The Mythmaker's Magic: Behind the Illusion of "Creation Science" [Hardcover]

Delos Banning McKown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1993

This amusing, acerbic collection of essays examines every facet of the evolution/creationism controversy. Delos B. McKown exposes the ambiguous standing of "creation science" in public education, its roots in American fundamentalism, its incompatibility with scientific inquiry, and the clever rhetorical ploys "scientific creationists" use to cover their tracks.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a forceful critique, McKown exposes the fallacies of so-called "scientific creationists," who maintain that the earth is less than 10,000 years old and deny the possibility of evolution. Documenting what he sees as the alarming influence of "creation science" in shaping public school curricula, he urges vigilance among those whom he considers secular humanists, warning that the Supreme Court's putatively accommodationist stance may abet the creationists' cause by blurring separation of church and state. McKown, a philosophy professor at Auburn University in Alabama, witheringly satirizes creation science as Orwellian "Newspeak" and classifies scientific creationists as "Fundagelicals," his term for Fundamentalists, Evangelicals and other religious people united by their belief in the Bible's infallibility. A bogus tract-style lampoon of creationist dogma, excerpted from McKown's satirical novel With Faith and Fury, is included, along with nine essays, some of which have been published in magazines like Free Inquiry.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; 1St Edition edition (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879757701
• ISBN-13: 978-0879757700
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,171,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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