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Evolution & Creationism: A Very Short Guide
Highlights include: Discussions of every essay, what an introduction to the essay and the author. Analytical considerations, which take up matters of form and content, rhetoric and style. Suggested writing assignment to supplement those included in the text. Sample syllabi-5 in all-with assignment sequences for linking selections in a number of different ways.
- GenresScience
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Warren D. Allmon
20 booksWarren Douglas Allmon is director of the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, New York, and professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 14, 2017
This is a guidebook, or a refresher, for those who encounter the question of why evolution should be taught. Allmon specifically has docents at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, New York, in mind, but this little book will be useful to anyone who wonders how to answer creationists who claim there is no evidence for evolution.
The elephant in the room here—and Allmon does not get political—is that conservative evangelical Christians (and also increasingly, literalists in other religious traditions) simply can't accept nuanced treatments of their Bibles. The book begins by discussing what science can and cannot do, and how it differs from religion. The majority of the treatment deals with science and what it is, how it operates, and what it teaches us about descent with modification, or natural selection. Explained in language accessible to non-scientists, this guide has useful chapter summaries and treats other points of view with respect.
It offers a brief history of biology, what evolution actually is, the evidence for it, and geological dating. All of this is laid down before the book addresses creationism. The second half of the book becomes somewhat disturbing as Allmon discusses that half of the American population rejects evolution while most of them really don't know what it is. Even many medical doctors—people whose practice relies directly on key insights from evolution—reject it as a means of explaining human development. This alarming state of affairs is clearly based on the success of evangelical religion casting doubt on the theory based on their views of the Bible. If nothing else, such treatments should remind us that understanding religion may be the only way to save science.
A useful little reference to have on hand, this book was also briefly treated on my blog: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World, which quite often addresses the issue of creationism.
The elephant in the room here—and Allmon does not get political—is that conservative evangelical Christians (and also increasingly, literalists in other religious traditions) simply can't accept nuanced treatments of their Bibles. The book begins by discussing what science can and cannot do, and how it differs from religion. The majority of the treatment deals with science and what it is, how it operates, and what it teaches us about descent with modification, or natural selection. Explained in language accessible to non-scientists, this guide has useful chapter summaries and treats other points of view with respect.
It offers a brief history of biology, what evolution actually is, the evidence for it, and geological dating. All of this is laid down before the book addresses creationism. The second half of the book becomes somewhat disturbing as Allmon discusses that half of the American population rejects evolution while most of them really don't know what it is. Even many medical doctors—people whose practice relies directly on key insights from evolution—reject it as a means of explaining human development. This alarming state of affairs is clearly based on the success of evangelical religion casting doubt on the theory based on their views of the Bible. If nothing else, such treatments should remind us that understanding religion may be the only way to save science.
A useful little reference to have on hand, this book was also briefly treated on my blog: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World, which quite often addresses the issue of creationism.
May 17, 2018
Una breve introduzione alla teoria dell'evoluzione e alla questione del creazionismo. Dopo aver spiegato cosa sono l'evoluzione (discendenza con modificazioni) e la selezione naturale (il principale meccanismo, ma non l'unico, dell'evoluzione), vengono riportate le principali prove a sostegno della teoria. Sul fatto che l'evoluzione sia vera non c'è alcun dibattito serio tra gli scienziati dalla fine dell'Ottocento, tuttavia moltissime persone non accettano la realtà dell'evoluzione. Nella seconda parte del libro si parla appunto del movimento creazionista, riferendosi in particolare agli Stati Uniti.
Per quanto breve, questo libro è sicuramente utile per comprendere i fondamenti della teoria dell'evoluzione e i motivi per cui il creazionismo è privo di senso.
Per quanto breve, questo libro è sicuramente utile per comprendere i fondamenti della teoria dell'evoluzione e i motivi per cui il creazionismo è privo di senso.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews