40 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book on a complex subject for a general audience, January 10, 2007
This review is from: Darwin And Intelligent Design (Facets Series) (Paperback)
I am grateful for a book on the evolution/ID controversy that is so clearly and understandably written for a general audience. This is a complex subject that often goes over the heads of those without an extensive scientific background. The message presented over and over again is that scientific laws and "theories" are not in conflict with personal religious beliefs. I was particularly taken with the idea that a benevolent and loving God could not be held responsible for the deformities of newborn children or the ravages of disease. This book and those listed in the "Additional Resources" give rational and reasoned approaches to scientific issues as they relate to religious beliefs and vice versa. I, for one, am weary of the fundamentalist drumbeat regarding evolution, stem cell research, global warming, and other hot-button issues. I find peace and comfort in the ideas and arguments outlined in this book: religion and science can not only coexist, but complement each other; religious beliefs should not curtail the pursuit of scientific explanations for the natural world; acceptance of scientific laws and theories need not exclude belief in God and the richness of religion. This makes common sense to me.
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20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book - well written and a great read, March 28, 2007
This review is from: Darwin And Intelligent Design (Facets Series) (Paperback)
The well thought out arguments and logical way of looking at things should bring comfort to those who are religious and irreligious alike. I am half way through the book and am thoroughly enjoying every bit of it. It is very well written and it is on a short list of books that have changed the way I look at an issue. The basic premise is that religion and science can (and should) co-exist, but that they each occupy separate spheres of thought. Ayala draws a clear line between the roles of science and religion in a way that allows one to believe in both and avoids confusion between what they can and cannot explain. As a non-scientist, I thought this was written at just the right level.
As an aside, I was dumbfounded at some of the negative reviews, but if you bother to check (I did), some of these guys write negative reviews about lots and lots of science related books - not just this one. Don't be turned off, this is a great book dealing with a controversial subject. You will enjoy reading it.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reconciling biological evolution and religion without Intelligent Design, January 11, 2008
This review is from: Darwin And Intelligent Design (Facets Series) (Paperback)
Judging from the modest length of this book (a little over a hundred pages) and from the clear, straightforward prose, and from the fact that it is part of the Facets series of the Fortress Press, I would say that the purpose is to inform public opinion at the most elementary level. Since the Fortress Press is "the ministry of publishing for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America" one can expect a Christian perspective. What is interesting is that that perspective is clearly in acknowledgment of the truth of evolution and the nonscientific nature of Intelligent Design.
The author, Francisco J. Ayala, who is a professor of both biology and philosophy at the University of California, Irvine, presents the ideas and arguments in a way that even junior high school students can understand. He is fair and he is unmistakable. He argues that science and religious beliefs need not be in contradiction. He believes that the way to achieve this understanding is to avoid reading the Bible or other religious works in a literal sense, and leave the science to the scientists and the scientific method. This is the position of most educated people that I know of, a position advanced by both religious leaders and scientists. His purpose, as he expresses it in the Prologue, is "to convince" the reader "that we may accept" the scientific evidence for the truth of biological evolution "without denying the existence of God or God's presence in the universe..." (p. vii)
In short this book represents a "middle of the road" position in the evolution versus ID debate. Richard Dawkins, et al., are not going to be convinced that one can believe in a personal God who watches over us while at the same time acknowledging the truth of Darwinian evolution. Similarly, most conservative and evangelical Christians will not be pleased since the text rejects a literal interpretation of the Bible while favoring a seemingly purposeless evolutionary mechanism.
Personally, I greatly favor Ayala's position and approach. I think it is essential that we understand that science need not impinge on matters of faith; and that religion should not pretend to scientific truth. Science is a method for achieving a better understanding of our world and how it works, and as a guide to the development of ways to better manage our environment to our advantage. Religion is a method for guiding us toward an understanding and appreciation of questions that cannot be addressed by science.
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