Science, Evolution, and Creationism [Paperback]

National Academy of Sciences (Author), Institute of Medicine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2008

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable. In the book, "Science, Evolution, and Creationism", a group of experts assembled by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine explain the fundamental methods of science, document the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including "intelligent design."The book explores the many fascinating inquiries being pursued that put the science of evolution to work in preventing and treating human disease, developing new agricultural products, and fostering industrial innovations. The book also presents the scientific and legal reasons for not teaching creationist ideas in public school science classes. Mindful of school board battles and recent court decisions, "Science, Evolution, and Creationism" shows that science and religion should be viewed as different ways of understanding the world rather than as frameworks that are in conflict with each other and that the evidence for evolution can be fully compatible with religious faith. For educators, students, teachers, community leaders, legislators, policy makers, and parents who seek to understand the basis of evolutionary science, this publication will be an essential resource.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable.

In the book Science, Evolution, and Creationism, a group of experts assembled by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine explain the fundamental methods of science, document the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including "intelligent design." The book explores the many fascinating inquiries being pursued that put the science of evolution to work in preventing and treating human disease, developing new agricultural products, and fostering industrial innovations. The book also presents the scientific and legal reasons for not teaching creationist ideas in public school science classes.

Mindful of school board battles and recent court decisions, Science, Evolution, and Creationism shows that science and religion should be viewed as different ways of understanding the world rather than as frameworks that are in conflict with each other and that the evidence for evolution can be fully compatible with religious faith. For educators, students, teachers, community leaders, legislators, policy makers, and parents who seek to understand the basis of evolutionary science, this publication will be an essential resource.

About the Author

Committee on Revising Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: National Academies Press; 1 edition (January 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0309105862
• ISBN-13: 978-0309105866
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully succinct, but one revision short, January 20, 2008

By 

J. Lapp (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Science, Evolution, and Creationism (Paperback)

In a brief 54 pages this book covers material that everybody should understand about evolution and creationism. It is written in a beautifully clear, concise language and may be the shortest intelligible explanation of evolution that you'll ever read. Unfortunately, most of that beautiful language is written at the advanced high school or early college level and so won't be accessible to the public at large. It seems like a huge opportunity lost. However, the short FAQ at the end of the book is much easier reading and should hit its mark.

Every modern book on evolution and creationism should mention the amazing discovery of Tiktaalik, and indeed this book does. On the basis of what we know about evolution, scientists hypothesized where the transitional form between fish and four-legged animals should appear in the fossil record. Scientists then went to that place and found the animal. They called it Tiktaalik. It's an amazing case of evolution making a prediction and the prediction coming true.

Tiktaalik makes for a great story. People of all ages, especially children, engage readily in stories and retain stories better than raw facts. But this book tells the story in a choppy, non-chronological, expository way. I can hardly piece the story together from the book. This amazing opportunity to all at once instill the reader with both scientific process and evidence for evolution was lost. The reader likely will not remember Tiktaalik.

Isn't there a rule of thumb that when writing for the general public one should write at the 5th or 6th grade level? Many sentences have too many clauses. Parenthetic remarks frequently interrupt the train of thought. Several pages build concept upon concept too quickly, rapidly constructing sentences consisting of multiple newly introduced words. It takes training to collect and apply so many definitions so quickly. The section on how Intelligent Design has no scientific support is so dense I couldn't quite follow it's logic.

The book does go out of its way to make some concepts more accessible, and it does a great job of it. New words are introduced in bold and defined succinctly and clearly in the margin. Boxed regions describe practical examples of the theory expounded in the text. There's a box on SARS, one on the domestication of wheat, one on the evolution of whales, etc. There are plenty of stimulating photographs and diagrams. The simple cladograms do a wonderful job of illustrating evolutionary relationships among past and present organisms. The language in these boxes is generally simpler than that of the text proper and should be accessible to a wider audience. I just wish there was more of it. For example, it would have been helpful to diagrammatically depict natural selection acting on a population or the gradual transition from hooved mammals to whales. Such diagrams might even have wholly replaced the explanations.

The book also does a great job of highlighting the opinions of those who have no difficulty both accepting evolution and being religious. It calls them out on their own pages and gives each quote its own color. It's hard to fly by them without reading them and giving the opinions their due. The book also distinguishes among scientism (no God necessary), deism (God only started things), and theism (God continues to intervene), saying that people who accept evolution can fall into any of these camps. It is absolutely wonderful that the book offers readers these perspectives for consideration. I wish these positions had themselves been highlighted in boxes to keep readers from blowing past.

The book ends with an FAQ targeted at people who are confused about the compatibility of evolution and faith. This FAQ is very well written and should be accessible to general audiences. The paragraphs, though, would have benefited from spacing to make the text seem less daunting. The FAQ answers questions such as "Isn't belief in evolution also a matter of faith?" and "Wouldn't it be 'fair' to teach creationism along with evolution?" But I almost dismissed the FAQ as a collection of chapter notes. Each chapter of the book begins with a full-page photo, and when I hit a blank white page, I assumed that was the end of the book proper. The FAQ should have been a full-fledged chapter to be sure that casual readers wouldn't dismiss it as academic end matter.

For such a small book, the authors did a great job of carefully choosing content, and I only have one nitpick there. The book quickly summarizes the history of the universe and traverses through the origin of life. That may unnecessarily confuse biological evolution with cosmology. The book makes it clear that we're fuzzy on the origins question, but I don't think it makes it clear enough that origins and evolution are different things and that scientists are not the least bit fuzzy on the question of evolution.

This is a great book for confident readers. It hits all the important points on evolution and creationism. Unfortunately, the text probably isn't appropriate for the portion of the public that is actually confused about the issues, although the FAQ would likely reach these people. I think the book is one revision away from reaching the general audience it strives to reach.

(After writing the above review I noticed that the book's introduction says the intended audience is mainly educators, government officials, college students, and "high-quality school" students. I do think the book is quite suited for that more educated, more engaged market, but I still think it could benefit from some simplification. The concepts of evolution are hard for people to grasp and retain, even among those otherwise well-educated. Simpler language, more graphic communication, and story-telling would only help. I'd love to see this book revised for a general audience.)

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars science,evolution,and creationsim, January 18, 2008

By 

Elizabeth Flower "twohandstogether" (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Science, Evolution, and Creationism (Paperback)

There is a great deal of misunderstanding within the general population regarding the theory of evolution and how the processes of natural selection operate.
This book is short, easy to read and contains the basic facts relating to evolution, written in a simplified form such that anyone can understand it.
It discusses the differences between a fact and a theory in science, it illustrates evolution through common descent with modification, the fossil record as well as showing modern examples of evolution through natural selection as seen in bacteria and viruses, guppies and other species.
One of the highlights is the dicussion of religion and its compatibility with evolution.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science, Evolution and Creationism., February 22, 2008

By 

Donald E. Mayne "Advocate for the Poor" (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Science, Evolution, and Creationism (Paperback)

The National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine have done an amazing job of clearly explaining the evidence for evolution in our world, and showing the absolute fallacy of the Creationist myth. I learned over 60 years ago that evolution is a fact, and it never interfered with my Christian beliefs, and my role as a minister. Creationism is based on false premises and the book shows that there is no sense to their arguments. The book is so well written that a non-scientist like myself can understand what they are saying and respond to the failure of Creationism which they depict.