Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives [Paperback]

There are religious objections to the theory of evolution, but not scientific ones. There may be a few rogue scientists, seldom biologists, who object to evolution, but they are not the cause for 54% of Americans (latest Harris poll) rejecting the idea that humans developed from earlier species. The theory of evolution (and it is perhaps essential to re-state that "theory" in science does not mean "hypothesis" or "guess") is as soundly based as any scientific theory, and the odds that it will be overturned by future evidence are about the same as the odds that, say, atomic theory will be. Scientists have tried to make headway against fundamentalists who believe in a literal Bible (or Koran), in creationism, or in the Intelligent Design which is creationism in new clothes. Scientists have the bulk of the evidence, and fundamentalists have the faith. The two world views won't come to an agreement, but David Sloan Wilson, an evolutionary biologist at Binghamton University, does not involve himself in the religion versus science debate. He is, admittedly, an academic biologist, which just about guarantees that he is an evolutionist, and furthermore, he is not a religious man, at least in the way ordinary believers would like to define religion. The approach he describes in his book, -Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives- (Delacorte Press) is not a salvo into the argument between science and religion. It is instead a highly original and refreshing approach which grew out of a course Wilson teaches, with the same name as the book, and the course is indeed for everyone, not just science majors and not just undergraduates. The course, and the book, is not a denunciation of the detractors of evolution, nor a in-depth study of evolutionary details. Rather, it is an invitation to look at how evolutionary biologists do their work and an invitation to feel free to "try this at home" to see how evolution itself operates on many levels. Readers who take Wilson up on the invitation are in for a new way of looking at evolution, and a charming and amusing narrative that presents the subject in many novel ways.

Wilson shows that evolution's basics are easy to grasp, and they are certainly not counterintuitive like the principles in "hard" science like relativity or quantum mechanics. There are three ingredients that are essential, but anyone can understand them. There is variation among individuals in a species; there are consequences from this variation that make some individuals better at surviving and reproducing; and there is heredity that makes children resemble their parents. It isn't hard to understand any of these three ingredients, but when they are combined, they allow for successive generations to change, to increase fitness, and to become better adapted. Wilson's review demonstrates the principles working at all levels, not only for animals that are familiar to us as species, but within genes, cells, organs, bodies, social groups, nations, and religions. Time and again he shows what he calls "roll-up-your-sleeves" science, careful, non-esoteric work that produces one more brick, one more fact, in the evolutionary edifice. "The idea that science is hard to do and facts can never become reliable is incorrect at the brick level," he writes.

Evolutionary principles can be shown in higher social levels. Wilson decries the "social Darwinism" of the nineteenth century which justified levels of inequality. Human groups and nations can aspire to higher understanding of evolution. "We are not fated by our genes to engage in violent conflict," he writes, and shows that like everything else in the evolutionary realm, violence is a strategy that works sometimes but loses to less bloody strategies under other conditions. Not only nations but religions can be understood as social forces that whatever their devotion is to the supernatural, they are products of social selection, like bodies and beehives seen at other levels in this book. Wilson's previous book _Darwin's Cathedral_ was about his research in this realm, and shows that religions can be understood from an evolutionary perspective if examined for what they cause people to do. There are social studies about us, and about other primates, and about "lower" species, and even about tumors that show that there is a strong evolutionary urge to discourage cheaters and extract punishment in the constant battle between good and bad at all levels. Altruism can be encouraged. Wilson's optimism, both about the improvement of our futures and about the ongoing importance of scientific endeavor, is a delight. He writes, "The most extraordinary thing about public awareness of evolution is not that 50 per cent don't believe the theory but that nearly 100 percent haven't connected it to anything of importance in their lives." Here is a fine invitation to start making those vital connections.

As an avid reader of evolutionary biology books, I almost didn't get past the basic-sounding title. But then I saw that it was written by David Sloan Wilson, an eminent evolutionary theorist, and I found a real gem. In this very readable book, Wilson opens with a discussion of how simple and productive evolutionary thinking can be. He shows how he leads undergraduates from all disciplines to use an evolutionary viewpoint (asking "why" questions) to get a new perspective on life. Much of the book consists of examples taken from his career of asking and answering the right questions in various areas of biology as well as in the social sciences. The book really does have something (a lot) for everyone. For the lay reader, it opens up new perspectives on the world. For students, he provides a role model for a successful academic career. For teachers, he shows how evolutionary thinking can make biology exciting and add new dimensions to the humanities. For those already knowledgeable, he provides new leads, interpretations, and inspiration. While the overwhelming majority of biologists are comfortable with the basics of evolution through natural selection, most still are unfamiliar with the power of asking "why?" questions. Too many biologists dismiss it as "just-so stories" or hand waving. Let Wilson show you why evolutionary thinking is for everyone.

It is distressing to see yet more unnecessary arguments revolving around evolution: misunderstandings on the one hand and dogmatic insistence on the other. And it may surprise you to discover where we find the scientists and the people of religious faith.

A key point, and one that it developed exceptionally well in this terrific book, is that evolution is not just about human origins, dinosaurs and fossils. The model can be usefully applied to almost every facet of existence. Living systems have a natural tendency to evolve toward ever-greater order and complexity, while "inorganic" matter tends toward increasing entropy.

David Sloan Wilson has written some excellent scholarly works on evolution and this is his first book for a general audience. He is a man on a mission. Five years ago he attracted considerable praise, but also some controversy for his book Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society in which he attempted to bridge the gap between evolutionary theory and religion.

Wilson is distinguished professor of biological sciences with a joint appointment in anthropology at Binghamton University. He has become convinced that evolution can be more widely accepted once people understand its consequences for human welfare and he now directs a campus-wide evolutionary studies program called EvoS that is being adopted by other universities.

He is on record as saying that, "When evolution is presented as unthreatening, explanatory, and useful, it can be easily grasped and appreciated by most people, regardless of their religious or political beliefs."

Wilson must be a natural teacher: his language is straightforward and evocative and he knows when and how to insert the compelling anecdotes. He outlines the basic principles of evolution in a way that should be easily accessible for non-experts. He then uses these evolutionary principles to explain a range of phenomena: Why do wild dogs have curly tails? Why do some beetles commit infanticide? Why do people engage in behaviors that do not seem to be adaptive, like laughing and creating art?

He uses published research to try and answer many other questions. For example, is there a biological advantage to being a highly sensitive person? One answer is that under very stressful conditions, they are able to find meaning where other cannot. This brings to mind the work of Viktor Frankl who found that people who could find meaning in the face of terrible adversity were more likely to survive the concentration camps of the Holocaust.

Wilson also believes that religion is a social glue that enables groups of people to interact, function and survive as coherent units.

Nobody will agree with every one of his hypotheses, but they are fun and interesting reading, and his writing always stimulates and challenges. Even if you disagree with some of his conclusions, or feel that they undervalue human spiritual experience, they are well worth reading.

Highly recommended.

Richard G. Petty, MD, author of Healing, Meaning and Purpose: The Magical Power of the Emerging Laws of Life

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