Evolution: A Theory In Crisis [Paperback]

Michael Denton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1986

Michael Denton is an Australian molecular biologist and medical doctor who has lived and worked in London, Toronto and Sydney, and who is best known for his biological research.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Denton pursues his avowed purpose, to critique the Darwinian model of evolution, in a manner alternately fascinating and tiresome. He details legitimate questions, some as old as Darwin's theory, some as new as molecular biology, but he also distorts or misrepresents other "problems." For example, he falls into the classic typological trap: organisms with the same name are all the same. He has Euparkeria as the closest possible ancestor of Archaeopteryx, thus displaying either ignorance or disregard for discoveries over the past two decades. He misunderstands or willfully misrepresents the nature of a cladogram as opposed to a phylogeny. Much of the book reads like creationist prattle, but there are also some interesting points. For informed readers. Walter P. Coombs, Jr., Biology Dept., Western New England Coll., Springfield, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Adler & Adler; 3rd edition (April 15, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091756152X
• ISBN-13: 978-0917561528
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Evolution > Organic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Outdated - No new text since the 1986 edition, October 9, 1998

By 

Rick L Pierson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evolution: A Theory In Crisis (Paperback)

I was expecting the material to be updated since it is a 1996 SECOND EDITION copy. But it was just a reprinting of the original, outdated text. Is there good information in there? Yes, some, but quoting from a 13-year-old book when trying to debate an evolutionist is rather pointless. Besides, in his newest book NATURE'S DESTINY, Michael Denton seems to do a complete turn around - he now states that evolution did occur and did overcome all of the arguments he previously made. As another example of his change, he now embrases the "molecular clock", which he denounced in this book. All in all, I think if you are short on cash, avoid this book (and in my opinion, his new one as well) and opt instead for DARWIN'S BLACK BOX by Michael Behe - it is much better and more up-to-date.

172 of 236 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, objective, sweeping, powerfully argued, November 26, 1997

By 

Karen "Litterary Ghost" (Rochester, Mongolia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution: A Theory In Crisis (Paperback)

Denton's book is a first-rate critique of contemporary versions of Darwinism and is filled with original and compelling arguments. The usual suspects have, naturally, attacked the book with the usual generic accusations, but don't be mislead: "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis" is not a defense of "Scientific Creationism" and definitely does not go wrong in easy and obvious ways. It is a penetrating account of features of the natural world that mutation and natural selection are simply inadequate to explain. From biochemistry to the fossil record, Denton systematically demolishes the "fact" of evolution as a sufficient explanation for the world as it is. Denton doesn't deny that evolution occurs; he is, for example, sanguine about the "horse series." He claims, however, that evolution, taken as mutation and natural selection, is no more than a partial answer. His his explication and analysis of the avian respiratory system is as convincing as anything in Mike Behe's book. Some have tried to explain away problems in evolution as owing to the paucity of human imagination, but Denton doesn't merely ask, "How could this have evolved?" e.g., the feather, avian respiration, etc. He argues positively that certain features cannot have evolved, that intermediate forms are not just difficult to imagine, they are impossible. There are those who judge books critical of evolution without actually reading them, evidently considering that to be needless toil. They "know" that evolution is true and explains everything, and therefore "know" that all critics have bad motives and worse education. Those who find that they need actually to read a book in order to fairly judge it will find Denton reasonable, extremely well-informed, clear, readable and thought-provoking. I highly recommend "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis."

50 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, December 2, 1999

By 

Cashew Son (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evolution: A Theory In Crisis (Paperback)

It's been at least seven years since I read the first edition of this book, but I remain impressed by the persuasiveness of Denton's argument.

Like some of the other reviewers, I have a strong feeling that the people who have given this book bad reviews have never read it. I gather this not from how they have ranked it, but rather what they've written.

This is too bad because Denton provides a good opportunity for building honest, open-minded dialogue between the two opposing camps in the evolution debate. The book is argumentative, but it is also educational (I especially enjoyed learning about the feather - the complexities of which I was previously unaware).

I would also recommend Behe's "Darwin's Black Box" as an excellent complementary read, since it explores the relevance of molecular biology to this subject in greater detail.