If there is something to be faulted in Stove's book (a collection of 11 essays), it is the repetitiveness (not surprising as this is usually a problem in works of argumentation). Long after he has defeated the teleological and "altruism" defamations of Dawkins, Wilson, and the like, he is still throwing the badly bloodied doctrines to the ground. Because of this, and because each of the essays can more or less stand on its own, I recommend reading the first essay (Darwin's Dilemma), the second and the last (eleventh) before heading into the others. If the essay (#4) treating the influence of Malthus' population dynamics on Darwin's thought becomes dry or uninteresting, then skip it, perhaps moving to essays #9 (A New Religion) or 10 (Paley's Revenge, or Purpose Regained).

This is not what I expected.......2007-05-13

I barely read into the book when I realized that the author is still a true believer of the Darwin fairy tale. It was painful for me to do, but I threw the book in the trash today. Next time I'll be more careful.

The H.L. Mencken of sociobiology.......2007-04-04

David Stove is one of the great underappreciated writers of the late 20th century. He's also dead, which doesn't generally do much for one's ability to slay dragons. It is fortunate the good people at the New Criterion have more or less sponsored his revival; he deserves to be much more widely known. Stove was an Australian academic philosopher who became embroiled in a university in-fight against what I like to call, the "know nothing academics" who came to prominence in the 1960s. Know nothings essentially make their livings making rasberry sounds at Western civilization. Stove was outraged such people could be taken seriously by anyone, and so he devoted a large amount of his considerable remaining wit and energy making such people miserable. This book represents one of his efforts in that direction. Contrary to what many people are saying in the reviews, Stove explicitly believes in Darwinian evolution, "more or less." I.e. he states that he believes in the broad strokes of evolutionary theory. He is, as others have stated, an atheist (as am I, if that matters to anyone).

He very specifically doesn't believe in nonsense views of evolution; in particular, the "hard man" view of Herbert Spencer or its intellectual descendant, the "selfish gene" view of Dawkins and company. Stove ruthlessly mocks the preposterous premises of these ideas (which even a 'good' Popperian would instantly recognize as non-falsifiable piffle), simply by examining them for what they really are. He also points out numerous giant conceptual lacunae, counterfactuals and the examples of flat out nonsense that make up the evidence for sociobiological "theory." Why does Stove do this? Apparently, he was ahead of his time. People like Dawkins have become pervasive pests; insisting that everyone think as he does, or risk being labeled, "unbright." Sociobiological 'theoretical' deconstructings of literature have become all the rage. Dawkins and his unseemly ilk need to be put in their place, along with other pseudo-scientific charlatans like Lysenko or the Phrenologists. Sociobiology is a shabby set of shaggy dog stories; Stove shows us how funny and absurd they really are. I rather wish Stove was a statistician as well; that would be the final cherry on top of the sociobiological humble pie, but I suppose one must leave work for future thinkers.

Stop misunderstanding texts!.......2007-04-02

This text does not attempt to show that Darwinism is false, at best it succeeds in showing that certain applications of the theory are incorrect.

Evolution is not a "religion for adults" - it is a complex theory that should not be debated by those who do not know it. Simply because there exist statements about the theory (or statements made by the proponents of the theory) that are perhaps false, does not mean the entire theory is.

Has anyone heard of Richard Dawkins? He clearly showed how evolution can and has created cooperative systems.

Everyone - please educate yourselves from a well-balanced mix of texts, understand what the author's points are, and more importantly, reason about what is said - there are authors that care more for the money made from publishing a book, than the honest science and research that should go into it.

enjoy the ride.......2007-02-07

Modern "scientists" have elevated evolution to a cult. Enter intelligent design (ID) critics, whacked on by their roots with creationists (their own pre-Socratics), and you have one helluva fight. With these ideologues migrating to extremism and away from reason as understood by both scientific method and Aristotelian logic you are bound to have very murky waters indeed. The debate becomes unrecognizable to the classically educated.

Enter the reasonable atheist apologist for no side with whom people of faith (like myself) and no faith (like my friends) can wholeheartedly cheer on by anchoring the conversation in reason once again. The late David Stove does just that, with precision, wit, logic, clarity, and joy. Reading this book is like a breath of fresh air, and restores faith in human reason and the ability of thinkers to expose unsupportable extremes cloaked in unearned authority, whether it is "science" or "religion." A marvellous book which will have ideologues steaming and truth lovers and sideline quarterbacks enjoying the game.

Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness

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Very good, but I preferred The Fossil Trail
"Becoming Human" by Ian Tattersall
Disappointment
Well written but general
High-brow but good ideas

Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness
Ian Tattersall
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0151003408

Amazon.com

Monogamy. Bipedalism. Tools. Language. Intelligence. Why on Earth did we develop all those tricks? Though it's trendy to diminish the differences between humans and other species, most of us just can't help noticing our often-striking peculiarities and wondering how they arose. Paleontologist Ian Tattersall's story of human origins is as compelling as a well-designed museum exhibit--no surprise, as he is Curator of Anthropology for the American Museum of Natural History. His prose, while not flashy, is satisfyingly clear and unapologetically fascinated with its topic. Covering genetics, evolutionary theory, primate anatomy, and archaeology, Becoming Human explains how and why our ancestors adapted to their surroundings to produce such clever, talented, immodest progeny. If you find it preposterous that a dumb, skinny ape can go from foraging for fruit and fleeing from lions to splitting the atom and solving Rubik's cube in just five million years, this book might change your mind. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

“In this superbly written book, Ian Tattersall combines his unique knowledge of the human fossil record, Paleolithic archeology, primate behavior, prehistoric art, as well as the workings of the human brain...to offer a convincing scenario of how we have come to hold dominion over the earth” (Donald Johanson, Scientific american).

Customer Reviews:

Very good, but I preferred The Fossil Trail.......2007-04-03

Paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall tackles a difficult question: what is it, exactly, that differentiates us (Homo sapiens) from other primates and our direct biological ancestors? No clear or easy answers are provided, but the journey in exploring the question is fascinating.

After a brief chapter on human creativity, Tatersall addresses the similarities - and differences - between ourselves and our nearest extant relatives, and posits some ideas about how and why we have evolved the way we have. I agree with his idea that our social and biological development went hand in hand, and his explaination of this was the strongest part of the book. The final chapter - on "Being Human" was weaker, I thought, and tended to drift into the realm of philosophy rather than paleobiology (what is "consciousness", where did it come from, and how does it make us "human"?)

It was a fascinating read, but I much prefered _The Fossil Trail_.

"Becoming Human" by Ian Tattersall.......2006-09-08

I would give Tattersall a "good", but not "excellent" rating for this book. When he discusses fossil evidence, he is so heavily nuanced that he almost says nothing at all. When he talks in generalities, I long for him to provide some facts to substantiate the conjectures. Usually a superb illustrator, in this book he has provided virtually none. On the plus side, he took on a challenging task, and worked hard to accomplish it.
I agree with him on many points that he makes.
Ralph Hermansen 9/7/06

Disappointment.......2006-07-02

The book was a REVIEW of what over many years research all other men have 'measured with their thoughts and efforts' over the origin of human kind..with the true link still missing.

Well written but general.......2005-11-18

This was a well written book, but at the same time I feel it didn't go deep enough or far enough into detail. It has good points and ideas all the way through and I would recommend this as a good read to anyone but particularly the casual reader or new comer to the world of anthropology.

High-brow but good ideas.......2004-10-30

First the good new:
Mr. Tattersall has some interesting ideas and keeps them concise.
The bad news:
His language is alittle high-brow for me. Be sure you have a dictionary handy.
I also would have liked a chapter on the different kinds of dating methods.
I would recommend reading Richard Leakey's ORIGINS RECONSIDERED if you want something more accessible.

Handbook of Evolution: The Evolution of Living Systems (Including Hominids)

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Handbook of Evolution: The Evolution of Living Systems (Including Hominids)
Franz M. Wuketits , and Francisco J. Ayala
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3527308385

Book Description

This two-volume handbook is unique in spanning the entire field of evolution, from the origins of life up to the formation of social structures and science and technology. The author team of world-renowned experts considers the subject from a variety of disciplines, with continuous cross-referencing so as to retain a logical internal structure. The uniformly structured contributions discuss not merely the general knowledge behind the evolution of life, but also the corresponding development of language, society, economies, morality and politics. The result is an overview of the history and methods used in the study of evolution, including controversial theories and discussions. A must for researchers in the natural sciences, sociology and philosophy, as well as for those interested in an interdisciplinary view of the status of evolution today.

