4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reviews from Brizmus Blogs Books, November 19, 2009
This book was decidedly informative. In some ways it read like a text book, but at the same time it made me laugh, and there were times when I was so interested that I really felt like I couldn't put it down.
When it comes to evolution, Lisa A. Shiel really does know what she's talking about. She presents her points in clear, concise chapters, using words and a writing style that is easily accessible to the layman. She tried to stay neutral, and for the most part, she did a good job of this. Occasionally, though, she would sarcastically refer to Darwin as "the evolutionist's god, Darwin" or she would say negative things about evolutionists from a standpoint that was obviously bitter as opposed to factual. This bothered me slightly, but it in no way negated her arguments. She also has a clear and concise biblography at the end of every chapter and a glossary at the end of the book, for some of the more difficult terms.
As a child, I never learned evolution (or creationism, for that matter) in school, and I have therefore never understood it to be fact. It's something that scientists think about, that they would like to prove, but that they are unable to prove. After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of why they are unable to prove it. And how they hide this inability from the layman, masking the incongruities. Unfortunately, a lot what she said seemed to be based on the idea that EVERYONE is taught evolution as fact when they are in grade school. I wasn't, so this didn't really click for me.
Shiel concludes with "Evolutionists must stretch, manipulate, and outright ignore evidence to shore up established theories about life's origins and expansions. Myriad problems plague the research." If this is what she set out to prove, she succeeded. She more than succeeded. If, however, she set out to prove that there is no way that evolution could exist, she didn't quite reach her goal.
I found this book exciting, and I learned so much from it, things that I have always wondered about. This book is for anyone who ever wanted to know a thing or two about evolution.
Final Question: At one point in the book, so shows pictures of the skulls of several different Hominids. She also regularly talked about what exactly a species is and how scientists are never in agreement about this. Some scientists, she said, would classify different sized humans as different species if they found our bones in the future. So my question is this - several million years in the future, do you think scientist will find human bones and classify Caucasians, Asians, and Africans as being from different species? Does the idea of this happening make you laugh or does it disgust you? Or whatever else? I think it's hilarious to think about. I was glad she broached this subject in the book, because it is something I have always wondered about.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deep and to the point, September 20, 2009
The preface of this book states "Every discipline spawns jargon as a verbal shorthand. In evolutionary science, the jargon both helps scientists keep control and dissuades laymen from asking questions scientists would rather not answer. That's why this book promotes one key premise: Anyone can understand evolution. "
That is exactly was Lisa A. Shiel does in "The Evolution Conspiracy." This short, concise book gives the reader an option of looking at evolution in an understandable way. Shiel includes charts, explanations, photographs, definitions, references, and research to help the lay persons make their own decision of what to believe. There is no jargon; just plain and simple comprehensible English.
However, it is not easy reading by no means. Because of the depth that Shiel goes into I found, as an interested reader, I often had to re-read paragraphs and chapters. As well, I chose to do further research on my own. This is not to say the writing was flawed, but this is to say the Shiel's writing manifested curiosity for me and I wanted to thoroughly understand what she was saying.
In Chapter 11 "Untangling the Vines" Shiel presents questions to ask oneself and even after reading her book, I'm not sure I can answer them. Not much wonder the worlds of politics, science and religion clash on the subject of evolution. None can come up with a proven answer, just an assumption that is considered to be correct depending on the trail you choose to embark.
Deep and to the point, "The Evolution Conspiracy" will make you think, which in itself is a evolutionary process.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cogent critique of the reigning paradigm, September 17, 2009
This short critique of Darwinism is clear, cogent, and to the point, without the usual overbearing creationist strain muddling the account. This presumably makes the book a secular review of Darwinism: such books are needed in the excessively religous context of Darwin critics (it didn't always used to be that way).
It is hard for those who feel doubts about Darwinism to navigate the narrow shoals between ID/creationism and hard-core Darwinism. Shiel speaks to that condition and state of mind and comes up with a barbed expose of the principal mythology of the times run by the Darwin establishment. A close look at the details of the 'science' shows how easy that is to do.
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