Trial and Error and over 450,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
44 used & new from $5.95
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Trial and Error: The American Controversy Over Creation and Evolution
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading Trial and Error on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Trial and Error: The American Controversy Over Creation and Evolution (Paperback)

~ Edward J. Larson (Author) "The legal battles of the creation-evolution controversy, to a great extent, have centered on the contents of high-school science textbooks..." (more)
Key Phrases: creationist instruction, lutionary teaching, creationism bill, New York, United States, Little Rock (more...)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
List Price: $35.00
Price: $29.94 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save: $5.06 (14%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Tuesday, March 23? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
24 new from $8.93 20 used from $5.95

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $19.25   -- --
Hardcover $110.00   $54.92 $34.98
Paperback $29.94   $8.93 $5.95

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion by Edward J. Larson

Trial and Error: The American Controversy Over Creation and Evolution + Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion
Price For Both: $41.47

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion

Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion

by Edward J. Larson
4.5 out of 5 stars (65)  $11.53
Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory (Modern Library Chronicles)

Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory (Modern Library Chronicles)

by Edward J. Larson
4.2 out of 5 stars (22)  $10.17
The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design, Expanded Edition

The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design, Expanded Edition

by Ronald L. Numbers
4.5 out of 5 stars (19)  $22.50
Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul

Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul

by Edward Humes
4.6 out of 5 stars (59)  $12.47
The Scopes Trial: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

The Scopes Trial: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

by Jeffrey P. Moran
4.5 out of 5 stars (4)  $11.65
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Larson...ably illuminates the legal and constitutional issues...yet he is admirably aware that what transpires in state houses and law courts usually reflects larger social forces." ---The New Republic

"The main contribution of the book is that it traces clearly the legal controversies surrounding evolution and creationism in American high schools, but readers will also enjoy a vivid retelling of personal credos, political machinations, pedagogical developments, and other historical circumstances surrounding the vicissitudes of 'public science' in the schools."---Science

"The merging of several disciplines in a single scholar proves unusually rewarding to the treatment of creationism in American education. Whatever the outcome of the current cases...the need for a scholarly assessment of antecedents and prospects in this area has never been clearer." ---Journal of Law and Religion

"The publication in 1985 of an important study of the persistent controversy over the theory of evolution by Edward J. Larson received scant attention in several major historical journals....Whatever the reasons for this oversight, Larson, fortuneatly, has expanded the original edition....Larson's study is written in clear, crisp prose that makes complex legal issues easily comprehensible to the nonspecialist....Few will be so naive as to believe that the court decisions of the 1980s have laid to rest the creationist-evolutionist debate." ---Isis


"Larson...ably illuminates the legal and constitutional issues...yet he is admirably aware that what transpires in state houses and law courts usually reflects larger social forces." ---The New Republic
"The main contribution of the book is that it traces clearly the legal controversies surrounding evolution and creationism in American high schools, but readers will also enjoy a vivid retelling of personal credos, political machinations, pedagogical developments, and other historical circumstances surrounding the vicissitudes of 'public science' in the schools."---Science
"The publication in 1985 of an important study of the persistent controversy over the theory of evolution by Edward J. Larson received scant attention in several major historical journals....Whatever the reasons for this oversight, Larson, fortuneatly, has expanded the original edition....Larson's study is written in clear, crisp prose that makes complex legal issues easily comprehensible to the nonspecialist....Few will be so naive as to believe that the court decisions of the 1980s have laid to rest the creationist-evolutionist debate." ---Isis
"The merging of several disciplines in a single scholar proves unusually rewarding to the treatment of creationism in American education. Whatever the outcome of the current cases...the need for a scholarly assessment of antecedents and prospects in this area has never been clearer." ---Journal of Law and Religion

Product Description

Trial and Error traces the coverage or lack thereof, of evolution in textbooks used in American public schools from the mid-1800s to the present. While the teaching of Darwinian evolution was common and not controversial in the late 19th century and into the early 20th century, the debates between evolutionists and creationists, those who argue that the Biblical theory of origins deserves equal treatment, have flared throughout the twentieth century--first in the 1920s, most famously in the Scopes trial; again in the 1960s, when the regional legislation banning the teaching of evolution was overturned, notably in Arkansas and Louisiana; and throughout the 1980s with various controversies over science textbooks, including California. Larson proposes to bring the subject up to the present through a discussion of recent trends, including the "intelligent design" movement, led by Phillip Johnson, a revised form of anti-evolutionism that gained popularity on college campuses; the impact of Michael Behe's versions of evolution; and debates over what counts as evidence for and against evolution--all of which have influenced debates over science standards, particularly at state and local levels. This new chapter will chronicle anti-evolution actions in Kansas and elsewhere and counter-actions by the National Academy of Science and other anti-creationist groups. This updated classic work presents a balanced historical interpretation of legal and educational debates over evolutionism, and will appeal to those interested in the fields of history, religion, science, and law.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition (January 23, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0195154711
  • ISBN-13: 978-0195154719
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #556,336 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #95 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation
    #95 in  Books > Nonfiction > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Edward J. Larson
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Edward J. Larson Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
The legal battles of the creation-evolution controversy, to a great extent, have centered on the contents of high-school science textbooks. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
creationist instruction, lutionary teaching, creationism bill, creationism law, state science standards, creationist concepts, monkey laws, evolution statute, biblical creationism, modern creationism, evolutionary texts, scientific creationism, creation science, evolution bill, scientific creationists, theistic evolution
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, United States, Little Rock, Henry Morris, First World War, House of Representatives, William Jennings Bryan, Free Exercise Clause, Wendell Bird, Asa Gray, Science Framework, Creation Research Society, South Carolina, William Bell Riley, Balanced Treatment Act, Bill of Rights, Charles Darwin, Civic Biology, Fifth Circuit, Fourteenth Amendment, George Marsden, Governor Peay, Great Commoner, John Roach Straton, Kelly Segraves
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 37 books:
See all 37 books this book cites
 