At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity

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At home in the universe, A New Proposal...
Proposals to Unanswered Questions
Fascinating Science Applicable to Evolution and Business
A fascinating look at self-organization
Fantastic and enlightening

At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity
Stuart Kauffman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195095995

Amazon.com

The best treatment I have yet encountered about how order emerges naturally -- and possibly even necessarily -- out of chaos. Profoundly important, and considerably more informed than better-known pop-science treatments of chaos theory. Very highly recommended.

Book Description

A major scientific revolution has begun, a new paradigm that rivals Darwin's theory in importance. At its heart is the discovery of the order that lies deep within the most complex of systems, from the origin of life, to the workings of giant corporations, to the rise and fall of great civilizations. And more than anyone else, this revolution is the work of one man, Stuart Kauffman, a MacArthur Fellow and visionary pioneer of the new science of complexity. Now, in At Home in the Universe, Kauffman brilliantly weaves together the excitement of intellectual discovery and a fertile mix of insights to give the general reader a fascinating look at this new science--and at the forces for order that lie at the edge of chaos. We all know of instances of spontaneous order in nature--an oil droplet in water forms a sphere, snowflakes have a six-fold symmetry. What we are only now discovering, Kauffman says, is that the range of spontaneous order is enormously greater than we had supposed. Indeed, self-organization is a great undiscovered principle of nature. But how does this spontaneous order arise? Kauffman contends that complexity itself triggers self-organization, or what he calls "order for free," that if enough different molecules pass a certain threshold of complexity, they begin to self-organize into a new entity--a living cell. Kauffman uses the analogy of a thousand buttons on a rug--join two buttons randomly with thread, then another two, and so on. At first, you have isolated pairs; later, small clusters; but suddenly at around the 500th repetition, a remarkable transformation occurs--much like the phase transition when water abruptly turns to ice--and the buttons link up in one giant network. Likewise, life may have originated when the mix of different molecules in the primordial soup passed a certain level of complexity and self-organized into living entities (if so, then life is not a highly improbable chance event, but almost inevitable). Kauffman uses the basic insight of "order for free" to illuminate a staggering range of phenomena. We see how a single-celled embryo can grow to a highly complex organism with over two hundred different cell types. We learn how the science of complexity extends Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection: that self-organization, selection, and chance are the engines of the biosphere. And we gain insights into biotechnology, the stunning magic of the new frontier of genetic engineering--generating trillions of novel molecules to find new drugs, vaccines, enzymes, biosensors, and more. Indeed, Kauffman shows that ecosystems, economic systems, and even cultural systems may all evolve according to similar general laws, that tissues and terra cotta evolve in similar ways. And finally, there is a profoundly spiritual element to Kauffman's thought. If, as he argues, life were bound to arise, not as an incalculably improbable accident, but as an expected fulfillment of the natural order, then we truly are at home in the universe. Kauffman's earlier volume, The Origins of Order, written for specialists, received lavish praise. Stephen Jay Gould called it "a landmark and a classic." And Nobel Laureate Philip Anderson wrote that "there are few people in this world who ever ask the right questions of science, and they are the ones who affect its future most profoundly. Stuart Kauffman is one of these." In At Home in the Universe, this visionary thinker takes you along as he explores new insights into the nature of life.

Customer Reviews:

At home in the universe, A New Proposal..........2007-04-05

In this book, Stuart Koaffman opens new doors to us. Through the theory of the chaos, proportions fractals and their networks boulinas, give an interesting speculation us on the origin of the life, the complex systems and the societies. It is hour to be on the awares and to try to focus to us in new horizons. This book took to him of the hand by these new horizons. It is hour to know our house in the universe...

Proposals to Unanswered Questions.......2006-09-16

Stuart Kaufman's At Home in the Universe is a lay redaction his scientific hypotheses from his Origins of Order, a rich, fascinating, sophisticated, and complementary set of hypotheses added to Darwin's theories of evolution. For the moment, at least, they are the promising fruit of speculative or theoretical biological hypotheses (with physics, chemistry, geology, paleontology, mathematics, game theory, and economics thrown in), but they go a long way to filling in many of the gaps that strict Darwinists seem content to ignore. And some of his hypotheses, he readily admits, are heretical.

