 |
| |
| |
|
Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction
|
|
|
Average Rating:  out of 37 Reviews
|
Price: $21.95
|
|
Sale: $10.98
|
| |
|
Manufacturer: University of California Press
|
|
EAN (European Article Number): 9780520246508
|
|
Number of Items: 1
|
| |
|
|
|
Binding: Paperback
|
|
Author: Eugenie C. Scott
|
|
Publisher: University of California Press
|
|
Edition: 1
|
|
Dewey Decimal Number: 576.8
|
|
Publication Date: 2005-10-12
|
|
Reading Level: 298
|
|
|
| |
Description: Almost eighty years after the Scopes trial, the debate over the teaching of evolution continues to rage. There is no easy resolution--it is a complex topic with profound scientific, religious, educational, and legal implications. How can a student or parent understand this issue, which is such a vital part of education? Evolution vs. Creationism provides a badly needed, comprehensive, and balanced survey. Written by one of the leading advocates for the teaching of evolution in the United states, this accessible resource provides an introduction to the many facets of the current debate--the scientific evidence for evolution, the legal and educational basis for its teaching, and the various religious points of view--as well as a concise history of the evolution-creationism controversy.
Each of the four sections of Evolution vs. Creationism provides a resource that will assist the reader in better understanding these issues. The first section addresses the nature of how evolution works as part of the scientific enterprise, as well as a summary of the relationship between religious beliefs and science. A section on the history of the controversy provides a handy synopsis of the lengthy struggles, from before Darwin to the present day, between advocates of creationism and the proponents of evolution. A collection of primary source documents addressing cosmology, law, education, and religious issues from all sides of the debate constitute the third section. The book concludes with a selection of resources for further information for those who wish to study the topic in more depth.
|
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
Customer Reviews
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Review Summary: Very good summary and resource. |
Date: 2008-10-13 |
|
| |
Details: Scott's book is a good summary of everything in the so-called "debate", possibly the best that can be found in one 254-page book. There isn't much detailed evolutionary theory in there, but what I found valuable was the summary of the legal history of Creationism in the schools and the discussions of the methodology of science, especially the role of naturalism in the historical sciences. She tries to be fair in dealing with religion but is quite firm in stating that Evolution is science and Creationism is not.
The second half of the book is a selection of readings from both sides and its success is mixed. Partly that is due to the representatives of Intelligent Design refusing to let their writings be reprinted. As a result, Scott has to give a summary of them. What *does* get reprinted are some writings of the old-style Creationists, (with responses from real scientists) so some might argue that is in not a fair representation.
Interestingly, there are a couple of physics howlers that somehow got by the editors. On p. 13 she says "Newton's law of gravitation has to be modified ...under conditions of a vacuum." (Say what? It's the air that messes up clear observations of the effects of gravity! Newton's law is fine in a vacuum!) On p. 120 she seems to think that the monthly phases of the moon are due to the shadow of Earth falling on it. Now, those are silly statements, but here's the difference between Eugenie Scott and the Creationists: If she is shown evidence that those statements are wrong, she will change her mind.
