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BOOKS AND
PUBLICATIONS
Evolution, Creationism and Intelligent Design
There are literally
millions of publicly accessible books, articles and sites on
evolution, and far more if you include academic and
scientific literature. The following is an incredibly
small sampling of recent readings on evolution, creationism
and Intelligent Design.
Evolution & Religion
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Martinez
Hewlett, Ted Peters.
Evolution from Creation to
New Creation
(2004).
Pending comment. |
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Paul Kurtz (Editor).
Science and Religion: Are they Compatible?
(2003).
Paul Kurtz is a well-known secular humanist, so it's little
surprise that his answer and that of many of his authors
is a resounding "no". Further comment
pending. |
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Kenneth Miller.
Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's
Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution
(2000).
This is an excellent discussion of the conflict
between evolution and creationism, and why it has become so
volatile. Mr. Miller makes a strong argument that
there is no necessary conflict between science and faith:
"The common view that religion must tiptoe around the
findings of evolutionary biology is simply and plainly
wrong" (p.289). He also provides a good summary of
arguments against Intelligent Design and related challenges
to evolutionary biology. |
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Michael
Ruse.
The Evolution-Creation Struggle (2005).
This is a somewhat academic but still engaging look at the
historical conflict between evolution and Christianity or,
rather, between evolutionism and creationism.
Ruse argues that the conflict is simply not necessary, and
that we can find a reasonable middle ground between faith
and science. While clearly Christian in his
perspectives, Ruse strives not for "weak-kneed compromise but a more informed
and self-aware approach to the issue" (p. 288). |
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Eugenie
Scott.
Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction (2005).
This is an excellent and highly readable overview of the
debate, including background and detail on various types of
creationism (and
there are many. There is also a good overview of some
of the arguments in favor of and rebutting
Intelligent Design. |
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Keith Thomson. Before Darwin: Reconciling God and
Nature (2005).
Pending comment. |
Evolution & Natural Selection
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Charles Darwin.
The Descent of Man
(1871).
Darwin publishes his second book on evolutionary theory,
explicitly addressing issues of human development and sexual
selection that he had avoided in
Origin. Sexual selection is important as a
counter to antievolutionary arguments that some traits
(e.g., beauty) could
not be explained by the process of natural selection. [+] |
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Charles Darwin.
On
the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the
Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life
(1859).
This is the book that started it all, but it's not for
everyone. This is a long and painstakingly
detailed study of biological development, evolutionary
processes, common ancestry, natural selection and more. Most currently available
modern editions of Origin (like the one shown here) are
based on the sixth edition, an 1872 version that includes
several dated arguments defending evolution against its
critics. Harvard
has released a version of the first edition (see below).
[+] |
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Charles Darwin.
On
the Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition
(1859).
This is a reprint of the
first edition of 1859, excluding arguments Darwin had
included in later editions to address contemporary critics.
Most of these arguments are no longer relevant. More
information is available from Harvard (here).
[+] |
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Richard Dawkins.
The Selfish Gene
(1976).
See also The Blind Watchmaker.
Pending comment.
[+]
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George Hunter.
A Civic Biology: Presented in
Problems
(1914).
Pending comment.
[+]
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Richard Morris.
The Evolutionists: The Struggle for Darwin's Soul
(2002). Title aside, this book says almost nothing
about religion and faith. The struggle discussed is
that between two types of evolutionary scientists:
gradualists and those advocating
punctuated
equilibrium.
Still, this is worth reading for those interested in the
evolution-creationism controversy because antievolutionists
will often (wrongly) site this type of internal scientific
argument as evidence of evolution's controversial nature.
In truth, none of the scientists involved dispute evolution
per se, just the speed and consistency of the
process. |
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Ian
Tattersall. The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We
Think We Know About Human Evolution
(1995).
Preeminent
anthropologist Dr. Ian Tattersall talks about the origins of
evolutionary theory and related fossil discoveries and
interpretations. |
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Stephen
Hall. Darwin's Rottweiler (Discover
Magazine, Sep 2005). An interesting discussion of
whether Richard Dawkin's vehement fight for evolutionism and against
creationism does the debate more harm than good. |
Creationism
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The Bible.
The biblical story of creation as depicted in
Genesis is the
basis of most conflict between Christianity and
evolutionary
science. This conflict includes not just natural and
human evolution, but evolution of the universe, earth and
everything else under heaven. Understanding Genesis,
and its relation to other Christian beliefs, is vital to
understanding the evolution-creation debate.
