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Darwinian Fairytales: Selfish Genes, Errors of Heredity and Other Fables of Evolution Hardcover – February 1, 2006

by David Stove (Author), Roger Kimball (Introduction)
3.9 out of 5 stars 55 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Encounter Books (February 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1594031401
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594031403
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.3 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,439,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsThe H.L. Mencken of sociobiology
By Scott C. Locklin VINE VOICE on April 3, 2007
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
David Stove is one of the great underappreciated writers of the late 20th century. He's also dead, which doesn't generally do much for one's ability to slay dragons. It is fortunate the good people at the New Criterion have more or less sponsored his revival; he deserves to be much more widely known. Stove was an Australian academic philosopher who became embroiled in a university in-fight against what I like to call, the "know nothing academics" who came to prominence in the 1960s. Know nothings essentially make their livings making raspberry sounds at Western civilization. Stove was outraged such people could be taken seriously by anyone, and so he devoted a large amount of his considerable remaining wit and energy making such people miserable. This book represents one of his efforts in that direction. Contrary to what many people are saying in the reviews, Stove explicitly believes in Darwinian evolution, "more or less." I.e. he states that he believes in the broad strokes of evolutionary theory. He is, as others have stated, an atheist (as am I, if that matters to anyone).

He very specifically doesn't believe in nonsense views of evolution; in particular, the "hard man" view of Herbert Spencer or its intellectual descendant, the "selfish gene" view of Dawkins and company. Stove ruthlessly mocks the preposterous premises of these ideas (which even a 'good' Popperian would instantly recognize as non-falsifiable piffle), simply by examining them for what they really are. He also points out numerous giant conceptual lacunae, counterfactuals and the examples of flat out nonsense that make up the evidence for sociobiological "theory." Why does Stove do this? Apparently, he was ahead of his time.Read more ›
7 Comments 72 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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4.0 out of 5 starsA skeptical, analytical philosopher takes on Darwin, Dawkins
By Wesley L. Janssen VINE VOICE on October 1, 2007
Format: Paperback
"[Stove] is particularly good at exposing the `amazingly arrogant habit of Darwinians' of `blaming the fact, instead of blaming their theory' when they encounter contrary biological facts. Doctrinaire Darwinists have an answer for everything, always a bad sign in science, since it means that mere facts can never prove them wrong." - from Roger Kimball's Introduction

It is not at all the case that Stove objects to Darwinism on religious grounds, in fact he believes that present life has by some means evolved from earlier forms; however he is quite certain that "Darwin's explanation of evolution, even though it is . . . still the best one available, is not true." Stove would object, and strongly so, to having his essays cast as being sympathetic to `creationism' or, so far as I can tell, `intelligent design', as he defines himself as a man "of no religion." His knowledge and scholarship of Darwinian theory is self-evidently vast; he suggests that he has "wasted" his time reading hundreds of Darwinism's books and `Darwinian Fairytales' makes it quite evident that he has indeed studied every prominent Darwinian "from 1859 to the present hour."

I had just begun reading Richard Dawkins' `The Blind Watchmaker' when I noticed that David Stove's `Darwinian Fairytales' had been reprinted. While reading them both it quickly seemed imperative that I read Dawkins' `The Selfish Gene' before proceeding with either TBW or DF. So that is what I did. Reading the three books in close conjunction was quite a fascinating experience, and, as I have indicated elsewhere (my review of TSG), Dawkins didn't fare to well.

Stove, the late Australian philosopher of science, effectively skewers Dawkins (especially TSG, but, to a lesser extent, TBW as well), Stove nails E.O.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsSolid, brilliant, amusing.
By Dr. Jeff Stebbins on April 8, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Many scientists and laypersons, sadly, never read philosophy of science. Though informal and humorous, this is a fine introduction to the genre. Those who grasp its importance may also enjoy Midgley's "Darwinism as a Religion" and Polanyi's "Science, Faith, and Society." Like Stove, but with less humour, they harangue those (such as Dawkins and Sagan) who publish popular propaganda or religion disguised as science.

Stove highlights how illogical science can be silly or, in the case of neo-Darwinism applied to humankind, insulting. Midgley does that and more--especially by showing how Darwinism's core tenets are held by faith. Polanyi, though, is the scariest of the lot, for he describes (from his experiences of Nazism and Stalinism) how pop evolution has led to the inhumanities of abortion, euthanasia, eugenics and genocide.

When Stove attacks neo-Darwinians' use of purposive language (for, in order to, plan, strategy, etc.), and especially, when he compares it to the language of Intelligent Design, he is very, very good. I've long wondered how unguided natural forces, without the benefits of intent, are supposed to "adapt for" anything. Perhaps most delightful is Stove's description of how the anti-religious Dawkins has ordained himself the high priest of gene worship. At times, Stove takes too long (by, say, 20-30%) saying what he says. His prose is so delightful, though, that I forgive (even welcome) his verbosity.

Reviewers read books. Since "reviewer" John's last sentence points out that he has not read this one, I'm not sure what he was reviewing. If, however, he's looking for "real scientists" (i.e. not philosophers or Christians!Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

OK

Published 2 months ago by ep
3.0 out of 5 starsIt didn't get to the heart of the problem. ...

It didn't get to the heart of the problem. Darwinian Evolution is basically a problem because it erroneously attempts to explain 'survival of the fittest' as abstract rather than... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Barbara Chitwood
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent book. Should be in everybody's library.

Published 13 months ago by K. A. Bailey
5.0 out of 5 starsIconoclastic and punchy attack on the excesses of Neo-Darwinism

A wonderfully iconoclastic attack on the cult of Neo-Darwinism by an atheist philosopher. Stove does a wonderful job of highlighting the cracks not so much in evolutionary theory... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Andy Bannister
1.0 out of 5 starsavoid this book, save your money and time.

There is no legimate argument about anything in this book. Even at the time that it was written, to bash on Dawkins and pretend that you are taking a novel stand was pretty... Read more

Published on July 15, 2014 by Nathan R.
5.0 out of 5 starsCritique of Darwinism

Excellent critique of Darwinian thought by a noted philosopher. He discusses the in-depth inadequacies of Darwinian thought with regard to humans. Read more

Published on March 28, 2014 by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsWhopping Good Read!

Stove's wonderful. The first essay alone is worth the Kindle price, and you get ten extra that are just as good. Read more

Published on January 30, 2014 by Walt
1.0 out of 5 starsDavid Stove does not understand Evolution

"Even if such a tribe could somehow continue in existence, it is extremely difficult to imagine how our species, as we now know it to be, could ever have graduated from so very... Read more

Published on January 29, 2014 by Geneticist
5.0 out of 5 starsA great book that maybe most people should not read

This book is a great book. Maybe most people should not read it.

Creationists should not read it, because they are going to take the shallowest possible view of it, and... Read more

Published on November 23, 2013 by learner
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent Critique of Sociobiology

Stove is an agnostic philosopher of science. He examines many modern sociobiological theories advanced by Darwinians. Read more

Published on November 2, 2013 by Mike Chartowich

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