Customer Reviews

The Antiquity of Man: Artifactual, Fossil and Gene Records Explored

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I'm rather disappointed in "The Antiquity of Man". I wasn't looking for an anti-creationist tract but rather a synthesis of archeological and genetic science. Instead, Brass flails wildly at the pinatas. I can nearly see the spittle sprayed on the screen in front of him as he typed the manuscript.
To be fair, when he does address the science, Brass is informative and clear.

Michael Brass, an active archaeologist, examines not only how contemporary science works, and why its results are accurate, but does so in a clear, readable style which will delight those who dread struggling through another "techno-babble" book in their attempt to figure out what is genuinely scientific and what isn't.

While there are many excellent books explaining why Bible-based creationism--the kind one normally encounters--is not science, "The Antiquity of Man" is the first book to examine the Hindu form of creationism advocated by Cremo & Thompson, and to clearly demonstrate why this form of creationism, while it claims to be scientific, is actually pseudoscience, not genuine science.

As one would expect, given the fact that the author is an archaeologist, the book devotes more space to archaeological issues and methodology than to any other single discipline; yet Michael Brass still manages to cover, very knowledgeably--and readably!--the entire spectrum of the evolutionary sciences, from geology to genetics, and from anthropology to biology. If you look at his picture on the back cover, you'll be astounded that someone who looks so young can have such an encyclopedic fund of knowledge, and have it so securely that he can express it clearly, simply, and understandably. As you read this book, you gradually find yourself understanding the elements of the scientific method common to many different sciences. As you gain this knowledge, painlessly and even enjoyably, you gradually come to be able to recognize genuine science, and to distinguish it very clearly from beliefs which claim to be scientific but do not "do" science.

This book is, admittedly, a polemic against a pseudoscientific set of beliefs and claims put forth by Cremo & Thompson in "Forbidden Archaeology" and other works. But the way Michael Brass has chosen to combat this particular set of beliefs and claims is to combat pseudoscience itself, by teaching the reader what genuine science is, and how it works. And the amazing thing is that Brass succeeds in doing precisely that.

In summary, if you buy no other nonfiction book this year, buy "The Antiquity of Man", by Michael Brass. Read this book, and you'll never be the same--and you won't regret it.

Michael Brass' book, The Antiquity of Man, is a well-researched and exhaustive study of mankind's evolution. More specifically it provides clear evidence to support the current thinking and understanding of our progression up the evolutionary tree.

Of particular interest is the evidence, which refutes the creationist movement that avoids the science and real answers of evolution in favor of misinterpreting geofacts into artifacts and ancient religious texts into scientific documents.

This book is a "must have" for anyone interested in mankind's evolution, it does not overburden the layperson with terminology and yet maintains its scholarly focus, making it an excellent example of research and real writing skills.

It's about time someone took on and refuted the lies and deceit churned out by Cremo and Thompson. Mike Brass has done a first rate job which should be on the bookshelf of anybody interested in learning what real science has determined about our origins and development not what religious fundamentalists can produce by selectively quoting antiquated works.

Here's hoping that this is the first of many such works by this author.

As a Hindu, I am ashamed of creationist pseudoscience committed in my name. Hinduism has always taught that the world is just a show; we call Shiva the Lord of Illusion. Why not honestly treat the artifact/fossil records as part of that illusion, instead of dishonestly, obsessively trying to twist them into what they can never be? Think you can outsmart the Lord of Illusion? The framework was already there, you idiots - use it!

Moreover, the Hindu religion has always embraced science and technology, viewing the scientific mind as a grace bestowed on us from the Gods. We are cerebral creatures, and our culture will not shy away from the fact that even the path to the human heart goes through the brain. Therefore, true Hindus will be grateful for Antiquity of Man and not in the least grateful to Thompson and Cremo.

In this book, Brass has nobly taken upon himself the `skeptical' role of refuting ideas which are so far from the mainstream that most academics would ignore them but which nevertheless are not without influence and do need to be countered. His strongly worded negative views on Cremo & Thompson's methods and findings have already been criticised on the web but he has issued effective rejoinders.

Brass' book there provides both (a) the exposition of current and recent views on early human evolution and (b) direct rebuttal of C&T's position. The latter might have been treated at somewhat greater length. In addition, there is no mention (by way of context) of other associated aspects of the Vedantic challenge to science. But despite these gaps, the information in the book will be found very useful, both for rebutting creationists and more generally. Brass writes authoritatively and in detail about matters of palaeoanthropological fact and theory, and he explains the various issues and arguments clearly and cogently.

Among the many more specific strengths of the book, one can list:

Brass' willingness to criticise mainstream errors

His honesty about disputes and changes of view within the mainstream (often misconstrued or misrepresented by creationists unfamiliar with the scientific method as evidence of inherent theoretical weakness)

His attack on creationists for their crude conceptualising of the notion of `evolution' and their exaggerated view of the upshots of `evolutionism' as a belief system

His exposure of the patterns by which creationists (1) fail to offer worthwhile explanations for the observed data (at times even denying its existence), (2) misrepresent data, mainstream academic interpretations of data or the upshots of these interpretations and (3) make either no testable predictions at all or predictions which are readily shown to be false

His identification of other issues for creationism, including unsatisfactory publishing strategies (no proper peer-review, etc), use of old data collected and analysed by means now superseded as if they were equivalent to the most recent finds, prominent displays of support from influential but unqualified commentators, inadequately supported accusations about mainstream conspiracies to suppress `ideologically unwelcome' data, poor logic/argumentation, etc

There are some typos, abrupt transitions etc, and there is no index, but these points reduce the value of the book only very slightly.

A comment on the review by a reader from Kolkata. I accept that Hindus might be annoyed if they believe that C&T misrepresent Hinduism. But if Hindus believe that the world is just a show, why should they care about science per se? Science assumes that the world is worth studying because it is NOT just a show.

I read this book with high hopes (in part due to a review written by Enzo Ferrara, Research Scientist, Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale
Galileo Ferraris, Torino, Italy). Both the book and Ferrara's review are poor, to say the least. The volumes of scientific research and accompanying data that are ignored or openly ridiculed is astounding not to mention disturbing for an academic. As an academic myself I have always been taught that honest research should take one wherever the evidence leads. Obviously, in the case of evolutionary science, that is not the situation. Instead, as evidenced by this text, if the evidence leads in another direction, the tact is to ridicule and present half or completely false evidence and write it up as authoritative.

My advice, avoid purchasing this book. It gives academia and science a very bad name! I only rated this one star because I can't rate it zero.

I'm not a supporter of creationists or their agenda but they have nonetheless poked holes in numerous aspects of contemporary evolutionary theory. Brass attacks creationists for a variety of logical sins and some of his attacks are certainly valid. What Brass fails to do is shine the light of reason on mainstream theories, many of which are invariably based on speculation and conjecture of the weakest and rankest sort, all the while exhibiting exactly the same kind of defects in reasoning and analysis that have befallen the creationists.

The unfortunate fact is that mainstream academia in almost all areas is based on emotional bias and preconceived notions while exhibiting almost every logical error one might search for. The truth is that neither the creationists nor the mainstream scientists are beacons of logic, honor or truth. Both camps are mired in their own swamps of illogic and dishonesty. Trying to say that one camp is better than the other is like trying to determine whether the Democrats or the Republicans have the best agenda for America. Just like scientists, the Republicans and Democrats are about lying, cheating and stealing to promote themselves and their viewpoints.