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The Mythology of Evolution
What is the nature of life? Scientists turn to natural selection, genes or adaptation to explain the living world, but the imagery of evolution threatens to distort our understanding of the incredible history of our planet. There is no science without mythology, and the only way to reveal the facts is to understand the fictions.
The Mythology of Evolution exposes seven 'spins' given to evolutionary theory, each resting upon an ideological interpretation of an otherwise neutral idea. There are myths of progress and destiny, such as the ‘ladder of progress’ and ‘only the strong survive’. There are stories magnifying the significance of genes such as ‘the selfish gene’ or ‘kin selection’. There are more grandiose myths such as ‘survival of the fittest’ and the infamous ‘intelligent design’. All relate to a final myth – that of ‘science as truth’.
By liberating evolution from these misrepresentative stories, we can find a more nuanced vision of life that shows how advantages persist, trust is beneficial, and the diversity of species emerges from a refinement of possibilities made possible by a chain of inheritance that stretches back to the beginnings of life itself.
The Mythology of Evolution exposes seven 'spins' given to evolutionary theory, each resting upon an ideological interpretation of an otherwise neutral idea. There are myths of progress and destiny, such as the ‘ladder of progress’ and ‘only the strong survive’. There are stories magnifying the significance of genes such as ‘the selfish gene’ or ‘kin selection’. There are more grandiose myths such as ‘survival of the fittest’ and the infamous ‘intelligent design’. All relate to a final myth – that of ‘science as truth’.
By liberating evolution from these misrepresentative stories, we can find a more nuanced vision of life that shows how advantages persist, trust is beneficial, and the diversity of species emerges from a refinement of possibilities made possible by a chain of inheritance that stretches back to the beginnings of life itself.
278 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 28, 2018
كتاب جميل يدرس التطور من ناحية فلسفية و يتطرق لعلاقة الدين بالعلم و مواضيع اخرى، على العموم لم استوعب الكثير مما ذكر بما انها اول تجربة لي في هذا الموضوع و باللغة الانجليزية
March 10, 2013
I think the most devastating critiques of Darwinism come not from science, but from philosophy.
Science has done well, for sure. No one has ever offered a critique of David Abel's "The First Gene," or a substantive and thorough critique of Meyers's "Signature in the Cell," or even a non-evasive refutation of Douglas Axe's important basic science critiques of evolution's capabilities.
The Darwinians will always be able to say, "Well, it's possible that..." This line of argument relies on the immensity of time to do what seems impossible otherwise. It neglects Abel's Universal Plausibility Principle, a fundamental metric against which any hypothesis can be measured to determine if it is, in fact, plausible as a scientific explanation.
All that aside, Bateman has written an important book that sorts out what Darwinism actually demonstrates vs. what Darwinism has been popularly purported to explain. Thus, the title. Bateman is not claiming that evolution is a myth. He is pointing out how evolution operates as a mythology, far exceeding what the science actually demonstrates and regularly granted powers that have no scientific basis at all.
Bateman will certainly draw the ire and venom of that predictable band of rabid Darwin fundamentalists who reflexively attack any questioning of the sanctity of Darwinian explanations of, well, everything. But that is exactly Bateman's point: the actual science upon which the theory of evolution is based demonstrates various sets of facts within relatively limited domains. In other words, evolution is the concept that makes sense of the observed small-scale transition of various organisms (at the genotypic and/or phenotypic level) in response to various pressures.
However, that same concept gives rise to a whole set of metaphors that are treated as though they are scientific facts, or at least supported by some body of scientific literature: natural selection, survival of the fittest, adaptation, selfish genes and others. Bateman dedicates many pages to each of these and other mythic uses of evolution.
Bateman has at least two objectives: the first, to strip genes of the mythology they have come to embody due to the enthusiastic myth-making narrative that far exceeds science. Industrialized medicine trumpeted the power of the gene to shape health and disease, because gene-based interventions held the promise of enormous profits. Alas, as the Human Genome Project has revealed, linking genes to diseases is an exceedingly tenuous business at best.
