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The Evidence for Evolution
According to polling data, most Americans doubt that evolution is a real phenomenon. And it’s no wonder that so many are skeptical: many of today’s biology courses and textbooks dwell on the mechanisms of evolution—natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow—but say little about the evidence that evolution happens at all. How do we know that species change? Has there really been enough time for evolution to operate?
With The Evidence for Evolution, Alan R. Rogers provides an elegant, straightforward text that details the evidence for evolution. Rogers covers different levels of evolution, from within-species changes, which are much less challenging to see and believe, to much larger ones, say, from fish to amphibian, or from land mammal to whale. For each case, he supplies numerous lines of evidence to illustrate the changes, including fossils, DNA, and radioactive isotopes. His comprehensive treatment stresses recent advances in knowledge but also recounts the give and take between skeptical scientists who first asked “how can we be sure” and then marshaled scientific evidence to attain certainty. The Evidence for Evolution is a valuable addition to the literature on evolution and will be essential to introductory courses in the life sciences.
With The Evidence for Evolution, Alan R. Rogers provides an elegant, straightforward text that details the evidence for evolution. Rogers covers different levels of evolution, from within-species changes, which are much less challenging to see and believe, to much larger ones, say, from fish to amphibian, or from land mammal to whale. For each case, he supplies numerous lines of evidence to illustrate the changes, including fossils, DNA, and radioactive isotopes. His comprehensive treatment stresses recent advances in knowledge but also recounts the give and take between skeptical scientists who first asked “how can we be sure” and then marshaled scientific evidence to attain certainty. The Evidence for Evolution is a valuable addition to the literature on evolution and will be essential to introductory courses in the life sciences.
- GenresScienceNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 16, 2012
I've read several books and articles about evolution, and I generally find myself a bit annoyed that the authors go out of their way to say why Creationism "doesn't make sense," without even defining which sort of Creationism they are criticizing. Thankfully, Alan Rogers doesn't fall into that trap. Rather that spending his time criticizing those who disagree with him, his book is written in an informative format meant to simply lay out the evidence and describe why biologists today agree that natural selection and evolution are the processes by which humanity (and the rest of life on Earth) came to its present state. Rogers does devote some space to debunking popular Creationist arguments, but he is able to do so without being mean-spirited and while I have no doubt that he does not believe in God, he seems to hold no animosity toward those who do.
Although it's published by the Chicago University Press, the book isn't written in a particularly elevated or hard-to-understand tone. I don't have a really strong background in biology, but I was able to understand it without difficulty. There's also quite a nice list of sources in the back as well as an index.
Although it's published by the Chicago University Press, the book isn't written in a particularly elevated or hard-to-understand tone. I don't have a really strong background in biology, but I was able to understand it without difficulty. There's also quite a nice list of sources in the back as well as an index.
October 19, 2012
[Full disclosure: I'm a friend of the author and his family.]
[Full disclosure: Copied from my Amazon review.]
This book is an excellent addition to the argument that has been running for over 150 years: is Darwinian evolution the best way to explain the origins of the human species and diversity of life we see on Earth today?
Rogers engages with the most important questions people might have about evolution, and showcases the wealth of evidence that has collected over the centuries in support of evolution. He traces the most common criticisms of evolution back to the 1860s, and as he does so, he shows how little evidence supported evolution at the time, and how much has been collected since.
Throughout the book, he is very polite and respectful towards people of faith, and surprisingly patient as he engages the doubts that people might have. Though the author leaves little room for doubt about the veracity of evolution, he never insults believers or their faith, belying the claim (on both sides) that faith and science cannot coexist.
The book is brief, but packed with good information, clear writing, and strong reasoning. It's exactly as long as it needs to be without getting bogged down. I suspect that readers who aren't already familiar with some scientific concepts will have trouble in places, but any intelligent layperson should get something useful out of it. I do think a "For Dummies" version of the book could usefully serve a wider audience, but The Evidence for Evolution is an excellent read, and belongs on your shelf.
[Full disclosure: Copied from my Amazon review.]
This book is an excellent addition to the argument that has been running for over 150 years: is Darwinian evolution the best way to explain the origins of the human species and diversity of life we see on Earth today?
Rogers engages with the most important questions people might have about evolution, and showcases the wealth of evidence that has collected over the centuries in support of evolution. He traces the most common criticisms of evolution back to the 1860s, and as he does so, he shows how little evidence supported evolution at the time, and how much has been collected since.
