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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
6 essays on how darwin changed american religion, July 26, 2003
This review is from: When All the Gods Trembled: Darwinism, Scopes, and American Intellectuals (American Intellectual Culture) (Hardcover)
Even if you disagree with every word he writes, you can't put the book down. it is that good. I have a hard time pointing out exactly what it is that makes this such a good book: partly he is an extraordinarily interesting writer, partly the book is chock full of absolute gems, i highlighted something on nearly every page. Partly the attentiveness to what lies underneath the surface, what isn't obvious about the topic in his hands becomes insight, the ah-ha experience that has you saying "why didn't i see that before?" But mostly, he is an addictive writer, drawing you into his comprehensive research, sharing his love of the ideas he presents, pulling you into his intellectual world more like a good novelist than the historian he is. He spells out the topic on the first page of the preface:
"What follows are six essays. They involve large, often cosmic issues. They involve a challengeable assumption--that the most foundational beliefs of Americans, almost all of which derive from the Judeo-Christian tradition, faced such an array of intellectual challenges in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as to amount to a major crisis of faith. This crisis first climaxed in the mid-1920's, but the issues have remained at the very center of cultural conflict. The crisis involved the credentials of age-old beliefs in the existence of a god, in a world that exhibits some extrinsic or intrinsic purpose, in the divine origin and special destiny of humans, and in moral values that have some transhuman sanction." One feature of the book that is admirable is the accuracy he presents the beliefs of people he disagrees with. For instance, his portrait of J.Gresham Machen is one of the best i've ever read, even though the author is not a discipline of Machen's tradition. This desire to be a good responsible historian makes the book at places where a lesser author would distort the record. You instinctive trust the history presented because you know the places he could have fudged, he didn't/ One of his big conclusions, is i believe, the BIG issue in the current Creation-Evolution-Design debate. In his own words, pg 141--"For many, the important issue was not which one of several competing gods fit reality, but whether a belief in either a supernatural or an immmanent god any longer made sense. Could anyone, in a post-Darwinian world, justify such a belief? Theism was now at stake. And those who felt themselves most attuned to the full implications of a Darwinian understanding of nature joined Darwin himself in rejecting any transcendent god (any god outside or beyond nature) and any purposeful divine mind or force within nature (and thus any cosmic teleology)." I deeply appreciated the book, it interested me enough in the short sketches of several thinkers that i will pursue studies of them. While at the same time it put several pieces into place for me because of the unique and systematic way the author built his case. I hope you find it as fruitful an afternoon with the book as did i. thanks for reading this short review.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A well-balanced, intellectual and thoughtful discourse, March 17, 2002
When All The Gods Trembled: Darwinism, Scopes, And American Intellectuals by Paul Conkin (Distinguished Professor of History, Vanderbilt University) is a collection of superbly reasoned and presented historical essays about the overwhelming impact science has had upon American religious thought, especially during the 1920s when "all the gods trembled" before the evolutionary theories of Darwinism. A well-balanced, intellectual and thoughtful discourse on the very serious and perplexing questions that science poses to faith When All The Gods Trembled is highly recommended reading for both students and general readers with an interest in the impact of 19th and 20th sciences on religious belief systems in the United States.
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A very ignorant and illiterate expose, February 28, 2011
To understand the monumental stupidity of the author and intention of this book we must look at the author himself and the innate fanatical religious bias that exists within his being. Otherwise, it is difficult to understand the outright tripe regurgitated forward by the author and contained within his book. It is filled with bias, inaccuracy, poor details, and ignorance of science and the scientific process that borders on criminal. Paul Conkin was born on a small East Tennessee farm in October 1929 not far from the notorious Dayton, TN. His bias for Dayton, TN and the fundamentalist religious fanatics, along with the eight grade illiterate farmer who was instrumental in passing the Butler Act is evident. According to Conkin the eight grade illiterate ignoramus is to be forgiven because he is "innocent and trying to maintain a way of life" by being instrumental in passing the Butler Act. To understand that statement by Conkin is rather easy, since he derives from the same area as Dayton, TN and his book is a subtle defense of the bible, creationism, and intelligent design. At the time of Conkin's birth America was in the throes of an historic financial crisis, his ignorant and illiterate household was largely unaware of the economic turmoil. That fact is unbelievable, and if true demonstrates the isolation, confinement, and mental state of which Conkin was exposed and which subsequently affected his maniacal penmanship as demonstrated in this book. Without electricity or indoor plumbing until years later, the Conkin family subsisted largely on dirt farming food produced on their farm and heard scant news from the outside world. This fact is a tribute to his growth in religious fanaticism. His family had no conveniences, nor strived to create normal family convenience, but was steeped in biblical mythology to an infinite degree. This short synoptic background will set the stage for Conkins notoriously uneducated attempt at revivalism in his book "When all the Gods Trembled". It is hard and painful to realize this book was written by Conkin in 1998! It is more appropriate for 1929. For Conkin species, evolution, even science have no definitions and the words are nebulous. I wonder why? Because