Download or read book Darwin s Wager written by James B. Miles and published by Troubador Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2021-01-28 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the father of gene-centred evolutionary biology, George C. Williams, asked the world’s largest university press to publish a popular-level exposé of Darwin’s wager, he was told the idea was far too radical to put in front of the reading public. Because Darwin wagered in 1871 that humankind is born just another cannibalistic great ape, and that it falls on culture, not biology, to civilise us. Darwin’s wager explains mathematically the enormous power of culture, yet that only by acknowledging this can societies become moral and just. Though many, including the United States, may well never get there. Darwin’s wager has been buried, suppressed, for a century and a half. Darwin couldn’t get the idea out, and the giants of modern evolutionary biology couldn’t get the idea out. So on this 150th anniversary we will fight Darwin’s final battle for him.
Download or read book Science and Scientism in Nineteenth century Europe written by Richard Olson and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 19th century produced scientific and cultural revolutions that forever transformed modern European life. Richard Olson provides an integrated account of the history of science and its impact on intellectual and social trends of the day.
Download or read book Darwin Strikes Back written by Thomas Woodward and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2006-11-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The debate between proponents of Darwinism and those of Intelligent Design has reached the status of a full-scale public battle. With stories of qualifying statements about evolution in public school textbooks and the recent 70th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey trial in the news, the question about our origins will not be put to rest. Following up his award-winning Doubts about Darwin, Thomas Woodward traces the continuing saga of the ID movement in Darwin Strikes Back. Focusing on the emerging key players on both sides--Michael Behe, William Dembski, Kenneth Miller, Robert Pennock, and more--Woodward helps readers navigate the tangled maze of public debate, including anti-ID activism from Christians, and shows them what might be coming next.
Download or read book Memory Amnesia and the Hippocampal System written by Neal J. Cohen and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 1182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this sweeping synthesis, Neal J. Cohen and Howard Eichenbaum bring together converging findings from neuropsychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science that provide the critical clues and constraints for developing a more comprehensive understanding of memory. Specifically, they offer a cognitive neuroscience theory of memory that accounts for the nature of memory impairment exhibited in human amnesia and animal models of amnesia, that specifies the functional role played by the hippocampal system in memory, and that provides further understanding of the componential structure of memory.The authors' central thesis is that the hippocampal system mediates a capacity for declarative memory, the kind of memory that in humans supports conscious recollection and the explicit and flexible expression of memories. They argue that this capacity emerges from a representation of critical relations among items in memory, and that such a relational representation supports the ability to make inferences and generalizations from memory, and to manipulate and flexibly express memory in countless ways. In articulating such a description of the fundamental nature of declarative representation and of the mnemonic capabilities to which it gives rise, the authors' theory constitutes a major extension and elaboration of the earlier procedural-declarative account of memory.Support for this view is taken from a variety of experimental studies of amnesia in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents. Additional support is drawn from observations concerning the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the hippocampal system. The data taken from divergent literatures are shown to converge on the central theme of hippocampal involvement in declarative memory across species and across behavioral paradigms.
Download or read book Darwinism Under the Microscope written by James P. Gills and published by Charisma Media. This book was released on 2002 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Darwinism Under the Microscope probes the exciting "Darwinism vs. Design" debate that is making headlines. It lays a scientific foundation for "divine design" and equips the reader to discuss the topic intelligently...even with professors!
Download or read book Where Darwin Meets the Bible written by Larry Witham and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2005 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where Darwin Meets the Bible provides an account of the lasting conflict between creationists and evolutionists.
Download or read book Scientists Confront Intelligent Design and Creationism written by Andrew J. Petto and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2007 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the pseudoscience of creationism rising again under the guise of "intelligent design," this powerful collection eviscerates the new assault on evolution and reveals the pervasive and insidious threat posed to genuine science by ID proponents like Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe, and William Dembski. The sixteen original essays address two key issues: the overwhelming scientific evidence for evolution gathered over 150 years and the dubious underpinnings of creationism; and how society can mount better educational and legal policies to prevent a theological takeover of our public and scientific institutions. The book includes powerful voices in the modern culture war against ID, including Kevin Padian, paleontologist and expert witness in the landmark lawsuit of Kitzmiller v. Dover. With creationist arguments forever morphing and reappearing under new aliases, this new confrontation is a must- read for teachers, students, and general readers, and a ringing and lasting refutation of creationism's fraudulent claims.
Download or read book Understanding Evolution written by Kostas Kampourakis and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-03 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together conceptual obstacles and core concepts of evolutionary theory, this book presents evolution as straightforward and intuitive.
Download or read book So What s the Difference written by Fritz Ridenour and published by Gospel Light Publications. This book was released on 2001-03-02 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: So What’s the Difference has been revised and updated for the 21st Century to help Christians better understand their own beliefs. A classic first released in 1967, this revision takes a current look at the answer to the question, How does orthodox biblical Christianity differ from other faiths? In a straightforward, objective comparison, Fritz Ridenour explores and explains the basic tenets of 20 worldviews, religions and faiths, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, New Age and Mormonism.
Download or read book Evidence for Faith 101 written by Bruce Bickel and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2008 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Free of clichés or rhetorical arguments, a primer on Christian apologetics tackles vital questions people of all ages and beliefs are asking, presenting evidence from the world, history, and lives of people who have been changed by something bigger than themselves. Original.
