SCIENCE ON TRIAL

Rating:
Summary: A well-written book
Review: Futuyama does take on the Creationists on their own playing field. That is, he addresses their arguments that evolution fails to answer some questions that they have devised.

Creationist arguments sometimes include claims of the Earth being very young. The author shows that these are falsified by elementary geology. Matter of fact, some of them are falsified by elementary archaeology.

Another claim is that the second law of thermodynamics prevents order from arising naturally. Futuyama shows that's false. First the Earth is not a closed system: we get useful energy from the Sun, as well as from volcanic vents. In addition, has anyone making this claim ever seen a snowflake? It is easy for order to arise naturally. As a matter of fact, order tends to arise in a gravitational system as well, as anyone looking at our Solar System can observe. And an embryo becoming an adult shows an enormous increase in order.

One common claim is that life could not have originated "by chance." But, as Futuyama explains, this is suspect, given the compatability of the Earth with life, and given the presence of the ingredients. I agree. Sure, one can do a sloppy calculation, and say there is little chance for life to originate. But given that there is life here, the chances of that calculation being wrong are high. It's unreasonable to make an argument of the form, "I'm not smart enough to figure out exactly how life got here, therefore it never did get here."

There are also claims that mutation, recombination and natural selection can't form new features. In response, Futuyama shows how small changes have led to new features. And he also answers the question of how a new function, such as sight can develop so that each step confers a competitive advantage.

One favorite claim of creationists is the lack of intermediate fossils. But many of those intermediates actually have been discovered, as Futuyama ponts out.

But, of course, had Futuyama failed to answer these questions, that would not overthrow evolution, which is simply a set of facts. The key to accepting evolution is the positive evidence in its favor, which is so overwhelming that little if any argument needs to be made once one has these facts.

As Futuyama shows, that evidence includes fossil records, DNA, embryology, and homologies. And it is significant that these facts are consistent: as the author explains, a single undisputed Pre-Cambrian fossil of a flowering plant or mammal would falsify most of evolution as we understand it.

There is also a chapter on some of what bothers many Creationists, "social darwinism." This is a moral philosophy that attempts to justify unethical behavior on the grounds of natural selection. Futuyama points out that it is dubious to justify any ethical system on such grounds, and that the claims of the social darwinists are bogus. Again, I agree. I don't believe that ethical systems need to be based on the existence or non-existence of evolution. And they certainly do not need to be based on lies, nor should they be. We ought to know and teach the truth about evolution.

I think this is a valuable guide to evolution and the creationist attacks on it.

Rating:
Summary: good science, bad philosophy
Review: Futuyma's Science on Trial is really two books. One is a lucid, accessible, and convincing argument against so-called creation science. I don't think any reasonable person could come away unconvinced as to the fact of evolution.

Unfortunately there is another book in here too. Whenever Futuyma wanders off topic into biblical scholarship, theology, metaphysics, ethics, politics, or anything except science, he generally shows himself to be about as plug ignorant on those subjects as the creationists are about science. Expertise in biology does not automatically entitle you to hold forth in these other disciplines. Stick to the science and, please, a little humility.

One thing that particularly irritated me is that Futuyma rather airily dismisses the possibility that something could be at the same time undoubtedly true and yet undermining of the basis for any truly humane morality. I think that is dangerously naive. Futuyma needs to read his Nietzche and his Sophocles. As the former noted there can exist such a thing as a DESTRUCTIVE truth. Or as Oedipus states, "The truth is pain, for those who see." What the Greek tragedian suspected, we now know. Ironically, it is Futuyma here who is the totally uncritical follower of the Gospel of John. "The truth shall set you free." If only it were that simple.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book: Creationist Critics Must Read
Review: I want to comment on two things : 1) The Creationist critiques of this book, and 2) What this book really offers.

First, it seems quite clear that (at least) the last three negative review were written by people who did not read the book and simply made comments based on knowledge that this book refutes Creationism. I find it common that Creationist's don't understand the very basics about the evolutionary theory, but see fit to comment on it (and books that refute Creationism) in blind ignorance. None of the negative critiques of this book even touched on any of the dozens of topics that dealt with evolutionary theory or specific refutations that Futuyma made regarding the Creationist arguments.

As for my opinion of this book, although it is now over 20 years old, it is still very relevant to contending with today's Creationist arguements. The book accomplishes several thing quite well: 1) Describes the basics of evolutionary theory in such an easy-to-understand way, that any high school student could follow it. 2) It explains the basics of the Creationis argument for how life arose on this planet. 3) The book shows how the Creation "model" is clearly not science and is nothing less than absurd. 4) The book cleanly dissects Creation arguments that attack evolution with articulate explanations. The appendix in the back of the book also gives a terrific summary of Creation arguments and brief scientific rebuttals, most of which were described in detail earlier in the book.

This book is a very enjoyable read and is my personal favorite of all the Creation vs. Evolution books that I have read. Futuyma has done a remarkable job in marshaling evidence from evolutionary biology, and science in general.

Rating:
Summary: Sick of Creationist dogma? The remedy is at hand!
Review: In the mud-slinging that goes on between Scientists and Creationists, a person can get inundated with a plethora of books claiming to be right and exposing the other side as being wrong. It is only through careful research into the arguments of both camps that one can make an educated judgment as to the victor of the battle.

Science on Trial is one of the top books to read that responds to "the other side" i.e. Creationism. Futuyma is a Biology Professor that has authored one of the most influential textbooks in his field: _Evolutionary Biology_. He cuts through Creationist arguments with ease and brings to light the amount of overwhelming evidence for biological evolution.

