What's Darwin Got to Do with It?: A Friendly Discussion About Evolution [Paperback]

Robert C. Newman (Author), John L. Wiester (Author), Janet Moneymaker (Author), Jonathan Moneymaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 2000

What's Darwin got to do with it? When it comes to evolution, quite a bit! But many people don't understand Darwin, creationism and intelligent design. Here's a book that makes sense of it all! A group of scholars, teachers, writers and illustrators have teamed up to create an easy-to-read introduction and critique to this important issue. You'll enjoy the lively and funny conversation that unfolds between two professors and they explore what science can explain about life. You'll find out what logic has to do with it. You'll see whether the changing beak sizes of Galapagos Islands finches prove Darwinism. And you'll enjoy the adventures of Darwinian superstars "Mutaman" and "Selecta." There's more to it all than you ever thought. But this witty and wise book makes it easier to understand than ever before!

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (January 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830822496
• ISBN-13: 978-0830822492
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever, but often deceptive, May 25, 2000

By 

James Davis (Hillsborough, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's Darwin Got to Do with It?: A Friendly Discussion About Evolution (Paperback)

I was initially excited about this book when it was given to me, since it begins by attempting to clarify often misunderstood terms such as "evolution" and "creationism." It also explains a position which I favor, "Intelligent Design." That being said, I was then disappointed by the approach. Rather than being an intelligent "conversation," the book becomes more of an obviously biased lecture on problems with Darwinism. The defender of Darwinism is an old, crotchety professorial type man, while the proponent of Intelligent Design is a young, perky, cheerful woman. It isn't hard to predict which character readers will be drawn to. The support for Darwinism is often portrayed with very silly (even for this comicbook approach) superhero characters, making the pro-Darwin argument seem ridiculous even before any evidence is actually examined. The pro-Intelligent Design support, however, is always portrayed in a rational, thoughtful manner.

Perhaps the best part of the book is its final pages of background information, in which the silliness is discarded, and some good points in favor of Intelligent Design are fairly made. Unfortunately, most young readers will likely skip that part, having completed the comic I did find it ironic, though, that the authors described a "trick" used to misconstrue Intelligent Design as religion by saying: "The trick works like this: (1) misconstrue the design theory position, (2) give the misconstrued position an erroneous and derogatory label, (3) attack the label, (4) dismiss the argument." This is, of course, exactly the tactic that was and still is used against Darwin's theories.

As long as a reader understands that this book is not written from a neutral perspective, it is worth reading. As I said, I agree with the basic position, but I wish the authors had not tried to portray an obviously pro-Intelligent Design book as a neutral discussion.

31 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophical Tennis Game, May 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: What's Darwin Got to Do with It?: A Friendly Discussion About Evolution (Paperback)

A quick look easily could fool a dilettante because of the quaint characters concerned about conveying their views connected with issues of origins. After a brief Introduction on competing ideas, the illustrated adventure leads to the meeting of Professor Teller and Professor Questor, two biologists who challenge each other's views regarding origins questions. From page to page the banter flies rapidly like a tennis ball going back and forth, thus forcing the observer-readers of the book to see both sides.

Both players score philosophical points, but creationist Questor tends to have the final "word". What's the outcome? In this game the reader of the book wins because he/she (whether evolutionist or creationist) will be challenged to reconsider the strengths and weaknesses of the performance of players on both sides.

42 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Logic and Evolution, March 12, 2000

By 

Helen E Fryman - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's Darwin Got to Do with It?: A Friendly Discussion About Evolution (Paperback)

When this book was recommended to me, I cringed inwardly -- another creation/evolution book. And in cartoon style? Give me a break...

It was a delightful surprise. "What's Darwin Got to Do With It?" is not a rehash of the same old stuff. The cartoon format keeps the presentation succinct and clear. No long philosophical essays -- just sharp, clear points. But the authors did not stop with that. They have shown, step by step, the logical errors involved with Darwinism. Interjected at a few points are pages pointing out both pitfalls where definitions are concerned and logical errors in arguments we have all heard dozens of times. Encompassing it all is the cartoonist's skill, which had me smiling most of the time and chuckling out loud a few times.

This book is not only enjoyable, it is thought-provoking and a substantive addition to the material available dealing with the controversy surrounding evolution.