One of the obvious problems, if not primary one, that Kaufman sets to answer, Is how can natural selection work, culling the fittest to survive, without something to act on? In other words, natural selection operates on the already existent (i.e., regressive engineering), not in the formation of the entity itself. Another problem is that 4 billion years, long as that is, is still not sufficient time for natural selection to have acted through a totally random, step-by-step process in determining today's survivors. Even 100 billion years would not be enough. Another problem is how could so many species have come into existence and failed to survive (99.9%), leaving a mere 100 million for the present, in the span of a mere 4 billion years (mathematically impossible on Darwin's theories alone).

The central theme of Kaufman's work is Self-organized Criticality, a scientific twist on the notion of irreducible complexity (from the Discovery Institute's lexicon, no less), where a minimal degree of inherent complexity in a subcritical-supercritical phase transition is what spontaneously orders the animate world and generates and sustains life in accord with other, as yet, unknown, but implicit laws. From the moment that a sufficiently critical diversity of molecules reached the ideal phase transition, life itself was "spontaneously generated" as inevitable, not by accident. Once life appeared, the acts of natural selection, adaptation, coevolution, evolution of coevolution, cellular, morphological, and physiological differentiation, ontogeny, niches, populations, stable cum-chaotic dynamics, etc., could operate, but in addition to forces beyond natural selection. And while speculative, apparently many scientists share Kaufman's intuitions, inferences, and insights.

But the "other" force or forces is not mystical, much less divine, even if they may be truly awesome. Rather, it is in the nature of the universe, and more particularly in our evolving earth, that these implicit laws work in tandem with Darwin's laws. At this point, these laws are posited from the empirical knowledge we do have, but have not yet demonstrated in the scientific manner to make them even hypotheses. But Kaufman's speculative biology is not a whimsical or arbitrary metaphysics, but logical inferences based on laws and facts already in place. Having done the easy work (thinking the notions of what these other general laws of nature must be like), now science must work in earnest to confirm or reject his speculative hypotheses.

The key word and concept throughout this humorous, heady, and exacting exposition is "complexity" and within the manifold complexities of lives, environments, and mutually intersecting dynamics is a spontaneous order that arises "for free" that in turn sustains stable and steady systems just at the subcritical-supercrticial phase transition (e.g., horizon, or "edge of chaos"). Another key word and concept is "dynamic." Steady-state and homeostasis are often thought of as a static plateau, but that is mistaken, as such states are actually in a fluctuating dynamic at the phase transition between equilibrium (death) and disequilibrium (disorder). Indeed, on many different levels, living organisms are born, dwell, and die precisely at this phase transition between the subcritical (stasis, moribund) and supercritical (chaotic, disordered) states. And the key thesis is that order ("for free") is embedded in the delicate balancing act precisely at this phase transition.

Kaufman extrapolates some of these implicit biological laws and applies them to human cultural and technological advancement. The "fit" is remarkably uncanny, helping us to understand some of the dynamics of technological improvements (and diminishing returns), innovation, extinction, and spontaneity of the economy. Perhaps the most salient features are the concepts of "dynamic" and "spontaneous."

Moreover, if an analogy can be drawn from the biosphere and ecology to the social and political realms, the overwhelming preponderance of biological evidence screams complexity, diversity, and interdependence of organisms and their environments, which arise spontaneously and reciprocally to each other, in a constant dynamic that is vibrant, active, and always on the threshold of "chaos," but retains some stability through change. It is only those social and political forms that are "adaptive" that are socially and politically the "fittest," and democracy and market economies are obviously the most adaptive mechanisms to adapt to changing human needs.

Frederick Hayek addressed himself to these very issues over 50 years ago, and called the market economy and democracies "spontaneous" associations, in contradistinction to "planned" economies and governments. The former "adapt" to changing environments and circumstances, while the latter lack flexibility, and thus do not easily yield to adaptive mechanisms. "Planned" economies attempt to calculate rationally human desires, motivations, and needs in either an abstract or a priori fashion, then calculate the mode of production, the degree, and whether to accommodate, as if some "Absolute Human Mind" could anticipate all contingencies and changes by a simple mathematical formula. The problem is that bureaucrats are notoriously theory-laden and too calculating to include, much less advance, diversity (think Medicare Part D for "planned" absurdity). In practice, socialisms impede innovation and stifle ingenuity. With no means of adaptation, there is no "fittest," much less any mechanism to adapt to the actual dynamics of the world.