A second objective is to propose a set of more effective metaphors to guide both social narratives and scientific investigations. He makes a strong case for cooperation, mutualism and symbiosis. These, he illustrates, are much more accurate metaphors for what is actually happening to shape both individuals and populations. If these metaphors were embraced, it would open up whole new directions in the study of health, psychology, ecology and other fields.
Why metaphors at all? Why not stick with the facts? Because metaphor is inextricably linked to language. To use the most salient example, "survival of the fittest" is not a scientific statement about how things happen. It is meant to capture the essence of competition that is said to guide evolutionary change. The science of evolution, working within that framework, tries to mathematically quantify concepts like "fitness," assuming that making it mathematical will strip it of it's inherently ambiguous metaphorical meaning.
Adopting a different set of metaphors opens doors. That is Bateman's ultimate aim.
My frustration with the book is that he addresses the metaphor of intelligent design as well, but he seems unread in that area other than writings by Hume and others who offer critiques of design on philosophical grounds. Even worse, he limits his critique of that movement to
To limit the ID position in this way is to simply leave unaddressed the work of the very large majority of scientists working in areas that support design as an empirical and testable hypothesis. These scientists, in their various fields, make no reference to creation or Creationism whatsoever. Their work simply brings into question what is possible for a purely naturalistic set of mechanisms to accomplish with respect to life and living systems.
This is not to say that intelligent design does not also operate as a metaphor. Of course it does. But Bateman is clearly a very intelligent writer and he deals with all other topics in the book with appropriate depth and attention to detail. In this regard, I hope he reads more thoroughly into the writings of non-Creationist (and even non-ID) scientists such as Donald Johnson, David Abel and Douglas Axe, or the more philosophical treatment of this topic by David Berlinski.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the metaphorical nature of science generally, and evolution in particular. In the end Bateman brings a great deal of clarity around what the science of evolution actually shows, and how the mythology and metaphor of evolution takes it from there and goes far, far beyond the facts.
Science has done well, for sure. No one has ever offered a critique of David Abel's "The First Gene," or a substantive and thorough critique of Meyers's "Signature in the Cell," or even a non-evasive refutation of Douglas Axe's important basic science critiques of evolution's capabilities.
The Darwinians will always be able to say, "Well, it's possible that..." This line of argument relies on the immensity of time to do what seems impossible otherwise. It neglects Abel's Universal Plausibility Principle, a fundamental metric against which any hypothesis can be measured to determine if it is, in fact, plausible as a scientific explanation.
All that aside, Bateman has written an important book that sorts out what Darwinism actually demonstrates vs. what Darwinism has been popularly purported to explain. Thus, the title. Bateman is not claiming that evolution is a myth. He is pointing out how evolution operates as a mythology, far exceeding what the science actually demonstrates and regularly granted powers that have no scientific basis at all.
Bateman will certainly draw the ire and venom of that predictable band of rabid Darwin fundamentalists who reflexively attack any questioning of the sanctity of Darwinian explanations of, well, everything. But that is exactly Bateman's point: the actual science upon which the theory of evolution is based demonstrates various sets of facts within relatively limited domains. In other words, evolution is the concept that makes sense of the observed small-scale transition of various organisms (at the genotypic and/or phenotypic level) in response to various pressures.
However, that same concept gives rise to a whole set of metaphors that are treated as though they are scientific facts, or at least supported by some body of scientific literature: natural selection, survival of the fittest, adaptation, selfish genes and others. Bateman dedicates many pages to each of these and other mythic uses of evolution.
There is a long standing adage often associated with Darwin's theory that states that 'only the strong survive'. This is a rather odd claim, however, since it is abundantly clear that the natural history of our planet does not tell the tale of the more powerful creatures outlasting their weaker competitors ... The idea that strength is the most prevalent survival trait is not even remotely based upon scientific observations, and draws primarily from people's political and economic beliefs about competition.
Bateman has at least two objectives: the first, to strip genes of the mythology they have come to embody due to the enthusiastic myth-making narrative that far exceeds science. Industrialized medicine trumpeted the power of the gene to shape health and disease, because gene-based interventions held the promise of enormous profits. Alas, as the Human Genome Project has revealed, linking genes to diseases is an exceedingly tenuous business at best.
A second objective is to propose a set of more effective metaphors to guide both social narratives and scientific investigations. He makes a strong case for cooperation, mutualism and symbiosis. These, he illustrates, are much more accurate metaphors for what is actually happening to shape both individuals and populations. If these metaphors were embraced, it would open up whole new directions in the study of health, psychology, ecology and other fields.
Why metaphors at all? Why not stick with the facts? Because metaphor is inextricably linked to language. To use the most salient example, "survival of the fittest" is not a scientific statement about how things happen. It is meant to capture the essence of competition that is said to guide evolutionary change. The science of evolution, working within that framework, tries to mathematically quantify concepts like "fitness," assuming that making it mathematical will strip it of it's inherently ambiguous metaphorical meaning.
Adopting a different set of metaphors opens doors. That is Bateman's ultimate aim.
My frustration with the book is that he addresses the metaphor of intelligent design as well, but he seems unread in that area other than writings by Hume and others who offer critiques of design on philosophical grounds. Even worse, he limits his critique of that movement to
those people whose party line is that evolution is false and creationism is true, or who mount the same argument in softer lines - perhaps suggesting that evolution is one theory, and creationism is an alternative theory. (140-141)
To limit the ID position in this way is to simply leave unaddressed the work of the very large majority of scientists working in areas that support design as an empirical and testable hypothesis. These scientists, in their various fields, make no reference to creation or Creationism whatsoever. Their work simply brings into question what is possible for a purely naturalistic set of mechanisms to accomplish with respect to life and living systems.
This is not to say that intelligent design does not also operate as a metaphor. Of course it does. But Bateman is clearly a very intelligent writer and he deals with all other topics in the book with appropriate depth and attention to detail. In this regard, I hope he reads more thoroughly into the writings of non-Creationist (and even non-ID) scientists such as Donald Johnson, David Abel and Douglas Axe, or the more philosophical treatment of this topic by David Berlinski.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the metaphorical nature of science generally, and evolution in particular. In the end Bateman brings a great deal of clarity around what the science of evolution actually shows, and how the mythology and metaphor of evolution takes it from there and goes far, far beyond the facts.
March 10, 2020
One of the BEST books about "Evolution" and "Intelligent Design", treating both as a way of "telling", "explaining" the world.
Great insights about the "new atheism" battle against the "theist" ID.
I can summarize this book with one phrase: ´Evolution is “the creation myth of our age” ´ .
Always remembering that "myth" is not a "story" or a "history", but a NARRATIVE that tries to explain something.
Really enjoyed!
Great insights about the "new atheism" battle against the "theist" ID.
I can summarize this book with one phrase: ´Evolution is “the creation myth of our age” ´ .
Always remembering that "myth" is not a "story" or a "history", but a NARRATIVE that tries to explain something.
Really enjoyed!
July 10, 2012
full review article: http://www.eveningoflight.nl/subspeci...
[...]
Summing up, there are many reasons why The Mythology of Evolution is a commendable book. It is an accessible read, but with a firm basis in science and philosophy, and a vision of current and future intellectual struggles that seems fair and hopeful. I believe the book will be most appealing to those people (religious or not) who already value freedom and peace above the authority to proclaim truth. I hope that these people are more numerous than at first appears.
[...]
Summing up, there are many reasons why The Mythology of Evolution is a commendable book. It is an accessible read, but with a firm basis in science and philosophy, and a vision of current and future intellectual struggles that seems fair and hopeful. I believe the book will be most appealing to those people (religious or not) who already value freedom and peace above the authority to proclaim truth. I hope that these people are more numerous than at first appears.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews