The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief (Hardcover)

by Francis S. Collins (Author)
Key Phrases: young earth creationism, theistic evolution, The Language of God, Moral Law, Big Bang (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Collins, a pioneering medical geneticist who once headed the Human Genome Project, adapts his title from President Clinton's remarks announcing completion of the first phase of the project in 2000: "Today we are learning the language in which God created life." Collins explains that as a Christian believer, "the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion of worship." This marvelous book combines a personal account of Collins's faith and experiences as a genetics researcher with discussions of more general topics of science and spirituality, especially centering around evolution. Following the lead of C.S. Lewis, whose Mere Christianity was influential in Collins's conversion from atheism, the book argues that belief in a transcendent, personal God—and even the possibility of an occasional miracle—can and should coexist with a scientific picture of the world that includes evolution. Addressing in turn fellow scientists and fellow believers, Collins insists that "science is not threatened by God; it is enhanced" and "God is most certainly not threatened by science; He made it all possible." Collins's credibility as a scientist and his sincerity as a believer make for an engaging combination, especially for those who, like him, resist being forced to choose between science and God. (July 17)
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From Scientific American
A devoutly Christian geneticist such as Francis S. Collins, author of The Language of God and leader of the Human Genome Project, can comfortably accept that "a common ancestor for humans and mice is virtually inescapable" or that it may have been a mutation in the FOXP2 gene that led to the flowering of human language. The genetic code is, after all, "God’s instruction book." But what sounds like a harmless metaphor can restrict the intellectual bravado that is essential to science. "In my view," Collins goes on to say, "DNA sequence alone, even if accompanied by a vast trove of data on biological function, will never explain certain special human attributes, such as the knowledge of the Moral Law and the universal search for God." Evolutionary explanations have been proffered for both these phenomena. Whether they are right or wrong is not a matter of belief but a question to be approached scientifically. The idea of an apartheid of two separate but equal metaphysics may work as a psychological coping mechanism, a way for a believer to get through a day at the lab. But theism and materialism don’t stand on equal footings. The assumption of materialism is fundamental to science.

George Johnson is author of Fire in the Mind: Science, Faith, and the Search for Order and six other books. He resides on the Web at talaya.net

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (July 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743286391
• ISBN-13: 978-0743286398
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (323 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,204 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, July 31, 2006

By	Robert W. Kellemen "Doc. K." (Crown Point, IN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

You have to hand it to Francis Collins, he is no fence-sitter, though some may mistakenly so perceive him. Some may think he is trying to win friends and influence people of all types--those who love science and those who love Scripture. In reality, a book like this is sure to displease more die-hards than please them. Evangelicals are sure to get squeamish about Collins' support for the big bang and evolution and his beliefs in a non-literal interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis. On the other hand, as previous vitriolic reviews clearly indicate the so-called loving left will and have attack Collins for daring to value Scripture and claim that believe in God, the Christian God no less, are not only faith issues, but supportable by science. So, he's attacked if he does and he's attacked if he doesn't.

And what does he do? Using his personal faith in God and his professional expertise as an internationally-known scientist, Collins presents a case for the integration of science and Scripture. Both disciplines require the use of reason and logic, as well as faith and experience. Both must interpret the evidence. In Collins' skillful hands and able prose, "The Language of God" is sure to challenge the intellectually honest reader who will read it with an open mind, rather than a defensive heart.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

482 of 589 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great science, decent theology, July 16, 2006

By	JMAN (USA) - See all my reviews

I read Dr. Collins' book with great anticipation, because of the his scientific reputation (one of the most respected research scientists in the world and the head of the Human Genome Project). I figured he'd offer a balanced approach to scientific and theological issues. I think that's why many people will read this book.

So, to the text. A large portion of the book is devoted to the basics of science such as the Big Bang, the theory of evolution, etc... In my opinion, this part of the book is probably one of the better overviews of the contentious issues in science today. Dr Collins makes an extremely convincing case for the plausibility and likelihood that the Universe was created through the Big Bang and that life on earth was created through evolution. This is the part of the book I have no qualms with.

The second part of the book is where my quibbles begin. At the beginning of this section Dr Collins lays out the case for the "Anthropic principle", a hypothesis that points to various aspects of the universe and suggests that they may point to God. Many of these points are very interesting and make for some thought-provoking discussions.

The more dubious part, to me, is where Dr Collins points to parts of the human psyche as evidence of Godliness. While initially deploring any explanation that suggests "God's in the Gaps", Dr Collins continues on to suggest that the human altruistic drive along with the collective search for spirituality is evidence of God. With this, Dr. Collins falls prey to the very philosophy he deplores, the "God in the Gaps" theory. It's unclear to me if he realizes that he's fallen prey to it, as he does not address this potential problem in his philosophy. He does point out that some suggest alternate reasons for the humans altruistic drive and search for spirituality, but ultimately rejects them because of the science, not the philosophy, behind them.

After this there are some middling attempts to synthesize parts of the bible with science, but they fall pretty short in my eyes. Dr Collins seems to be in favor of a semi-literal interpretation of most of the bible, but makes halfhearted attempts to convince the reader of his position. This largely continues until the end of the book where Dr Collins discusses some interesting ethical dilemmas.

So to summarize, this is a really great science book and has some decent theological points, but there's nothing too conclusive in it.

255 of 317 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Competent, but lightweight and unconvincing, March 12, 2007

By	M. Lilliquist (Bellingham, Washington USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dr. Collins is an accomplished geneticist, and from reading his book I can say that he is also a clear and able writer. But one thing he is not is a theological or intellectual heavyweight. This book will convince no one who has not already given this sort of topic some consideration, one way or the other. He adds little to the discussion but a friendly and civil manner - not that that is a bad thing. The key to the book, and the signpost to its downfall, is the subtitle, "A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief." In the end, we are left asking, "what evidence?"

For more than two thirds of the book, Collins lays out the basic facts of genetics and the human genome, denounces Creationism and rejects Intelligent Design theory, rebukes Richard Dawkins, and sets a tone for reasonableness - the voice of reconciliation between science and belief (and by "belief" he means Christianity). As with the late Steven Gould, whom he quotes, Collins believes that science and religion operate in largely separate spheres, the natural and the supernatural, so that most instances of supposed conflict are actually misunderstandings or misapplications of one or the other. He argues that God and nature cannot ever be in true conflict, since God is the author of nature to begin with. Pretty standard, ho-hum stuff.

More importantly, none of this constitutes "evidence for belief." Instead, he has merely shown us that science does not rule out belief, so long as you are willing to grant science its due dominion in the natural realm. As long as your religious belief can accommodate evolution by natural selection and other well-founded scientific theories, your religious belief is OK. So far, we have no evidence for a Biblical God, only the plausibility of an impersonal philosopher's God who is the author of natural laws.

After two thirds of the book, Collins finally presents his theistic evolutionary point of view. Here's where Collins starts to get in over his head. Collins argues that the widespread human feature of a "moral impulse," along with the near universality of religion as a cultural and personal phenomenon, is evidence for the existence of God (the Christian God, of course). But what happens when science starts to explain the psychology and evolutionary origins of morality and religious belief - as it has already begun to do? What evidence does Collins have left for his belief in God? As much as Collins criticizes the old God of the Gaps, I am afraid he has created a Gap of his own! Other than the human traits of morality and religiosity, what reason does he give to believe in his Christian God? What evidence?

Another problem for Collins is that he is too good a scientist, and he realizes the vast scope and explanatory power that science encompasses. The natural world functions by itself so well that God is reduced (without Collins meaning to do so) to little more than the author of natural laws. The natural laws do all the actual work of making the universe go. This is not the Christian God, so what is it? His faith tells him that miracles are possible, but his training and his experience tell him otherwise. All the evidence, it seems, is on the wrong side.

Finally, and perhaps most devastatingly, if natural selection created human beings, what is the consequence of saying that God set up the natural laws that made natural selection possible? Doesn't that still mean that our origins are based every bit as much on pitiless luck, amoral competition, selfish genes, and eons of blind and wasteful trial-and-error tinkering as the Darwinians have been saying all along? If the human genome is the "Language of God," then what does it mean that it was created by natural selection? I'm afraid I just don't see the appeal of theistic evolution, to either theists or scientists - or to scientists who are also theists.

In the end, it may be intellectually and philosophically possible to reconcile belief in some kind of a God with the findings of modern science, but unfortunately Dr. Collins has not given us much in the way of evidence, least of all from the field of genetics or evolutionary biology.