I would definitely prescribe this book to anyone who may think that Creationism is founded on Science. Futuyma exposes the creationists and lays their straw-man arguments to rest. As I mentioned at the beginning, it is important to survey the literature of the opposing camp as well, however after reading this book and others like it (_Scientists Confront Creationism_, _Abusing Science_, _Science and Creationism_ and _The Blind Watchmaker_), the reader will definitely think twice before proclaiming the "truth" of Creationism.

Rating:
Summary: I would love both to be taught in school
Review: Side by side, evolution and creationism. Evolutionists are the only one's threatened by this. So there are quite alot of assumptions in this book, however science has disproven evolution. Ironic huh? The very thing they hoped would support there theory has come back and bit them on the rear. Creationists need to quit lying because science itself has already disproven this theory. We can keep teaching it of course but unbiasedly through both, examine both sides, then look at science for the answers, and well evolution, from proven facts, has debunked evolution. Time we put this fairytale aside.

Rating:
Summary: The best refutation of "Scientific" Creationism
Review: This book is perhaps the best refutation of Creation "Science" available. Futuyama explains both the fundamental nature of what science is, as well as providing an explanation of evolutionary theory that is accessible to the average reader.

Along the way, Futuyama treats us to almost all of the Creationist arguments, and explains in detail why they are mistaken. For example, he treats us to an exploration of transitional fossils, and shows why creationists are wrong to claim that they do not exist. He also shows how often creationists (like a few of the reviewers here), often take quotes from mainstream scientists out of context, in a dishonest attempt to make it look like those scientists believe something different than what they actually believe. Futuyama shows the context of those quotes, and by so doing, the essential dishonesty of the creationists.

Most importantly, Futuyama shows us that science does not rest on any revealed truth. The essential nature of science is to alter or discard ideas for whom the evidence cannot be found. In science, if the evidence refutes a statement from an authority, the authority is considered wrong. Indeed, as Sagan points out, science gives its highest prizes to those who disprove authoritative pronouncements.

This is entirely different from creationism, which starts with a revealed, authoritative "truth", and rejects evidence inconsistent with it. Creationists already have the answer, so the evidence is fungible, and in the final analysis, entirely irrelevant to the "truth" they believe. Whatever else that may be, it certainly isn't science.

Along with Philip Kitcher's "Abusing Science" (See my... review), this book is a classic defense against those who seek to force their religious views on others in the guise of science.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Arguments and Documentation
Review: This book truly exposes "Creation Science" as a sham, and proudly reasons through why. Offering inciteful information and diagrams, he carefully tears down the banner of lies held high by hard core creationists. However, even as it destroys creationist arguments, it displays current biological information that supports evolution 100%. Truly a book for the age when people are considering putting "creation science" in the classroom and Christian clubs bring lecturers into school to preach creationism. All those that don't face the fact of evolution after reading this book will never be convinced. Reading this with "Evolution: The fossils say NO!" and its sister "Evolution: The Fossils still say NO!" is an enjoyable experience, since Futuyma shows both these books to be ridiculous misconceptions of the facts.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best "Creation Science" debunkers
Review: Though a little outdated since the pseudo-scientists calling themselves creationsists have long since gone to "intelligent design" since they clearly lost the previous debates. However Futuyma does an excellent job of showing the clash between two world views and why creationism should never be taught as science in the classroom. Simply because it isn't science.

One thing I enjoyed in the book was how the author showed that people who can acknowledge Darwin was right, can still live a moral, decent life in harmony with others. Darwinism was misused by many who focused on the "survival of the fittest" theme whereas Darwinism brings humans into the great biological family that is all life on our planet. Humanity is no longer a battle against nature, but is man as a part of nature with interdependencies and symbiotic relationships that should be embraced and celebrated.

The sad reality is, that the creation myths are so vital to Christian Fundamentalism and the idea that Jesus died to save us from Adam's fall, that true believers of Christianity will cling to these irrational beliefs regardless what the evidence tells them. Even so, giving into fundamentalism and rejecting science will bring us into the darkness you see in the middle east.

Futuyma was one of the first courageous souls to stand up and do battle with the fundamentalists on this battleground. Reason and science owe him a big debt for this book.

Rating:
Summary: Typical atheistic biased ignorance
Review: You don't need to look any further than the sample excerpts on page 4 to see the bias and ignorance of the author's ability. It is no wonder that evolutionary science has been so blind to its flaws. In page 4 Futuyma makes the claim that the Genesis account in the Bible was based on Babylonian and Chaldean myths and written by four authors. He knows this because "Biblical scholarship and archaeological research have establish" it to be true. The fact to the matter is that there is no such scholarship or archaeological evidence. In fact, it has been the contrary. Since the beginning of these higher criticism and these so called scholarships was based. Archaeology has proven the basis from which they stem from is false. These so called scholars from the likes of Julius Wellhausen in 1895 to the Jesus Seminar are no more scholars than Duane Gish or Henry Morris are scholars to the evolutionists. Their arguments are based on their own fantasy of the ancient world and not on evidences. They assume things like there was no writings in Moses's day or the Hittites did not exist during Abraham's day. From these assumptions they conjured up their own myths as to how the Bible came about. Archaeology has proven their assumptions to be false with the discovery of the "black stele" and evidence of 1200 years of Hittite civilization. However, people like the Jesus Seminar and Futuyma are still propagating their Biblical myths when their underlying assumptions have already been proven false. There are many more evidences against these myths that the evolutionists are propagating, if only they are willing to look at the evidences with an open mind.

Also in that same paragraph on page 4 Futuyma claims that the erroneous perceptions of our universe in the Middle Ages are rooted in Scripture. The fact again is that the Bible never promulgated any such ideas. However that doesn't mean that their aren't Christian who misinterprets the Bible and make claims that aren't there.

Bottomline is that if this is the best of Futuyma's ability to analyze facts from fiction. I would doubt his ability to objectively analyze any scientific claims.