Where Darwin Meets the Bible: Creationists and Evolutionists in America [Hardcover]

 

 

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Creationism and Evolution have been at loggerheads ever since Darwin's Origin of Species exploded onto the scene in 1859.

Particularly within the United States (which is the prescribed scope of this work,) the contest has been integrated within the political and social weave, especially in terms of education and public policy. Far from diminishing, the battle continues to rage and now the additional wrinkle of Intelligent Design is realigning and redefining the battle.

Witham does a remarkably good job of identifying the major players within the debate and the significant events. He remains remarkably neutral in terms of evaluating the validity of the arguments themselves, and sticks to providing a framework that any reasonable person from either camp, should be able to work through and come away with a better understanding of the issues and how they developed.

This is no small feat given the emotional depth that this argument plums on both sides.

Corallaries exist in terms of defining the arguments on both sides and the interested reader should be able to benefit from the bibliography what they are and where those sources can be found.

If you're approaching this issue in depth for the first time, or even if you already have taken a firm position, you should find this book valuable. You will come away with a better understanding of the history of the conflict and maybe even a better appreciation and understanding of both sides of the argument, if you can maintain enough independence to see it.

This is an invaluable, and balanced, account of the Darwin debate, with particular attention to the Creationist initiatives of the last generation, climaxing in the Intelligent Design movement with its battle for the schools. The many interviews include vignettes of most of the major players, and help to fill in the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the two camps in ways partisans do not. The period starting with Philip Johnson's Darwin on Trial is especially well covered.
Despite rooting for the science camp, I was struck by the rigidity of the scientific camp and the clear feeling one gets that this is an artificially created culture war that results from the disastrous legacy of reductionist theories promoted ambitiously to rewrite culture from top to bottom. The gang of crackpots that has made evolution service their atheist obsessions has distorted its whole development. That's not a statement in favor of theism in evolution, but of deceptive science used to promote an agenda based on bogus proofs by natural selection. The integrity of science is at risk. The metaphysics of atheism is as severe as the theistic. This has distorted the exposure of the flaws in the theory, all along.
It could never have succeeded and we see the growth of resistance.
What seems surprising and sad is how little the broader spectrum of culture beyond the Creationist niche is aware of or involved in the issues. This abdication of the field by mainstream culture is a puzzle, for the problems with Darwin's theory are not so hard to uncover. One reason is the clear disinformation of overly promoted and under-examined scientism. Part if the reason is the savage attack on the 'two cultures' which were put there to cooperate by constructively opposites perspectives. Now noone would dare think aloud lest they get mauled by the mad horde in the Dawkins jihad.
Since much of the debate is about schools one is struck by the tenacity of scientific obtuseness on evolution, and one must conclude that specialized education is to blame. Scientists tend to be very good about technical subjects but unable to see the broader implications of Darwinism and the harm done by positivistic thinking made general in the name of science. This has nothing to do with religion versus science, as such, and indicates the one dimensional attitude that science in general explains everything, and Darwinism in particular is the great world historical breakthrough that is was not.
This is a very thorough book, and recommended for coming to grips with the cultural politics of evolution.
We need a debriefing of Darwin sometime soon. But the Darwin establishment as this book indicates is so entrenched that this seems unlikely.
It is a scandal that fundamentalists have been the principal party to perform this task. Since I dislike Creationism, that is saying something!

Witham's historical and sociological report on the current status of creationism in the United States mostly takes up where Ronald Numbers' THE CREATIONISTS leaves off. Readers will find much information about the new creationist movement that took off in the 1990s, but will also be exposed to the great diversity of thought within the ranks of the creationists and within those of religious scientists (most of whom are also evolutionists) more generally. There is precious little critical analysis in this book, so those who want answers in the creationism vs. evolution controversy will need to look elsewhere (for instance, to Robert T. Pennock's TOWER OF BABEL and Kenneth R. Miller's FINDING DARWIN'S GOD), but anyone interested in getting a broad overview of the modern interaction (or lack thereof) between evolutionary biology and religion will appreciate Witham's work very much.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Potentially useful ... but ...
While I overall enjoyed this book, providing as it did a number of interesting facts and observations regarding creationism in America, I was left feeling more than a little... Read more

Published on Jan 19 2003 by John Lynch

5.0 out of 5 stars A breakthrough Book
All indications are that the creation-evolution controversy will continue to heat up as time goes on. Read more

Published on Dec 25 2002

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