Throughout the book, he is very polite and respectful towards people of faith, and surprisingly patient as he engages the doubts that people might have. Though the author leaves little room for doubt about the veracity of evolution, he never insults believers or their faith, belying the claim (on both sides) that faith and science cannot coexist.
The book is brief, but packed with good information, clear writing, and strong reasoning. It's exactly as long as it needs to be without getting bogged down. I suspect that readers who aren't already familiar with some scientific concepts will have trouble in places, but any intelligent layperson should get something useful out of it. I do think a "For Dummies" version of the book could usefully serve a wider audience, but The Evidence for Evolution is an excellent read, and belongs on your shelf.
January 10, 2015
Written by a professor of Anthropology and Biology, this book attempts to address the specific issues over which critics have challenged the theory of evolution. Rogers lays out in straightforward fashion the evidence he believes answers the questions that have been raised, including those regarding creation of new species, evolution of complex organs, and others. Seemingly objective and fact-based, while thoughtful.
ADDENDUM: I returned to this book after reading Darwin on Trial, and was even more impressed with it the second time than the first. What had struck me initially as dry now seems a direct and concise response to the specific questions that have been raised re: evolutionary theory. Rogers methodically, convincingly, and without resorting to emotional rants, strikes down the arguments put forward by Johnson and others who try to make a case against the fact of evolution. Anyone who has wondered whether maybe the anti-evolutionists have made valid points should read this book and get back on solid factual ground.
ADDENDUM: I returned to this book after reading Darwin on Trial, and was even more impressed with it the second time than the first. What had struck me initially as dry now seems a direct and concise response to the specific questions that have been raised re: evolutionary theory. Rogers methodically, convincingly, and without resorting to emotional rants, strikes down the arguments put forward by Johnson and others who try to make a case against the fact of evolution. Anyone who has wondered whether maybe the anti-evolutionists have made valid points should read this book and get back on solid factual ground.
November 19, 2012
This is one of the most readable books demonstrating the most up-to-date evidence for evolution. Rogers wrote this book because he found that almost half of his classes did not believe that evolution was sufficiently supported by scientists or evidence for evolution. This book should be convincing to even the most dubious that evolution is a fact and that it is crucial to understanding biology, medicine, epidemiology and many other biology-based studies. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2026
THE EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION by Alan R. Rogers
Almost every culture has pondered the question of origins. Where and when did this earth begin, and all the life on it, especially humans - usually only MY people, not yours. Before science almost every culture had stories we now call myths that explained all this in a culturally appropriate way. Nonetheless, there were often kernels of ideas found in many of the myths that had some scientific validity.
The acceptance of Christianity in Europe obliged the populace to believe in the Genesis origin myths (yes, there are two myths in Genesis) of Adam, Eve, the serpent and all. The Judeo-Christian tradition draws a solid line between humans (the only species of interest to this religious tradition) and everything else - the “animals” and plants and a few other minor groups.
Calculation of the time the earth was formed, using genealogical calculations from the Bible produced a zero creation date of 4004 BC, hardly enough time to create the geological formations that were coming under scrutiny in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. And fossils were appearing with greater frequency - all of life forms only generally familiar to 18th and 19th century folks. And then the dinosaurs - wow!!! And the fossils that looked like humans, sort of, and sort of like apes. What to do with them?
Evolution as a theory was floating around in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Charles Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, wrote a poem in 1798 promoting the idea of evolution. But evolution had no mechanism controlling the process except random changes, probably caused by God. Then Darwin himself realized a major process driving evolution - natural selection, then later, sexual selection, a similar process, but depending on the requirement for finding a mate in the case of sexual reproduction.
Then there was the catalogue of species made by Carolus Linnaeus in the late 18th century showing that most species of plants and animals could be grouped into families of sorts, such as humans and apes and monkeys.
Despite an increasing volume of evidence supporting evolution, the acceptance has been slow, in part because of individuals clinging to religious beliefs, in part because of pride (so many have essentially told me so - “I am NOT related to animals and surely NOT descended from monkeys!!!”).
It is for these skeptics and for eager young learners that my colleague Alan Rogers wrote this valuable book. It is written in as simple language as possible and includes not only the ideas but examples as well. I especially like his discussion of evolution of the eye, a complex organ that doubters claim could only be designed by a deity, from skin cells that are sensitive to light to the complex organ we have in our skulls.