Communism's planned economy is an extreme case of an irrational calculus asserting what the government will allow, applying the lowest-common denominator as a criterion of sufficiency. We all know of the U.S.S.R.'s food lines, limited products, forced housing, inferior merchandise, and minimal labor investment. But even weaker forms of the rational calculus, such as socialism, does not do much better. At least their democracies allow policies to change, even if it becomes years for government to adapt to the new exigencies. Even the most socialized societies have "capitalist" outlets, to provide some barometer of social wants and meeting them. Social insurance makes sense on many fronts, but social or state "planning" of economics has rotted state and worker. Kaufman's biological analogies explain why.

Postscript: Kaufman's book is a provocative, challenging, and fascinating (sometime heady) read. Even if all of his hypotheses in the abstract are found to be untrue, at least he captures the reader's imagination, and asks the questions that most of us non-dogmatic Darwinians have raised for some time. In a time when the "easy" and "orthodox" are all too convenient for slipping under the rug, Kaufman's questions (and suggested answers) go the the very nexus of the difficulties. His suggested answers are at once perhaps too simple, on the other hand, perhaps too complex. What is refreshing, above all, is that he's not afraid to ask, and even less fearful of suggesting solutions. Thank gawd for the Sante Fe Institute, where brave and curious minds still ask questions.

Fascinating Science Applicable to Evolution and Business.......2006-05-17

Stuart brings the science of complexity and complex adaptive systems to a broad range of topics from evolution to business to learning curves. The book is masterly written to allow you to skim over the formulas without lossing the excitement or to dig into the technology to understand its broad application.

A fascinating look at self-organization.......2005-01-18

We see a great deal of order in living systems. Where does this order come from? Is it entirely from natural selection? The author says no. He explains that much of the order we see in the world is spontaneous, such as in the symmetry of snowflakes, and that much of the order needed for the origination of life and in living organisms is of this spontaneous nature.

Kauffman is making a non-trivial point here, as the extent to which spontaneous order is more important than selected order is not entirely obvious. While a snowflake is indeed an example of a system that is highly ordered as it gets synthesized, that's not true of, say, a solar system, in which short-lived bodies quickly depart the scene in favor of long-lived ones. It's clearly significant that disordered entities tend to be shorter-lived and unable to replicate.

The author then addresses theories of the origin of life. Could it have started with RNA? After all, replicating RNA could then produce the needed proteins. Kauffman says no. The amino acid chains one would need would be too long to replicate accurately enough (the "error catastrophe"). I tend to agree. Besides, RNA is awfully fragile (DNA is not fragile). And once one hypothesizes that RNA has a template to keep it safe, one's theory is that templates came first.

Of course, the "error catastrophe" is devastating if the minimum complexity of a living cell is rather large. Kauffman argues that this minimum complexity is indeed large, and that it is no accident that there are hundreds of genes in pleuromona, perhaps the simplest free-living (non-virus) organism.

Spontaneous order also refutes the argument of Hoyle and Wickramasinghe that life could not have arisen on Earth because the chance of creating the 2000 functioning enzymes would be too small: 1 in 10 to the 40,000. Well, given that life does exist here, the Hoyle argument is almost certainly wrong anyway (with a chance that small, the odds would be overwhelmingly small for life to arise anywhere, ever, so the chance that the argument is wrong must be huge, since a correct argument might then give a much higher probability for life to appear).

The author then asks how we get the large polymers we need. After all, life is basically autocatalysis (that's what I was taught in the 1960s, and that's what Kauffman says as well). How does this big autocatalytic set get into gear? The author makes an analogy to putting connectors between random pairs of entities. At first the length of a connected chain will be small. But once the number of connections is about half the number of entities, the longest chain quickly becomes almost as large as the number of entities. That raises the question of how all these entities can interact, but Kaufmann says that having reactions on a substrate, effectively reducing the region to two dimensions, helps. So does having less water around.

We then get to the question of homeostasis. That requires plenty of order. Is there a way to get that order "for free?" The author says there is, and here is where he makes his most dramatic point. He points out that a network with 100,000 entities (call them "light bulbs") with two states each, has 10 to the 30,000 possible states. One might expect such a network to cycle through the square root of the number of states, or 10 to the 15,000. But it actually tends to cycle through the square root of the number of binary variables, which is only the square root of 100,000 or about 317. That is a huge amount of "order for free!" And it argues strongly for life's origination to be unsurprising. As Kauffman puts it, this changes life on Earth from being "We, the improbable," to "We the expected."

There's plenty more in this fine book. The author discusses order in ontogeny. And he has a chapter on the relationship between the diversity of species in an ecosystem and the diversity of organic molecules added from outside. And there's also plenty of material on "fitness landscapes."

One question that arises in this book is statistical: how long does a species tend to last? That has implications for the question of how long humans will last. It may not be that long. But that doesn't bother me, as long as we're replaced with something better. After all, I'm for progress!

Fantastic and enlightening.......2004-03-21

This particular book is a fantastic revelation and study of the boundary between order and chaos as it applies to the evolution of life, culture, technology and anything else in the universe. Its goal is to seek a universal law regarding the emergence of order in what we've traditionally considered unordered or random sets of fundamental stuff. For example, one of the observations that it makes is that evolution as Darwin revealed it is by itself not a sufficient explanation (scientifically) for why and how creatures like us could be here at all. In other words, natural selection is not sufficient to accomplish what life has accomplished in this world of ours. It needed the help of a very important other "force"... the life force, I might call it, and to which I've alluded many times in many forms through my writings. It's that special something about the nature of the universe that brings about the cooperation of systems, the autocatalytic closure which makes "hanging together" and "existing" some sort of "goal" deeply encoded in the nature of it all. You might be able to see how I might identify these ideas very closely with that term "lifetoward". What goal-oriented force brought life to be and continues to make life strive for ever more order and complexity? This book answers I think very well with: it's not a force, per se, but rather a fundamental aspect of the basic nature of the universe. To quote the book, "We the expected." We as living beings belong here and are an integral part of an incredibly awe inspiring process of creation of meaning and order in a world aching to give birth to it. The book closes with a nice summary, which much like a message I had posted to the lifetoward@yahoogroups.com list some time ago, extols the development of a new and enlightened faith, based on a realization of the wonder of the way the universe deeply is and how we are in it.

Book Description

The brilliant European best-seller that presents a multi-disciplinary look at the way life is organized and where our evolution is taking us

In The Symbiotic Man, de Rosnay expresses his persuasively optimistic view of how humans will learn how to evolve in harmony with our ecosystem, much as the cells of our body must work together for our continued health. "The great challenge of the future will not be technical," he writes; "it will be human." The challenge is for us to learn how we fit into a planetary macro-organism that includes all humans, machines, organisms, networks and nations.

In this exhilarating search for the outlines of the future, as de Rosnay shows, we will be using such emerging and evolving new disciplines as biotics, molecular electronics, neobiology, and cognitive sciences.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful!.......2001-06-02

Joël De Rosnay's book is a gold mine of provocative ideas about the evolution of mankind, economics, politics and more. It pulls together information from organic chemistry, computer technology, chaos theory and a slew of unrelated fields to argue for a less egocentric approach to business and government. In the process, it redefines competitiveness and industry. This eloquent presentation is definitely not a light read. It is mind-boggling in scope but fractal in delivery - which means you can delve into virtually any section and get a feel for its message. Business wisdom is spotty here, but this is not a business book. Instead, it's more of a cross between Wired magazine and an intricately researched science fiction novel. It is not for the faint of heart (or brain), but we [...] recommend it, if you'd like to stimulate your mind, shake up your old beliefs, check the inventiveness of bold technological projections, or glimpse an exciting future.

Cybion and the future of the Society.......2000-12-21

With the metaphor of the Cybion, central concept of the Symbiotic Man, Joel de Rosnay has jumped a new step since the Macroscope. The first part of the book will delight a reader who likes imagination and vision. This part describes a lot of conceptual ideas and requires a serious attention when reading it. On the other hand, the second and third parts are more practical with many political, economic and social examples and graphics illustrating the ideas of the first part. One of the characteristic of the book is the possibility to open the book at any page and extract relevant information. This book would be particularly suited to be published on the Internet in order to navigate between main ideas and examples ! Before reading this book, I had a very imprecise idea of chaos, rigidity, fractal evolution, order, complexity. No I understand these notions when applied to organisations and society.

Can a Darwinian be a Christian?: The Relationship between Science and Religion

Average customer rating:

Good book overall, good background
Fair, Clear, and Funny
Ruse leaves room for a God of the gaps
This guy writes with Love
false conclusion

Can a Darwinian be a Christian?: The Relationship between Science and Religion
Michael Ruse
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Science & Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

Organic | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution (P.S.)
The Evolution-Creation Struggle
The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose?
Coming to Peace With Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology

ASIN: 0521631440

Amazon.com

You'll have to look hard to find a better explanation of the relationship between basic Christian tenets and the Darwinian theory of evolution than Can a Darwinian Be a Christian? by Michael Ruse. The author, a professor of philosophy and zoology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, writes with bracing candor ("Let me be open," he begins. "I think that evolution is a fact and that Darwinism rules triumphant.") and sophisticated sympathy to Christian doctrine ("if one's understanding of Darwinism does include a natural evolution of life from nonlife, there is no reason to think that this now makes Christian belief impossible."). Writing this book, he also clearly had a hell of a lot of fun (disarming skeptical Christian readers at the beginning, he asks, "Why should the devil have all the good tunes?"). Can a Darwinian Be a Christian? answers its title question with heady confidence--"Absolutely!"--but the book journeys towards that answer with circumspect integrity. Covering territory from the Scopes "Monkey Trial" to contemporary theories of social Darwinism to the question of extraterrestrial life, Ruse applies an impressive wealth of knowledge that encompasses many disciplines. Readers may or may not be swayed, but they can't help but be challenged and edified by this excellent book. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Can someone who accepts Darwin's theory of natural selection subscribe at the same time to the basic tenets of Christianity? Adopting a balanced perspective on the subject, Michael Ruse argues that, although it is at times difficult for a Darwinian to embrace Christian belief, it is not inconceivable. Ruse has produced an important contribution to a sometimes overheated debate for anyone interested in seeking an informed and judicious guide to these issues. Michael Ruse is professor of philosophy and zoology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many books on evolutionary biology. In addition, he has published several hundred articles and many book reviews. He is the editor of the Cambridge Series in the Philosophy of Biology and founding editor of the journal IBiology & Philosophy. Hb ISBN (2000): 0-521-63144-0

Customer Reviews:

Good book overall, good background.......2007-05-31

This was overall an okay book, I suppose. It was not anything deeply profound, but it was worth the read, for sure. What I most liked about this book was the fact that there is really no prior knowledge needed about the subject. For example, he basically explains everything that you have to know about the biological aspects of evolution, some central church dogma, etc, before delving into the actual heart of the issue. In addtion, I thought that the presentation style was extremely clear, which made it much more informative for the casual reader. The organization of the book was pretty amazing, I'd have to say. Ruse breaks down each individual topic into little sub-topics that all make a lot of sense and follow a logical progression.

On this other hand, the fact that it for the most part does not assume prior knowledge also meant that one may get really bored at certain portions. Especially (for me, at least) the parts which introduced scientific concepts related to evolution, I just wanted to get those topics over which. For the most part, the religion side of the arguments were well presented, I think, although he does jump right in and start using words like ontology and teleology, which definitely confused me because I'm not particularly well read in this particular area. But I mean, overall the presentation was really good.

As far as the content, you definitely get the sense at certain points in the book that it's not really an evolution vs. Christianity debate but rather science vs. religion, and I guess some parts in the book I just didn't feel were really that applicable to the subject at hand. But the arguments overall made a lot of sense to me and I think this was really informative on the whole.

I was also really impressed by how much outside information Ruse brought into his book. He definitely did a lot of historical and contemporary research, Huxley, Darwin, Gould, Wilson, were mentioned many many times throughout the book and it definitely provides us with a good context with which to evaluate the arguments Ruse presents. What I thought was kind of interesting is that throughout the book he makes it pretty clear that he distains Richard Dawkins' position on the whole issue(like...A LOT of distain), which makes sense, I guess, since Ruse is a big fan of intelligent design, basically the opposite of Dawkins' advocacy. Lastly, I just really appreciate Ruse's attempt to write this book in such a clear and distinct manner, it's really good to see that a believer in intelligent design can just come out and admit that he is indeed himself a Darwinian and believes in evolution right from page 1. That was pretty good.