Download or read book Tower of Babel written by Robert T. Pennock and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2000-02-28 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Creationists have acquired a more sophisticated intellectual arsenal. This book reveals the insubstantiality of their arguments. Creationism is no longer the simple notion it once was taken to be. Its new advocates have become more sophisticated in how they present their views, speaking of "intelligent design" rather than "creation science" and aiming their arguments against the naturalistic philosophical method that underlies science, proposing to replace it with a "theistic science." The creationism controversy is not just about the status of Darwinian evolution—it is a clash of religious and philosophical worldviews, for a common underlying fear among Creationists is that evolution undermines both the basis of morality as they understand it and the possibility of purpose in life. In Tower of Babel, philosopher Robert T. Pennock compares the views of the new creationists with those of the old and reveals the insubstantiality of their arguments. One of Pennock's major innovations is to turn from biological evolution to the less charged subject of linguistic evolution, which has strong theoretical parallels with biological evolution, both in content and in the sort of evidence scientists use to draw conclusions about origins. Of course, an evolutionary view of language does conflict with the Bible, which says that God created the variety of languages at one time as punishment for the Tower of Babel. Several chapters deal with the work of Phillip Johnson, a highly influential leader of the new Creationists. Against his and other views, Pennock explains how science uses naturalism and discusses the relationship between factual and moral issues in the creationism-evolution controversy. The book also includes a discussion of Darwin's own shift from creationist to evolutionist and an extended argument for keeping private religious beliefs separate from public scientific knowledge.
Download or read book Born Cannibal written by James Miles and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Blowing the whistle on a shocking conspiracy of silence within the scientific community, "Born Cannibal" will anger and horrify many. The modern Darwinian era began in 1966 when George C. Williams showed us that natural selection acts at the level of the gene. And yet it has taken four decades for any Darwinian to have the courage to openly apply gene-level selection to the human animal. The results are startling. 'Man is born a cannibal. Human isn't something we are born, it is something we become'. This knowledge has been circulating within the scientific establishment for 30 years, but has never before been disclosed to the general public. Instead, scientists have deliberately allowed an heretical interpretation of Darwinian theory -- known as evolutionary psychology -- to be propagated through the media. As the author writes in his Introduction: 'This is the tale of how Darwin was betrayed by his friends, as well as by his enemies'. Passionate and wittily iconoclastic, "Born Cannibal" pulls back the curtain on scientific impartiality to reveal a Machiavellian world of fear, ego and ideology. The front cover illustration is by graphic supremo Alan Aldridge. Alan's clever reworking of the millennia-old Ouroboros archetype so perfectly summarises the running theme of "Born Cannibal". An image that has been used since time immemorial to represent the totality of nature here reminds readers that, contrary to the teachings of the evolutionary psychologists, man carries the genetic code of the rest of nature.
Download or read book Trial and Error written by Edward J. Larson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2003-01-23 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Creationism s Trojan Horse written by Barbara Forrest and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2004-01-08 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forrest and Gross expose the scientific failure, the religious essence, and the political ambitions of "intelligent design" creationism. They examine the movement's "Wedge Strategy," which has advanced and is succeeding through public relations rather than through scientific research. Analyzing the content and character of "intelligent design theory," they highlight its threat to public education and to the separation of church and state.
Download or read book Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards written by Elliott Sober and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2011-03-31 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is it accurate to label Darwin’s theory "the theory of evolution by natural selection," given that the concept of common ancestry is at least as central to Darwin’s theory? Did Darwin reject the idea that group selection causes characteristics to evolve that are good for the group though bad for the individual? How does Darwin’s discussion of God in The Origin of Species square with the common view that he is the champion of methodological naturalism? These are just some of the intriguing questions raised in this volume of interconnected philosophical essays on Darwin. The author's approach is informed by modern issues in evolutionary biology, but is sensitive to the ways in which Darwin’s outlook differed from that of many biologists today. The main topics that are the focus of the book—common ancestry, group selection, sex ratio, and naturalism—have rarely been discussed in their connection with Darwin in such penetrating detail. Author Professor Sober is the 2008 winner of the Prometheus Prize. This biennial award, established in 2006 through the American Philosophical Association, is designed "to honor a distinguished philosopher in recognition of his or her lifetime contribution to expanding the frontiers of research in philosophy and science." This insightful collection of essays will be of interest to philosophers, biologists, and laypersons seeking a deeper understanding of one of the most influential scientific theories ever propounded.
Download or read book Ask the Beasts Darwin and the God of Love written by Elizabeth A. Johnson and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2014-01-16 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For millennia plant and animal species have received little sustained attention as subjects of Christian theology and ethics in their own right. Focused on the human dilemma of sin and redemptive grace, theology has considered the doctrine of creation to be mainly an overture to the main drama of human being`s relationship to God. What value does the natural world have within the framework of religious belief? The crisis of biodiversity in our day, when species are going extinct at more than 1,000 times the natural rate, renders this question acutely important. Standard perspectives need to be realigned; theology needs to look out of the window, so to speak as well as in the mirror. Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love leads to the conclusion that love of the natural world is an intrinsic element of faith in God and that far from being an add-on, ecological care is at the centre of moral life.
Download or read book Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics written by Robert T. Pennock and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2001-12-21 with total page 834 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last decade saw the arrival of a new player in the creation/evolution debate—the intelligent design creationism (IDC) movement, whose strategy is to act as "the wedge" to overturn Darwinism and scientific naturalism. This anthology of writings by prominent creationists and their critics focuses on what is novel about the new movement. It serves as a companion to Robert Pennock's Tower of Babel, in which he criticizes the wedge movement, as well as other new varieties of creationism. The book contains articles previously published in specialized, hard-to-find journals, as well as new contributions. Each section contains introductory background information, articles by influential creationists and their critics, and in some cases responses by the creationists. The discussions cover IDC as a political movement, IDC's philosophical attack on evolution, the theological debate over the apparent conflict between evolution and the Bible, IDC's scientific claims, and philosopher Alvin Plantinga's critique of naturalism and evolution. The book concludes with Pennock's "Why Creationism Should Not Be Taught in the Public Schools."