Conkin wants to present his moronic case for the justification of the idiocy of the Dayton, TN community. He spends absolutely no time to discern how science works or what the scientific process is. It is clear to a third grade student, but not to a"Professor Emeritus of History", that the scientific process is based upon hypothesis, theory and arrival at a natural law. Definitions are changing until science through the process of discovery, fact finding, experimentation finds the FACTS to state a law of nature. Conkin rather fortuitously, for him, elects to ignore this fact. Examples of the scientific process are rampant and can be found in such simple example as Aristotle's definition of energy versus the modern conception developed by Einstein in the universal law; E=Mc2. We must wonder why Conkin, throughout his discourse never refers to how Darwin's approach has advanced. He elects to ignore all references to the inclusion of genetic, RNA, the primordial soup, and a host of fact based scientific data. From page 11 he begins to reference "elites" as those who can THINK in a negative framework. This liet motif reaches a crescendo in his review of the Scope's trial. All the professors, experts, Darrow, and anyone, except the clergy and poor "innocent" people of Dayton, TN, are "arrogant elitists". On page 25 he refers to Darwin as using the "language of natural theology" and using language of a God. No where is he so wrong. Darwin was an atheist and Conkin is reading into Darwin's writing his own personal East TN version of Darwin's words. Later Conkin states Darwin "hid his publication for his own benefit and then rushed to publish so Wallace would not get the credit". Again Conkin shows his ignorance and lack of knowledge of Darwin. For years Darwin wrestled with presenting his argument in as sound a fashion as possible knowing that previous work was dismissed by naturalists (today's scientists were called naturalists in Darwin's time). He also deferred publication out of great respect for his wife who was a devote Christian, but not of the fanatical type related to Conkin and his brethren. When Wallace shared his results with Darwin, Darwin published both accounts at the same time to make sure Wallace received appropriate credit. He then proceeded to finish his book published a few months later. Conkin's incorrect and inaccurate depiction of these events in astounding. He is like a man with sore eyes and finds the light painful, while in his darkness where he sees nothing it is restful and agreeable. It is Conckin's way of dealing with the facts. He makes a statement related to mythical, spiritual comments as "imminently logical". It is impossible to make any intelligent comment when someone refers to mythology as "imminently logical". Conkin talks at length concerning the numerous Protestant religions and never refers to Catholism. Yet the Catholics make up a full one-third of the religious body and have a significant view concerning evolution as has been espoused by the Pope. Why is this missing? He is an East TN protestant and resents Catholics. He pities poor Bryan, an "aged statesman" who Darrow makes a literal fool. In Conkin's view Darrow was a lonely, sad man and evil for embarrassing poor Bryan. He never refers to the fact that the pompous+ Bryan agreed to take the witness stand as an expert when he knew virtually nothing about the bible, and then proceeded to make himself a laughing stock. He fails to note that Darrow was a great lawyer and represented many of the poor, like the miners of eastern Pennsylvania. Darrow opposed the Barons and argued for the down-trodden many times successfully. Conkin instead elects to refer to Darrow's "despicable" defense of Leopold and Loeb. In other words, Conkin purposely focuses on one small aspect of Darrow in an attempt to make him look "unholy" at the expense of Darrow's long, distinguished and beneficial career Conkin states that "some sort of academic freedom" was at stake in this trial. Is he kidding? He pretends not to know! One must be aware of the fact that the entire TN legislature except five members voted to pass the Butler Act. The TN Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Act. Then in 1967 the Act was finally repealed out of worldwide embarrassment to TN. Even then there was great opposition to repeal. This is two years before our astronauts landed on the moon. Writing in 1998 Conkin laments the tragic sense of "irreparable loss" suffered by preventing the teaching of evolution in public schools,when the entire world is teaching it in their schools. Why does he not lament the lack of competitive ability of our students if evolution continued to be prohibited from biology books? He states his purpose in writing the book was to "make clear the tragedy". That is unbelievable and unforgivable. He fails to recognize that evolution has predicted the resistance of bacteria against antibiotics; that every level of earth has been predicted by evolution; that the probability of creating a fossil is one in a billion and then actually finding a useful fossil in that one in a billion is extremely small, etc. It is also instructive to note the absence of both the University of TN and Vanderbilt during the Scope's trial and in subsequent years following to make a case for quality public education and participate in creating a forum for good public education. Today the "tragedy" that Conkin refers to has carried over to TN school systems. The public school systems in TN are an unmitigated disaster due to control, religious dogma, and the unchanging belief system that brought about the Scope's trial. It can be found in student performance across the entire state. Conkin is alive and well at Vanderbilt University. A university that decided to stay low and avoid conflict while sacrificing academic freedom and knowledge. If you are a religious fanatic then you will find consolation in this book. If you are a searcher for the truth, knowledge, freedom, choice, independence, and the virtues America was built upon, then you will find this book very disconcerting, particularly since Conkin wrote it in 1998. If you brainwash with difficulty then you will be offended by Conkin. One thing is very impressive. It appears that if you are born in East TN then you will likely maintain your fanaticism throughout your entire life well into your 80s as Conkin has done, and you will find employment in the fanatical, controlling schools of TN like Conkin.
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