11 books cite this book:
See all 11 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
 

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(57)
(36)
(38)
(21)
(27)
(16)
(21)
(9)
(12)
(8)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive Legal History of the Creationism Controvery, January 6, 1996
By A Customer
This review is from: Trial and Error: The American Controversy Over Creation and Evolution (Paperback)
Larson's book is excellent. It focuses only on the legal history of 20th Century Creationism. The book was quite objective and thorough and it is hard to discerne the author's position on the matter, although one suspects he may not be sympathetic to the Creationist cause since he is familiar with their sometimes devious and irrational strategies for manipulating public opinion, the courts and state legislatures to "overrule" the scientific community in the matter of evolution. He succeeds in amply illustrating his main thesis, namely that the response of the courts to Creationism has been profoundly influenced by public opinion. Well written and recently revised to bring it up to date.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars God, Science, Education and the Courts, November 1, 2005
By A. Calabrese "othernj" (NJ--United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Trial and Error: The American Controversy over Creation and Evolution by Edward J. Larson is the definitive history of the ongoing American argument of the place of religion and science in the public schools. The author does a superb job in giving the reader the history of biology texts from the 19th century into the 20th century. The book traces the history of legislation and court cases in the ongoing controversy of the place of evolution and creation science in American education. I read this book after I read Larson's later work, Summer Of The Gods. In this earlier work Edward J. Larson is even handed and objective. He presents the facts and history of each court case in understandable terms. This book shows how both sides are really the same, fundementalists, unwilling, really, to listen to what the other side has to say. Anyone interested in this aspect of American history can do no better than to consult Trial and Error: The American Controversy over Creation and Evolution by Edward J. Larson.

This is an issue that will not go away, despite the hopes of both sides in this fight. In light of the pending Dover, PA court case it is a good idea to keep any of Larson's books handy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
16 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Crisis in classroom and courtroom, July 12, 2004
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)   
In the Twentieth Century United States, the long war of Christianity to quell reason achieved a new intensity. There, the casualities weren't a reticent Copernicus or a timorous Galileo, but uncountable thousands of innocent schoolchildren. In that nation, supposedly founded on the separation of religion and the secular, the battleground shifted. Instead of the contestants clashing in academic debating rooms, the confrontations occured in lawcourts. Larson offers the first comprehensive survey of Christian forays into public education in the United States, and the legal disputes that ensued. He does it with a sense of detachment not easily attained in dealing with this topic.

Larson outlines the background to American forms of Christianity [which have few counterparts elsewhere], before homing in on the 1925 landmark trial in Dayton, Tennessee. Although "fundamentalism" may have germinated early in the 19th Century, it was the post WWI years that brought fruition and gave it voice, according to Larson. The voice came to be centred in the three-time Presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan. Although a "reformer" with many causes, it is his role as an anti-Darwinist that captured enduring attention. A "Biblical literalist", Bryan found all social values stemming from "the Bible". As a fundamentalist champion, once he overcame an initial reluctance, he endorsed state legistlation banning Darwin from the classroom.

The famous "Scopes trial" set in motion a sequence of enactments in various States, not all Southron ones, to prevent Darwin's Idea from polluting young minds. Many of these laws were sketchily enforced, but their very existence led to a wave of self-censorship among text-book publishers. It isn't necessary to ban what isn't there, as Larson makes clear. Two generations of children passed through school without learning how life works.

An unexpected trigger led to a fresh wave of challenges to the vacuities of science teaching in the United States. Larson cites the Soviet Union's launching of a silvery sphere in orbit around the planet as prompting a new outlook. Cries of betrayal led to sharp looks at how science was considered in American schools. Among the topics, of course, evolution was given fresh attention. With many States banning or eroding the topic, a fresh wave of court cases resulted. However, State control of education was a given - how then to proceed against restricted curricula?

It was also a given that religion and government remain apart. Challenges to the new legislation focused on The Establishment clause of the constitution which prohibited laws favouring religion. Since evolution was forbidden, what to teach inevitably meant reverting to biblical texts. Various laws were successfully overturned as promoting religion in public schools. Larson takes us carefully through the various cases, particularly the 1981 Arkansas "McLean" decision. For the first time, expert witnesses were allowed to cinch the case for evolution. This decision, and a succeeding one in Louisiana, seemed to some to have finished the disputations. Enter the ICR and a new Christian wave eroding Darwin's insight.

Larson describes Henry Morris' Institution for Creation Research as a prime mover in launching the new challenges to reason. Although Morris was a key figure, Larson, keeping with his legalist theme, brings lawyer Phillip Johnson's "Darwin On Trial" to front stage. Johnson's books, which have been described as Christian "legal briefs", express a dichotomy: life is either spiritual or material. He opts for spiritual, condemning evolution as "athiestic" and lacking morals. Johnson is joined by Michael Behe's "intelligent design" movement that is now struggling for recognition. Aspects of life, Behe argues, is too complex to have emerged without a "guiding hand". Larson depicts this without judgmental asides, leaving the reader to form their own conclusions.

This book is the result of painstaking research, ably presenting a wealth of complex issues. Legal disputes rarely permit frivolous narrative, but Larson's book offers clarity and succinctness. A text that might have been horribly ponderous, given the legalist basis, proves a delight to read. He's to be congratulated for taking up this theme and how well he describes events and the people involved. The book will remain a fundamental resource for any future studies and should be read by a wide audience. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:
































i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.