The Triumph of Evolution...And the Failure of Creationism

by Niles Eldredge

Is evolution a religious belief? Is Genesis a scientific report? These are two of the tacks taken by "scientific creationists" to reach their goal of stopping the teaching of evolution in public schools, a goal paleontologist Niles Eldredge claims is purely political. In The Triumph of Evolution and the Failure of Creationism, Eldredge exposes the deep flaws in creationists' arguments and calls for those who love and respect the scientific process of gathering knowledge to engage their opponents in the culture war wholeheartedly. This brief but powerful book by one of our leading evolutionary theorists is careful not to dehumanize the intellectual and political adherents of "intelligent design theory." It focuses on the importance of teaching all children in our society how science and technology work. To do this, he tells us that we must not muddy the waters by agreeing that science and religion have overlapping domains. Skillfully explaining the theory and the most popular arguments against it, Eldredge arms the reader for battle with creationists. Three appendices offer information on recent court decisions and means to get involved in the continuing struggle for proper science education. It's time to take the creationists seriously, and The Triumph of Evolution and the Failure of Creationism is a great place to start. --Rob Lightner

Genres: Science, Evolution, Nonfiction, Religion, Biology, Anthropology

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Niles Eldredge (born August 25, 1943) is an American biologist and paleontologist, who, along with Stephen Jay Gould, proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium in 1972.

Eldredge began his undergraduate studies in Latin at Columbia University. Before completing his degree he switched to the study of anthropology under Norman D. Newell. It was at this time that his work at the American Museum of Natural History began, under the combined Columbia University-American Museum graduate studies program.

Eldredge graduated summa cum laude from Columbia College of Columbia University in 1965, and enrolled in the university's doctoral program while continuing his research at the museum. He completed his PhD in 1969.

In 1969, Eldredge became a curator in the Department of Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History, and subsequently a curator in the Invertebrate Paleontology section of Paleontology, a position from which he recently retired. He was also an Adjunct Professor at the City University of New York. His specialty was the evolution of mid-Paleozoic Phacopida trilobites: a group of extinct arthropods that lived between 543 and 245 million years ago.

Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould proposed punctuated equilibria in 1972. Punctuated equilibrium is a refinement to evolutionary theory. It describes patterns of descent taking place in "fits and starts" separated by long periods of stability.

Eldredge went on to develop a hierarchical vision of evolutionary and ecological systems. Around this time, he became focused on the rapid destruction of many of the world's habitats and species.

Throughout his career, he has used repeated patterns in the history of life to refine ideas on how the evolutionary process actually works. Eldredge is proponent of the importance of environment in explaining the patterns in evolution.

Eldredge is a critic of the gene-centric view of evolution. His most recent venture is the development of an alternative account to the gene-based notions of evolutionary psychology to explain human behavior.

He has published more than 160 scientific articles, books, and reviews, including Reinventing Darwin, an examination of current controversies in evolutionary biology, and Dominion, a consideration of the ecological and evolutionary past, present, and future of Homo sapiens.

Eldredge enjoys playing jazz trumpet and is an avid collector of 19th century cornets. He shares his home in Ridgewood, New Jersey with his wife and more than 500 cornets. He also has two sons, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren.

Eldredge possesses a chart of the historical development of cornets (the musical instruments), which he uses as a comparison with that of the development of trilobites. The differences between them are meant to highlight the failures of intelligent design by comparing a system that is definitely designed, with a system that is not designed.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sober Warning From One Of Our Finest Evolutionary Biologists About America's Scientific Future

In this relatively terse book, distinguished American Museum of Natural History paleobiologist Niles Eldredge has set out two objectives that he does accomplish well. First, he offers yet another eloquent rebuke of "Intelligent Design" and other variants of creationism, noting that creationism isn't science because it neither tests nor makes appropriate corrections of its ideas; both are fundamental features of genuine science, not the pseudoscience known as "Intelligent Design". Second, his book serves as a sober warning about America's scientific future, noting that American preeminence in science since World War II has depended on offering quality science education at all grade levels. Such excellence is gravely at risk by those who would foist their own religious agenda upon an unsuspecting American public in the guise of "Intelligent Design/Scientific Creationism", by urging "balance" in classroom teaching of science, demanding that "Intelligent Design" should be taught alongside evolution.