[+] |
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The
Scofield Reference Bible
(1909).
This innovative and wildly popular
Bible includes cross-references to literal biblical
timelines. The Bible introduces many
fundamentalists to
creationism and
Ussher's
calendar, which establishes the date of Creation on the
evening before October 23, 4004 BC.
[+] |
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Michael
Corey.
Back to Darwin: The Scientific Case for Deistic Evolution
(1994).
Pending comment.
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John Whitcomb, Henry Morris.
The Genesis Flood:
The
Biblical Record and its Scientific Implications
(1961).
This book by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris gives birth to
Young Earth Creationism by positing scientific bases for
pure biblical creationism. The book also revives the
17th Century concept of flood geology; the idea that modern
geological formations and rock strata were laid down by the
Noachian flood—expanding on the work of
McCready's
New
Geology.
[+] |
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National Academy of Sciences.
Science and
Creationism: A View of the National Academy of Sciences
(1999). A book reviewing evolutionary
science and creationism, and arguing that, "creationism
has no place in any science curriculum at any level." (Nov
29, 2005)
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James Ussher.
Annals of the World: James Ussher's Classic Survey of
World History
(1650 / 2003).
Bishop James Ussher publishes the Annals, using
biblical timelines to claim that the earth was created on
the evening before October 23, 4004 BC. Ussher's work
is often referenced by
Young Earth Creationists, who also
believe the earth is now roughly 6,000 years old.
[+] |
Intelligent Design
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Michael Behe.
Darwin's
Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution
(1996).
Professor Behe is one of the foremost advocates of
Intelligent
Design.
This book argues the concept of
irreducible
complexity, a supposition that many natural organisms
are far too complex to have resulted from
natural selection. Behe's other books and publications can be
found (here)
on the Access Research
Network website.
[+] |
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Michael Behe, Percival
Davis, William
Dembski, Dean Kenyon, Jonathan Wells.
The Design of Life
(200?).
An
PENDING update of Pandas and
People, the first
Intelligent
Design textbook
targeted at public schools. [+] |
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Percival
Davis, Dean Kenyon, Charles Thaxton:
Of Pandas and
People: The Central Question of Biological Origins
(1989).
This is a textbook of
Intelligent
Design targeted at public schools and published by the
Foundation for Thought and
Ethics. To address concerns raised in lawsuits
that the book was still based on a creationist conception of
origins despite the ID packaging, the name of the next
(third) edition has been changed to
The Design of Life.
[+] |
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Richard Dawkins.
Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of
Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design
(1996).
Often called Darwin's Rottweiler,
Dawkins is one of
the loudest voices arguing in favor of pure evolution and
against any involvement of God in creation. Like other
atheist naturalists before him, he is outspoken in his
opposition to creationism,
Intelligent
Design and any other
role for God in creation. This book is an explicit
rebuttal to the arguments in favor of Intelligent Design.
[+] |
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William
Dembski,
Stephen Meyer (Editor).
Science and Evidence for
Design in the Universe (2000).
Pending comment. |
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Michael
Denton. Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (1986).
Pending comment. |
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Barbara
Forrest, Paul Gross. Creationism's Trojan Horse:
The Wedge of Intelligent Design (2004).
Pending comment.
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Phillip Johnson. Darwin
on Trial (1991).
University of
California, Berkeley law professor Phillip Johnson
challenges evolutionary theory as a "creation myth" and
posits evidence of design in nature—establishing
himself as the father of the modern
Intelligent
Design movement and theory.
[+] |
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Alister
McGrath. Dawkin's God: Genes, Memes and the Meaning
of Life (2004).
Pending comment. |
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David Quammen. Was Darwin Wrong? (November
2004). Preeminent nature and travel writer
Quammen takes on the claims of Intelligent
Design. |
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Lee
Strobel. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist
Investigates Scientific Evidence that Points Toward God
(2004). While advocates of
Intelligent
Design claim that the "Designer" is not necessarily
God, Lee Strobel (among many others) uses some of the exact same
arguments -- with specific reference to
Behe and
Dembski -- to make his
case for Christianity. |
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Jonathan
Wells,
Jody Sjogren (Illustrator).
Icons of Evolution:
Science or Myth?
(2000). Comment pending.
[+] |
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Matt Young,
Taner Edis (Editors). Why Intelligent Design Fails:
A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism
(2004).
Pending comment.
[+] |
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