The Top 10 Myths About Evolution [Paperback]

Cameron Smith (Author), Charles Sullivan (Author), Gerald Fried (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2006

Though the United States is the world leader in science and technology, many of its citizens display a shocking ignorance regarding basic scientific facts. Recent surveys have revealed that only about half of Americans realise that humans have never lived side by side with dinosaurs, and about the same number reject the idea that humans developed from earlier species of animals. This lack of knowledge in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence for evolution springs from a number of negative influences in contemporary society: poor secondary education in some regions of the country, misinformation in the mass media, and deliberate obfuscation by supporters of Creationism and Intelligent Design. In this concise, accessible, 'myth-buster's handbook', educators Cameron M. Smith and Charles Sullivan clearly dispel the ten most common myths about evolution, which continue to mislead average Americans. Using a refreshing, jargon-free style, they set the record straight on claims that evolution is 'just a theory', that Darwinian explanations of life undercut morality, that Intelligent Design is a legitimate alternative to conventional science, that humans come from chimpanzees, and six other popular but erroneous notions. Smith and Sullivan's reader-friendly, solidly researched text will serve as an important tool, both for teachers and laypersons seeking accurate information about evolution.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Among the many topics that have galvanized the public in recent years, the debate over evolution versus intelligent design has generated an outpouring of heated rhetoric from both sides. Terms such as "missing link," "natural selection," and "survival of the fittest" are glibly bandied about, yet these core ideas are seldom addressed with any degree of accuracy or understanding. In an effort to clarify prevailing misinterpretations and counteract misinformation relayed through the media, from the pulpit, or in the classroom, the authors have identified the 10 most common misconceptions about evolution. From "evolution is just a theory" to "man descended from monkeys," the inaccuracies behind each flawed statement are methodically exposed and carefully refuted, citing and expanding upon legitimate research through detailed annotations. Passionate in their support of evolutionary science, the authors nonetheless adopt a straightforward and ecumenical approach, precisely distilling each hot-button issue to its cogent essence. The result is a meticulously researched and distinctly presented overview of a complex and contentious issue. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A modest proposal to reverse the national great leap backwards: I say we all familiarize ourselves with the compelling, crystalline logic of "The Top Ten Myths about Evolution." Then, let's do our best to connect with those who have yet to accept the ancient legacy of life on earth as revealed by Darwin and affirmed in countless ways by the generations of science ever since." -- Ann Druyan "co-author with Carl Sagan of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (November 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159102479X
• ISBN-13: 978-1591024798
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Educated in Africa, England, the USA and Canada, Dr. Cameron M. Smith teaches archaeology and human evolution at Portland State University and Linfield College. He has published in peer-reviewed research journals, written features for magazines such as 'Scientific American MIND' and 'Archaeology', and written several books. His award-winning travel writing has appeared in both magazines and anthologies. Away from his office, Cameron is an active SCUBA diver and paraglider pilot whose many expeditions have taken him from Africa to the Arctic. He is currently writing two books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great idea, but won't convince the fence-sitters, January 14, 2007

By 

Jean E. Pouliot (Newburyport, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Top 10 Myths About Evolution (Paperback)

First of all, those who believe in the power of science to understand the natural world should breathe a sigh of relief. This book is not an attack on the theory of evolution. Thankfully, it is an attempt to disabuse the pro-evolution layman of certain commonly-held misunderstandings about the way evolution works. "Survival of the fittest," for instance, does not require animals to war with each other. A woodpecker can be relatively unfit in comparison to another by dint of a tiny difference in hearing, allowing one bird to catch a few more bugs and have more baby woodpeckers. Human beings are not the pinnacle of creation, though we may be agents of its destruction! That we happen to be the top dog in many of the Earth's ecosystems today is happenstance; evolution has not been toiling for eons to produce us. A little change in the environment, and we would go the way of the dodo.

The final two chapters veer from the book's approach in order to attack both so-called Creation Science and Intelligent Design theory. In particular, the authors go after ID's theory of irreducible complexity -- the idea that certain biological structures -- the eye or the flagellum of of a bacterium -- are far too complicated to have been designed by anything but a divine Creator.

As a pro-evolutionist (and devout theist, I might add), I congratulate the authors on their intent. However, the volume serves more as a reminder to the layman of how evolution can be misunderstood. At only 200 pages, the book is far too sketchy to persuade the doubter that evolution is the best way to explain the disparate lifeforms we encounter on Earth today. From a personal perspective, I have been more persuaded by the books of Stephen Jay Gould, Jared Diamond, Matt Ridley and others. These authors tell the "back story" -- the analysis of the panda's thumb or junk DNA -- that leads the reader to the same conclusions as the author.

As a lay reader who has done a fair amount of reading about the topic, I found this book somewhat wanting. It will neither nourish the devotee of evolutionary science nor persuade the doubter. But it does a decent job of summarizing currently-accepted conclusions about what evolution is and what it is not. And the cover photo of a seemingly-shocked white-faced capuchin (I think!) is adorable.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable resource on evolution, January 16, 2008

By 

Mike Renzulli (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Top 10 Myths About Evolution (Paperback)

Humorist Dave Barry remarked once:

"I constantly see evidence that Americans do not understand basic scientific principles. For example, the great mathematician and dead person Sir Isaac Newton (who also invented gravity) proved in 1853 that, no matter how hard you push, you cannot fit an object into an airplane storage compartment if the object is way bigger than the compartment. Americans still do not understand this."

Unfortunately, this is also true about the average American's knowledge about evolution.

Cameron Smith and Charles Sullivan clearly debunk the ten most common accusations made against evolution. Explaining it in layman's terms, Smith and Sullivan set the record straight on things like evolution is "just a theory", evolution is immoral, Intelligent Design is legitimate science, humans come from monkeys and six other claims made by opponents of scientific inquiry.

The book is very well written and researched and is an invaluable source for the average person who wants to read the facts about this topic. I am sure the authors had the fact that many people (my self included) do not remember what they were taught in school since people usually think of science as boring.

This book is sorely needed due to the lack of knowledge, misinformation in the media as well as supporters of creationism and un-Intelligent Design who deliberately lie about evolution and try to present their pseudo-science as fact.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent: Exposes the sham of so-called "intelligent design" claims, January 6, 2007

By 

Quinn (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Top 10 Myths About Evolution (Paperback)

I found this well written and thoroughly researched book to be an excellent treatment of the most common myths about evolution. Sullivan and Smith dissect the most common misconceptions and mischaracteriazations about evolution, exposing and correcting the sloppy phraseology used in the mass media and clearly explaining "what evolution is and how it happens." I found the chapter regarding the claims of "creation science" and "intelligent design" proponents to be especially illuminating. They expose the severe weaknesses and "deliberate obfuscations" in their arguments.