Some other reviewers have complained that Niles Eldredge does not offer as much concrete evidence in support of evolution, as, for example, my old friend Ken Miller has done in his superb "Finding Darwin's God". But I think they've missed the raison d'etre of Eldredge's book; presenting a terse, yet quite eloquent, cogent explanation on behalf of the scientific validity of evolution, emphasize the religious origins of "Intelligent Design" and other flavors of creationism, and warn us that America's future success in science and technology is gravely at risk if "Intelligent Design" advocates succeed (For those interested in seeking such concrete examples from Niles Eldredge, then they need look no further than to read his superb "Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life", the magnificient companion volume to the AMNH-originated "Darwin" exhibition - currently on tour through North America, and then finally, Great Britain, in time for the bicentennial celebration of Darwin's birthday on February 12, 2009 - which he curated.). Without a doubt, "The Triumph of Evolution and the Failure of Creationism" is one of the best written books on this subject, and a sober warning from a distinguished American evolutionary biologist about America's scientific future.

(Reposted from my 2007 Amazon review.)

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eldredge makes his intent known in the title of the book. He begins by stating that the creationist movement in the US is not about either religion or science, but politics. The legitimate intellectual battle between creationism and evolution was fought in the 19th century, with evolution the clear winner.

In the next chapters, Eldredge outlines the scientific method and its uses. This I find personally a bit dismaying in a book intended for adults, because it is much of the same information we were taught–or at least should have been taught!–in junior high. But Eldredge uses ideas and examples that are far more interesting and memorable than those in cheesy junior high slide shows. He brings the point home that even historical sciences can make predictions that will either support or invalidate the theories.

He then moves on to discussions of the merits of the fossil records, the driving forces behind evolution, and genetics, with an extended survey of the development of ideas within the theory itself. The works of Darwin, Lamarck, Dobzhandsky, Mayr and others are summarized along with Eldredge and Gould's idea of punctuated equilibrium. Overall, it is a decent summary, neither dumbed down nor weighted down with an excess of jargon.

Please read the rest of the review here.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have much respect for Eldreges work as a researcher and renowned paleontologist, I was disappointed with this book. I think I was expecting more of a challenging read, but it felt more like reading my introductory science texts from high school and college. I also felt that there was a large amount of boasting throughout the book. On the positive side I did gain some new knowledge of the concept of "creationist science". As an atheistic evolutionist I do agree with his arguments and I was glad to see that he did not lump groups of religions together.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. It offers a clear criticism and debunking to the so called creation "science" movement but doesn't make the mistake of lumping all religious believers together into the anti-evolution camp. A good introduction to the issues involved.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE CO-DEVELOPER OF "PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM" CRITIQUES CREATIONISM

Niles Eldredge (born 1943) is an American paleontologist, who, along with Stephen Jay Gould, proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium in 1972. He has also written books such as 'Time Frames: The Re-Thinking of Darwinian Evolution and the Theory of Punctuated Equilibria,' 'The Pattern of Evolution,' 'Reinventing Darwin: The Great Debate at the High Table of Evolutionary Theory,' etc.

He wrote in the first chapter of this 2000 book, "I take up this task because I am convinced that the integrity of science education in the United States and abroad is directly threatened by such nonsense. The issue is NOT whether any one particular student BELIEVES in evolution. But, as I develop throughout this book, it very much does matter that soon-to-be-adults living (and voting) in a technologically driven world know something about the ways their fellow humans gather knowledge about the natural world.... I write this book because those who see a necessary conflict between science and religion... are doing their best to destroy quality science teaching in the United States." (Pg. 14)

He admits that "It is the gaps in the fossil record that... are dearly beloved by creationists... there are all sorts of gaps: absence of gradationally intermediate transitional forms between species, but also between larger groups---between, say, families of carnivores, or the orders of mammals. In fact, the higher up the Linnean hierarchy you look, the fewer transitional forms there seem to be. For example, Peripatus, a lobe-legged, wormlike creature ... appears intermediate ... between two of the major phyla on Earth today: the segmented worms and the arthropods. But few other phyla have such intermediates... Extinction has surely weeded out many of the intermediate species, but on the other hand, the fossil record is not exactly teeming with their remains." (Pg. 77-78) He adds, "Whales first appeared in the Eocene... But the earliest specimens look like whales... Bats are another example: a perfect specimen from the Eocene... but anyone looking at it will see at once that it is a bat, and evidence for its derivation from a particular kind of insectivorous Paleocene mammal still hasn't turned up." (Pg. 79)

He asserts, "the correlation of rocks... is NOT based on the assumption that evolution has occurred. Rather, it is based on simple empirical observation of the order in which fossils occur in strata and on the standard procedures of scientific prediction (i.e., that the same geological sequence will be found around the world) and testing by further observation." (Pg. 107)

