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Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism
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Average Rating:  out of 30 Reviews
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Price: $22.00
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Sale: $15.70
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Manufacturer: The MIT Press
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780262610377
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Philip Kitcher
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Publisher: The MIT Press
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Dewey Decimal Number: 575.01
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Publication Date: 1983-06-23
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Reading Level: 213
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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.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: A Classic but Outdated work still worth Reading |
Date: 2008-12-10 |
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Details: Philip Kitcher's "Abusing Science" is one of the classic works in the evolution/creationism debate. Now outdated, having been first published in 1982, it remains a fundamental source in debunking the arguments of creationists. It is not a history of the debate, although elements of historical analysis are present; it is not a balanced discussion of the debate in which both sides are evenly represented, although he sometimes offers the creationist perspective; it is not a primer for debate, although it may profitably be read for that purpose.
"Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism" is essentially an overview of the major elements of the controversy and a well-researched, ably-organized, and effectively argued polemic that will be helpful to those accepting the concept of evolution, even as it points up the myriad weaknesses of the concept of creationism. There is nothing in this book, because of its publication more than 25-years ago there is nothing on the latest iteration of the creationist onslaught, "intelligent design." Neither it, nor the efforts of William A. Dembski, Michael J. Behe, and Philip E. Johnson are even mentioned.
Notwithstanding its datedness in the on-going war over scientific knowledge, and whether it will be accepted or trashed by the creationists, "Abusing Science" continues to make a contribution as a useful brief introduction to the origins and arguments of creationism and the scientific responses to those religious (but certainly not scientific) ideas. |
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Review Summary: a 1 for the first half, a 5 for the second half |
Date: 2008-07-26 |
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Details: In Chapter 1, the author delves into a discussion on genes and chromosomes which is too technical for me. Besides, there is nothing in that chapter which a Creationist wouldn't stipulate.
In Chapters 2 and 3, the author philosophizes. Those chapters did not seem helpful because most Creationists are unable to understand anything but short and concrete answers.
In Chapter 4, though, the book really starts getting good. Here, he discusses the usual nonsense over thermodynamics, mutations, transitional fossils, and anamolous footprints. Chapter 5 discusses flood geology, Creationist kinds, and macro- micro-evolution foolishness. Chapter 6 discusses evolution in the school, Creationist degrees real and bogus, and out-of-context quotes. Here is something which one can use against Creationists.
I didn't like the last chapter so well. The author and his wife, who co-authored this chapter, tell us that there is no proof that the Bible is not necessarily right and that Evolution is not amoral. I alrady knew that the Bible is not necessarily right, and they could have said more about animal instincts. |
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Review Summary: Good incites on Evolution and Creationism |
Date: 2008-03-10 |
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Details: In this book Kitcher does a good job of not only showing the bad side of Scientific Creationism, but the good side of Evolution as well. It had a brief introduction to Evolution that was informative but basic to what you would learn in the first few weeks of a college level biology class. All around a good read. |
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Review Summary: Who is abusing science? |
Date: 2008-02-19 |
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Details: This guy is out of touch. Hadrosaur bones were found on the Colville River north of Umiat on the North Slope of Alaska. The hadrosaur bones were collected in 1961 by R. L. Liscomb when he was working for Shell Oil Company. Research around the Colville River led to the bones being sent to the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, where they were identified as hadrosaurian by C. Repenning. Buddy Davis also obtained similar bones. And they were all unfossilized. The blood was still extant. Now, unfossilized dinosaur bones are becoming abundant and yet there are no media reports about these finds. Why? To preserve the myth of evolution? Who is being unscientific here. Why can't evolutionists like Kitcher wake up and smell the coffee? How can they live with a lie? Why can't they accept the truth? The artistic depictions of dinosaurs in every culture, showing them coexisting with humans, is abundant. Yet, they persist in their unbelief.
And about this carbon dating. Let's look at it scientifically. Carbon-14 results when radiation from the sun makes contact with Nitrogen-14 atoms in the earth's outer atmosphere. The earth's atmosphere is not yet filled with C14. Therefore, the amount of C14 being produced is more than the amount that is decaying back to N14. Scientifically, a state of equilibrium would be reached in as little as 30,000 years. For this obvious reason, it appears that the earth's atmosphere is less than 30,000 years old. The available evidence, the only evidence we have, shows that it is less than 10,000 years old. However, there is questionable evidence that would estimate the atmosphere's age at 50,000 years or even 100,000. Nevertheless, all of the evidence poses a serious problem for evolution based scenarios since they posit millions of years for dinosaur habitat, namely, 65 million years. Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Review Summary: see Kitcher's new book |
Date: 2007-08-27 |
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Details: 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 |
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