Science and Creationism [Hardcover]

Ashley Montagu (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 1984

"One of the most substantial and scholarly counterattacks against creationism to date....The myths which creationists present to the public as historical fact are systematically debunked....This carefully chosen collection should appeal to informed general readers"--Library Journal. "One of the strongest, most enlightened sources for understanding the present dispute and its dangerous portents"--Kirkus Reviews. In this volume, Stephen Jay Gould, Isaac Asimov, and others provide a powerful rebuttal to "Creation Science," and offer insights into the teaching of science.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most substantial and scholarly counterattacks against creationism to date.... Point by point, in chapter after chapter, the myths which creationists present to the public as historical facts are systematically debunked and the rhetorical devices which cloud debate on evolution are carefully exposed.... This carefully chosen collection should appeal to informed general readers."--Library Journal

"One of the strongest, most enlightened sources for understanding the present dispute and its dangerous portents."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

M. F. Ashley Montagu is at Princeton University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 415 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1ST edition (January 12, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195032527
• ISBN-13: 978-0195032529
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Squashing of Creationism, January 8, 2000

By 

KP Stark (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Science and Creationism (Hardcover)

This volume edited by the late Ashley Montagu is a superbly well-rounded collection of essays that expose modern creationism as pure pseudoscience with one foot stuck in religious dogma. The essays range from well written and straightforward refutations of the common creationist arguments to what are perhaps the most interesting contents-- serious examination of what the creationists actually say about themselves. The essay by Robert Root-Bernstein contains extensive citations of creationist literature that demonstrate that creationism has nothing to do with science. For example, despite the creationist claim that what they do is science, Root-Bernstein found this statement by Henry Morris which shows that creationists have have no interest in experimentation or the scientific method, but rather insist that the Bible be used as a science textbook:

"The main trouble with catastrophist theories is there is no way to subject them to empirical test...There seems to be no restraint on imagination or speculation when catastrophism is espoused, and this is one reason why it has been in such poor repute for over 100 years. And yet catastrophism, as we have seen, is necessary. It is NOT necessary to speculate, however, since the Biblical record has provided a clear description of the causes, nature, and results of true catastrophism: The Noahic Flood.... We cannot verify it experimentally, of course, any more than any of the various other theories of catastrophism {eg. Velikovsky}, but we need no experimental verification; God has recorded it in His Word, and that should be sufficient." -- Henry Morris, Biblical Cosmology and Modern Science, Craig Press, 1970, p. 30

Other essays discuss the poor theology of creationism, its social context in America and there is even a sadly funny essay by Michael Ruse about his experience in the courtroom in Arkansas in the early 1980's where the creationists had attempted yet another "balanced treatment" law. Ruse shows that the law was scuttled as much by the enormous blunders of the creationists themselves as anything else. Science and Creationism is a wonderfully rich exploration of the issue that covers such a diverse array of topics that both scientist and theologian will find something enlightening.

By the way, you might note that one of the Amazon reviewers above confused the book "Science and Creationism" with the book "Scientific Creationism" by creationist Henry Morris (the man who claimed science does not require experiment in the quote above). The clear fact that the reviewer reviewed the wrong book is more ironic in regards to the intellectual bankruptcy of creationism than volumes of text could possibly demonstrate.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful for rebutting the arguments of creationists., September 19, 1999

By 

Dr. Ted (Rush, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Science and Creationism (Hardcover)

As someone with a fascination for natural history, evolution and cosmology, I often find myself at a loss when I hear clearly illogical arguments from creationists. I don't want to step on their religious toes but I also can't stand the misinformation that they propagate.

The essays in this volume (several of which are excellent) help the reader to understand the history of the "creation scientists" and the basis for their fallacious arguments.

Our children need to learn the fascinating true story of "creation" including the intracies of biological and cosmological evolution. You can use the information in this volume to help counter those who would take science out of our schools and also to respond to letters to the editor in your local paper.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Demolition of Dogma Masquerading as Science, February 25, 2003

By 

Jonathan L. Widger (Ocean View, DE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Science and Creationism (Hardcover)

"Science deals with the world of nature, the discovery and ordering of the world of facts and their relations, with concepts that have been tested by the facts. What the creationists attempt to do is to measure the facts by their conformity to Genesis, and this is absurd." --Ashley Montagu, Introduction, Science and Creationism

The late Ashley Montagu (1905-99) was a British-American anthropologist who earned his Ph.D. in 1937 from Columbia University. He was also a prolific and popular science writer of over 60 books. He is well known for discrditing the notion of race in the editions of his book, Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race (1942, 6th ed. 1998). His selections of essays for Science and Creationism range from the philosophical to the legal, historical and scientifically technical. The essayists in this collection include such academic luminaries as Isaac Asimov, Stephen Jay Gould, and others. The essays highlight the opposite methodology of scientists and creationists.

Scientists collect and investigate data and then attempt to formulate explanatory theories. Those theories are always subject to revision or even replacement in the face of new data. They often publish their research in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and their data, hypotheses, and theories are subject to independent verification and replication. Crationists, on the other hand, have an entirely different methodology.

They start first from their desired dogma that the Bible must be inerrant, infallible, and then work backwards to the data. They engage in campaigns of propaganda and political lobbying to pass legislation that either censors objectionable scientific theories or mandates "equal time" for "scientific" creationsim whenever objectionable theories are taught in the science curricula of public schools. Their dogma that the Bible is inerrant and infallible is not subject to revision or replacement in the face of disconfirming data, and they neither do any real science nor publish in peer-reviewed science journals. Thus, contrary to their claims, their dogma and their agenda are religious rather than scientific.

The essays also refute many creationists' errors. For example, creationists claim that the second law of thermodynamics, the law that says systems run "downhill," proves that biological evolution is impossible. However, as explained in Asimov's essay, "The 'Threat' of Creationism," the second law applies to "closed systems." The earth, however, is an open system inundated by energy from the sun. As the sun runs "downhill," it provides the energy necessary to allow the relatively small subsystem of earth to evolve life in the "uphill" direction. Thus, evolution does not defy the second law because it is not a process running "uphill" in a closed system. Moreover, as far as we know, the only closed system is the universe as a whole.

Although this book contains an excellent collection of essays, it lacks a description of the credentials of its contributors and an index. Obviously, an index would augment the utility of this otherwise superb volume.