He notes that "Modern creationists readily accept small-scale evolutionary change and the origin of new species from old. That, to my mind, is tantamount to conceding the entire issue, for... there is utter continuity in evolutionary processes from the smallest scales (microevolution) up through the largest scales (macroevolution)." (Pg. 118-119)

He concedes, "we can invoke a naturalistic process, evolution, for which there is a great deal of evidence, but which we still have some difficulties in fully comprehending. Or we can say, simply, that some Creator did it, and we are... only complex machines like watches. The analogy is as meaningless as that: it proves nothing. It could even be true, but it cannot be construed as science, it isn't biology, and in the end it amounts to nothing more than a simple assertion that naturalistic processes automatically cannot be considered as candidates for an explanation of the order and complexity that we all agree we do see in biological nature." (Pg. 141) He adds, "if we are to continue to teach our children that such problems are beyond the purview of science because 'the Creator did it,' we certainly will lessen our chances of ever finding out." (Pg. 144)

This is an excellent defense of evolution, and a critique of creationism, by a noteworthy modern scientist.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eldredge is the longtime associate and friend of Steven J. Gould. Like Gould he was stirred to write about this tired subject because of the troublesome legal sideshows that erupted in several southern states just before the end of the century (20th that is, even though it was still based in so 19th century logic).

The sad fact is that Eldredge, Gould and all the many others that have tackled this topic using a logical, reasoned style, are wasting their time. The zealot sheep are not permitted to listen and anyway, unable to follow any argument-it requires independent thought. The zealot leadership already know what they are up to is a lie-they are really about political gamesmanship. At best this book would make a useful text for high school or college curriculum in "science-religion in society." Good luck even getting it adopted in Canadian high schools these days. But, as a text for this purpose I would give it 5 stars.

My reasons for giving it only 3 stars are mostly personal. I have witnessed more than enough of the lies, hate and downright brutish actions of the so-called Christians-almost 50 years worth. I have witnessed the intellectual damage that the self-serving leaders execute on their flock. Independent thoughts are not permitted. All ideas have to be framed within narrow boundaries and untouchable starting points. These false teaching flaws have been around for decades and centuries. Also not new, is the disfavor of the ideas that challenge flawed religions to the point of counselling hatred toward your own family and loved ones. I have even witnessed dominance characters in those traditions deliberately foment false conflicts only designed to solidify their dominance positions. As an evolutionary biologist, I have witnessed the purely personal nature of this hate.

Truly new, in this intellectual wasteland is the deliberate framing the supposed logic of these religions as "scientific" and very much at war with proper science, and most specifically scientists themselves. The lies are generated for purely political reasons, using the standard political method of today: lie, and repeat loudly and often; soon it will become truth. The method works because of the culture of pseudo-thinking that these same people cultivate.

So my critique of Eldredge is that he is too timid in a conflict of ideas that has become all-out war. I favour the rather more bombastic stance of Hitchens and Dawkins. You want war, I'll give you a war.

[Warreni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels a bit old, because it is (original publication in 2000), but it's still a good source of information regarding the scientific creationism movement and a famous paleontologist's perspective on it. Eldredge oddly chooses to focus the work on the old-school creationist tactics and arguments, even though by the time this went to press, we were already seeing the rise of the new golden boys of intelligent-design creationism like William Dembski. Eldredge reviews evidence for evolution and outlines the classic creationist arguments against it, touching on topics such as radiometric dating, the geological column, thermodynamics and the other conventional items that have been around for decades.

Eldredge is strongly critical of scientists like Richard Dawkins and William Provine who insist that a logical consequence of accepting a scientific view of the history of life on Earth is accepting philosophical naturalism (i.e., that there is nothing in the universe beyond what is empirically detectable and knowable). I tend to agree with him broadly on this point, but when he starts talking about how all conceptions of "God" are equally valid, he loses me.

He ends the book on a weirdly optimistic and not-at-all (in retrospect) prescient note that he believes that concerns for the future of the planet and the vast connections among its different ecosystems and our present human way of life will actually cause conservatives and liberals and the religious and the agnostic (or atheist) to come together to meet a common challenge. However, the intervening decade-and-a-half since its publication have sadly shown precisely the opposite to have occurred: liberals and the secular-minded have taken up the banner of anthropogenic climate change, while conservatives and the religious have insisted that a) Man has not had a significant impact on climate; b) Man does not have the ability to affect such processes; and/or c) Man cannot afford to do anything to arrest or ameliorate the impact that He has had, lest He should evoke traumatic economic consequences. Indeed, so entrenched has this political battle become that the organization he touts near the end of the book, the National Center for Science Education, has in recent years, expanded its mission to defending the teaching and promotion of real facts about climate change.