|
| |
|
Review Summary: Comprehensive overview |
Date: 2008-01-02 |
|
|
| |
|
Details: This book is a solid overview of basic issues in the debate over evolution and creationism. The author shows that there are various positions to take on the issue, including intelligent design, creation science, theistic science, or atheistic science. Although striving for objectivity, the author clearly favors the theory of evolution over "creation science" (which may not be a "science" at all), as does this reviewer. For new students seeking to grasp some of the ideas, or teachers preparing to teach the subject itself, Evolution vs. Creationism makes for a fairly solid and comprehensive introduction. |
| |
|
Review Summary: A decent book if you are well read on the topic ... |
Date: 2007-09-24 |
|
| |
|
Details: I view this book more as a survey of the science literature rather than an approachable book on the subject for an average person. Personally, it was great for me but I feel that for someone new to the subject or with a non-technical background it would not be suitable. I would like to be positive about the book because to me it was pretty useful. Nonetheless, I would be dishonest if I didn't say it was a bit of a slog and ultimately unconvincing in that it often sidestepped many of the major burning questions in this debate (or was very weak). Ultimately, I felt that `if that is the best case that can be made for Darwinism then it might be in serious trouble'. Nonetheless, I haven't managed to find anything better to date in this type of book and so it's hard to complain. If I had to repurchase some of my existing library on Evolution I would certainly consider for pro-evolution: `The Blind Watchmaker' (Dawkins), and `Evolution' (Colin Patterson) and for pro-design: `Evolution a theory in Crisis' (Denton) and `The Edge of Evolution' (Behe). Nonetheless, I am not sure I would definitely repurchase this title (sorry). |
| |
|
Review Summary: The Most Complete Review of the Subject in Print |
Date: 2007-08-30 |
|
| |
Details: Eugenie C. Scott is probably one of the best spokespersons for the scientific community on the evolution-creation conflict. I won't call it a true controversy as that would imply that there was solid evidence on the creation science- intelligent design side, which (despite protestations to the contrary) there isn't. In reality the so-called "controversy" is an emotional and political argument, not an intellectual one. Still, Scott in her recent book "Evolution vs. Creation: An Introduction" presents the history of the arguments expressed by both sides in (I think) a very complete and reasonably fair, if not totally unbiased, manner (I doubt if creation science proponents would be as fair to evolutionary scientists). Despite its "Introduction" subtitle this is an astoundingly large collection of information.
As is pointed out by Scott, it is hard to be "fair" to some Creation-I.D. proponents as they consistently seem to misrepresent and misunderstand science. It is certainly true that scientists are human and subject to the frailties of our species, including arrogance, pride and often authoritarianism. It is also true that some accepted scientific ideas have been shown to be false. However, science as a method is unbiased, and is designed to be self-corrective, otherwise we would not have discarded such ideas as gemmules as genetic units or epicycles as planetary paths. The Piltdown hoax, a much used example of evolutionary science wrongheadedness, would not have been exposed if this were not true. In the ultimate science requires data- empirical evidence- that the ID proponents simply have not produced. On the science side there is a huge amount of evidence supporting evolutionary theory, and this is a solid foundation for most biological research. Although the descent of existing organisms from earlier organisms and the inter-relatedness of all life is in little doubt among biologists, no one can disprove (or prove) the existence of some sort of creator deity who may have started the process. Whatever we think about this has to be taken on faith. I have no quarrel with faith, but the creation-I.D. vs evolutionary science "controversy" is spurious science at best. Eugenie Scott has shown why this is true in this masterful volume.
In summary, Scott's book is a very well written and lucid description of the history of creation-I.D. ideas and why they are so prevalent at this point in time. I highly recommend it! |
| |
|
Review Summary: Deceitful propaganda |
Date: 2007-08-27 |
|
| |
|
Details: I purchased this book on the good reviews it had received and relying on the author's promise to provide an "accurate" historical perspective on the Evolution vs. Crationism debate. To my disappointment, upon reading the book, this promise proved to be only "deceitful propaganda". The author, Eugenie C. Scott is an ardent defensor of Darwinism, and was unable to keep her emotions about the subject out of the discussion, thus creating a dangerous mixture of fact and personal views. Also, she carefully left out some of the more responsible defensors of Creationism, such as Ariel A. Roth, whose book "Origins" is available from Amazon ".Origins, Linking Science and Scripture. If you're still searching for the broad, balanced perspective that Scott failed to deliver on the Evolution vs. Crationism debate, I'd recommend "The Evolution-Creation Struggle" by Michael Ruse, also available from Amazon. Ruse is also a strong proponent of Evolutionism, but he is capable of recognizing that while many Creationists misunderstand Science, today, many scientists have turned Evolutionism into a "secular religion". The Evolution-Creation Struggle |
| |
|
| |
Similar Products
|
|
|
| |
This Product is similar to and may be found in the Following Categories:
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