He also shows that evolution can only work with what it has, not necessarily ending in an ideal solution - as with the Rube Goldberg design of the human male reproductive system, one designed for a quadrupedal animal that had the misfortune to have to stand on two legs, thus screwing up the design.
In short, a good, readable book to begin one’s education into the idea AND evidence for the process that created all naturally existing life on earth - and probably on other planets, too. Given his clear writing, it is now hard to justify resistance to the idea of evolution.
B: 17 Oct 2026
F: 19 Oct 2026
Almost every culture has pondered the question of origins. Where and when did this earth begin, and all the life on it, especially humans - usually only MY people, not yours. Before science almost every culture had stories we now call myths that explained all this in a culturally appropriate way. Nonetheless, there were often kernels of ideas found in many of the myths that had some scientific validity.
The acceptance of Christianity in Europe obliged the populace to believe in the Genesis origin myths (yes, there are two myths in Genesis) of Adam, Eve, the serpent and all. The Judeo-Christian tradition draws a solid line between humans (the only species of interest to this religious tradition) and everything else - the “animals” and plants and a few other minor groups.
Calculation of the time the earth was formed, using genealogical calculations from the Bible produced a zero creation date of 4004 BC, hardly enough time to create the geological formations that were coming under scrutiny in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. And fossils were appearing with greater frequency - all of life forms only generally familiar to 18th and 19th century folks. And then the dinosaurs - wow!!! And the fossils that looked like humans, sort of, and sort of like apes. What to do with them?
Evolution as a theory was floating around in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Charles Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, wrote a poem in 1798 promoting the idea of evolution. But evolution had no mechanism controlling the process except random changes, probably caused by God. Then Darwin himself realized a major process driving evolution - natural selection, then later, sexual selection, a similar process, but depending on the requirement for finding a mate in the case of sexual reproduction.
Then there was the catalogue of species made by Carolus Linnaeus in the late 18th century showing that most species of plants and animals could be grouped into families of sorts, such as humans and apes and monkeys.
Despite an increasing volume of evidence supporting evolution, the acceptance has been slow, in part because of individuals clinging to religious beliefs, in part because of pride (so many have essentially told me so - “I am NOT related to animals and surely NOT descended from monkeys!!!”).
It is for these skeptics and for eager young learners that my colleague Alan Rogers wrote this valuable book. It is written in as simple language as possible and includes not only the ideas but examples as well. I especially like his discussion of evolution of the eye, a complex organ that doubters claim could only be designed by a deity, from skin cells that are sensitive to light to the complex organ we have in our skulls.
He also shows that evolution can only work with what it has, not necessarily ending in an ideal solution - as with the Rube Goldberg design of the human male reproductive system, one designed for a quadrupedal animal that had the misfortune to have to stand on two legs, thus screwing up the design.
In short, a good, readable book to begin one’s education into the idea AND evidence for the process that created all naturally existing life on earth - and probably on other planets, too. Given his clear writing, it is now hard to justify resistance to the idea of evolution.
B: 17 Oct 2026
F: 19 Oct 2026
September 20, 2024
This is a rather brief book – just over 100 pages – but the book packs quite a punch. The book is rather technical, and I found portions of it to be tough material to master. However, the evidence presented in favor of biological evolution, I honestly believe, will be rather compelling to any truly open-minded reader. How many of us, though, are blessed with open-minded thinking and analysis? Preconceived convictions can blind even an intelligent reader and observer.
I believe that Dr. Rogers does an excellent job of presenting the principal objections to evolution and then shows how evolution theory can answer every objection with rather persuasive support of evolution. Those whose minds are closed against evolution will very likely refuse to even read this book. That is the nature of the closed mind.
I give this book high marks. Numerous people who oppose evolution would do well to read a book like this in a spirit of objectivity and honesty.
I believe that Dr. Rogers does an excellent job of presenting the principal objections to evolution and then shows how evolution theory can answer every objection with rather persuasive support of evolution. Those whose minds are closed against evolution will very likely refuse to even read this book. That is the nature of the closed mind.
I give this book high marks. Numerous people who oppose evolution would do well to read a book like this in a spirit of objectivity and honesty.
September 26, 2025
This book was presented in a very straightforward and direct way that I really enjoyed! I loved reading it while taking AP Bio because I understood so many concepts😛thank you Charles Darwin thank you Amelia!! <3
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews