Top 10 Recently Reviewed Books on Evolution and Creationism

The prevailing assumption, spread and encouraged by the Christian Right, is that the standard scientific model of evolution contradicts orthodox Christian beliefs; therefore, it’s not possible to adhere to orthodox Christianity while also accepting the truth of evolution and the explanations of evolutionary theory.

Sex is fun. Sex is pleasurable. This is obvious, right? These sorts of things don't need to be said, right? Well, perhaps they do. Everyone realizes that sex is fun and pleasurable (though some seem to wish that it weren't), but the prevailing belief is that sex really only exists for procreation and that pleasure is merely a byproduct. What if the belief is wrong?

Within a decade after Charles Darwin published his first book on evolution, most British biologists accepted evolution as true. Today, the entire field of biology accepts the truth of evolution and its status in the field of science is undisputed by scientists. That does not mean, however, that scientists don’t disagree on any of the details.

So-called 'Intelligent' Design is very popular among conservative evangelical Christians in America. It is viewed as a 'scientific' alternative to evolutionary theory that avoids the many pitfalls and failures of traditional creationism. For some reason, though, Intelligent Design doesn’t really get any respect or serious attention from scientists. Why is that?

Is sociobiology a science or an ideology? Does it provide important insights into the evolutionary development and biological bases for human and animal behavior, or is it merely a tool for the elite to justify social inequalities? Such questions can reveal how polarized the debate over sociobiology can be: the subject has received quite a lot of criticism, but to what degree is any of it true?

Epistemology is a difficult subject. How do we know what we know - and indeed, how can we know anything at all? Assuming that we can know anything, is there any way to ground that knowledge rationally? Is there any value to insisting on rational beliefs, or are any ad hoc explanations sufficient? As difficult as these questions are, how can they possibly be addressed in a chlidren's book?

What is evolution, and what sort of explanation does it provide for the diversity of life on our planet? Those are important questions, but especially so for the United States, where so few people understand what evolution is and so many simply reject it outright, generally because of their religious convictions.

People are generally familiar with the intense religious, political, and social debates about evolution and the teaching of evolution in public schools - but why, specifically, evolution? After all, no other scientific theory is the target of so much attention and so many attacks. Why the difference in reception and attitude?

Conflicts between Darwinism and Christianity have existed since Darwin first announced his theory of evolution. Many today assume that the two must be inherently opposed to each other, irreconcilable in terms of premises and conclusions. But is that really true? Is it possible that the two might be entirely compatible? And if so, how?

What would Charles Darwin have thought about the infamous "Scopes Monkey Trial" in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925? We'll never know - but we can learn something from the perspective of Matthew Chapman, Darwin's great-great-grandson.