Reviews
"Ever since Darwin published his Origin of Species in 1859, the battle over evolution has engaged churchmen and scientists alike, both pro and con. With deft and concise strokes Larson limns this fraught scene. Here the skills of a legal scholar and Pulitzer Prize-winning author are combined to bring historical context and clarity to an issue that still rends our national fabric."
—Owen Gingerich, author of God's Universe
Description
Larson discusses such topics as the transatlantic response to Darwinism, the American controversy over teaching evolution in public schools, and the religious views of American scientists. He recalls the theological qualms about evolution held by some leading scientists of Darwin's time. He looks at the 2006 Dover, Pennsylvania, court decision on teaching Intelligent Design and other cases leading back to the landmark 1925 Scopes trial. Drawing on surveys that Larson conducted, he discusses attitudes of American scientists toward the existence of God and the afterlife.
By looking at the changing motivations and backgrounds of the stakeholders in the creation-evolution debate--clergy, scientists, lawmakers, educators, and others--Larson promotes a more nuanced view of the question than most of us have. This is no incidental benefit for Larson's readers; it is one of the book's driving purposes. If we cede the debate to those who would frame it simplistically rather than embrace its complexity, warns Larson, we will not advance beyond the naive regard of organized religion as the enemy of intellectual freedom or the equally myopic myth of the scientist as courageous loner willing to die for the truth.
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Paper List price: $19.95 978-0-8203-3106-5 6/15/2008 ![]() View Shopping Cart |
Ebook List price: $18.95 978-0-8203-3654-1 1/25/2010 Check ebook availability |