Fair, Clear, and Funny.......2006-05-26

This is a very informative and helpful book, and a real delight to read. It is written in a charitable spirit and irenic tone with liberal doses of good humor. I happen to be both an ardent Darwinian and a devout Christian (Reformed with Roman Catholic leanings, and also very admiring of the Greek Orthodox tradition), and as such I wish to commend Ruse not only for writing so passionately yet soberly about Darwinism but also for engaging the Christian faith in such a thoughtful and respectful manner. In reading this book, I have come to realize how complicated some of the issues are. Yet his central argument-that one can affirm both Christian theism and Darwinian evolutionism-is not at all complicated. Among contemporary philosophers writing in this area, Ruse is much better informed about science and--surprisingly for one who is not himself a Christian--about the breadth and flexibility of the Christian tradition than, say, Alvin Plantinga is. Plantinga, the foremost Christian philosopher of religion in our time (and a friend and former coparishioner whom I greatly love and admire), has not taken the time to learn the science as Ruse has, nor the effort to seriously question the assumptions of literalist readings of Genesis. In this book Ruse gives Plantinga, if not exactly a butt-kicking, at least a spanking, and a well-deserved one at that. At the other end of the spectrum, blowhard atheists like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett come off looking rather shortsighted and, in some ways, rather stupid in Ruse's book, even though Ruse has the utmost respect for them. I particular like the way that Ruse unpacks and clarifies the issues of pain (the problem of evil), freedom, and determinism. For me it is especially the Augustinian doctrine of original sin that needs serious rethinking in light of evolution, but on this point Ruse's treatment is so brief as to be only suggestive. Overall, I doubt that Ruse's book will gain a hearing from atheistic Darwinians, and certainly not from young-earth creationists. Agnostics might be willing to broaden their horizons with Ruse as their guide, but the real audience--and those with the most to gain--will be Christians who consider the evidence for evolution overwhelming and its implications glorifying to God. If Darwin made it possible for many people to be intellectually fulfilled atheists, Ruse has brightened the prospects for a lot of us becoming (even more) intellectually fulfilled theists.

Ruse leaves room for a God of the gaps.......2005-12-12

A more appropriate title for this book might have been _Is It Logically Possible for a Darwinian to Be a Christian?_ (but from an aesthetic perspective this would have been awful). Ruse deals with his subject soberly and respectfully, not something that can be said for all who have undertaken this project. Still, I have an objection, and I'm not sure Ruse himself would disagree with it. It is Ruse's position that the fact of evolution is not something over which reasonable people can disagree -- no problem so far. He also says that there are certain metaphysical conclusions (like supernatural creation of the universe) about which we cannot be absolutely sure. Again, I agree. However, acceptance of Darwinism (or science generally) has certain epistemological requirements, one of which is the basic assumption that the world is a predictable place -- the whole endeavor of science would be a waste of time without such a starting point. An easy corollary of this premise is that the laws of nature are never broken -- there is no such thing as magic. Yet Ruse counsels that when others claim that we can't be sure God didn't create the universe we should leave open the possibility, even though this violates the premise from which we began. He is aware of this (he deals with it in the form of a response from Daniel Dennett), and says the Darwinian should show some humility and accept the possibility of such a proposition. I guess I can go this far if he means we should accept the logical possibility of divine creation, but this is pretty weak. After all, there are many propositions -- some patently ridiculous -- that are not ruled out logically. One must sacrifice epistemological consistency to get on board with this Rusean compromise, something not all of us are willing to do.

This guy writes with Love.......2005-11-22

I don't say this lightly. He comes from a real Friendly Quaker perspective on things, in the process strongly affirming Christ's presence and reality in all places, and looking to see the Light of Truth wherever he looks. As a biologist Ruse affirms evolution, but he also shows how one can understand how this impacts the walk with God, and who God is in light of this. He honestly grapples with the difficulties that evolution poses- and equally honestly points out that the difficulties are largely nothing new in theology or philosophy. The problem of suffering, for instance, remains a problem, no larger nor smaller with the presence of evolution. Ruse also approaches the myriad possible understandings of this controversy, both scientifically and religiously, with care and compassion, affirming the search for truth by others, even if it does not agree with his understanding of the truth.

I found this book most helpful as a parallel to my own spiritual journey. I felt like Ruse was walking alongside me, helping me to clarify my own thoughts as he clarified his. Evolution doesn't bring up new problems for theology, true. But it magnifies those problems. So if we can solve those problems through the theory of evolution, or begin to, we come a lot closer to understanding God.

false conclusion.......2005-06-09

The author arrives at the incorrect answer to the question he approaches. Darwinian evolution is impossible without death. Thus, to allow that some single-celled organism evolved into people (an absurd conclusion, but beside the point of this review) depends on the acceptance of millions of millions of deaths before humans showed up.
However, we know from the Bible that death was a direct result of humankind's rebellion against God. This is a basic tenet of Christian belief. As such, it would be impossible for death to lead to the existence of humans. Therefore, there is no way darwinian evolution and Christian belief can coexist.

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