Saturday, December 24, 2005
Defeating Darwinism
I'm probably in the vast minority of Christians when it comes to the subject of Darwinism and evolution. While I certainly don't think that Darwinism or evolution as defined by modern science is true, (and I think the biblical account of creation IS true), the whole debate doesn't get me going. It probably should, but I don't start foaming at the mouth or stalk the local high school biology teacher (who most likely is a Christian anyway.) Other issues do wind me up, but this who evolution/intelligent design/creation debate doesn't. I'm not saying I'm correct in being apathetic; it's just the fact. I'm just constantly amazed that Christians expect those who aren't to think, act, and believe like they are. We would all get a lot more sleep at night if we didn't.
Now that that's out of the way, I really like reading Philip Johnson. He is a law professor at UC Berkeley. He wrote Darwin on Trial and Reason in the Balance. He also seems to be the leader of the anti-Darwinists. The best part about Johnson is that he realizes that the real issue isn't creation vs evolution. The real issue is theism vs naturalism and he couches all his arguments in the philosophical realm--where the battle really is.
Defeating Darwinism is Johnson's third book on the debate. This one is different from his previous two, though. It is designed as a simple introduction rather than an in-depth analysis. Actually, he states that the book was written for parents and older students as a way to prepare them for higher learning. He addresses such issues as "turn up your baloney detector," and "a real education in evolution." He also addresses the topic of intelligent design. While these chapters provide good introductions to the topics, the most helpful contribution is the strategy for driving a "wedge of truth" into the debate. Anyone who wants to take a stand for creationism (or simply against Darwinism) should take his strategy to heart.
If you want a detailed scientific analysis of the whole debate, then read Darwin on Trial. If you want a detailed philosophical analysis, then read Reason in the Balance. If you want a quick primer on the how to think about the debate, then this is exactly what you're looking for.
Rating: 3 Stars
Monday, December 12, 2005
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
"The universe as we know it is in the past. We cannot witness anything in the present because of the time it takes the light to travel to our brain." Need more to scramble your brain? Try Einstein's theory of relatively...time travel...why we only remember the past and not the future...black holes...and quantum physics. These are some of the topics that physicist Stephen Hawking tackles in this "layman's" book on physics, astronomy, and seriously hard science.
Stephen Hawking has a reputation as being the most brilliant "theoretical" physicist alive today. He has been confined to a wheel chair for decades from Lou Gerhig's disease. He can't speak, walk, or use most of his body. However, he teaches at Oxford and continues to use his mind to the fullest extent.
This is supposed to be modern physics for the average person. Well, I must be below average because I couldn't keep up with large parts of this book. You spend a lot of time in the deep end of the pool. However, the parts of the book that I did understand were absolutely fascinating. Not only does Hawking have a talent for making physics interesting, he also provides bits and pieces of the history of science at the same time. He tells the interesting stories about how scientist believed certain things at certain times throughout history.
While I didn't keep pace with everything here's what I did learn: everyone is a drooling idiot compared with Einstein and he revolutionized the way the world operates today (even thought we don't know it), quantum physics is the basis for modern computers, and time travel is possible, according to Einstein. The funny thing is that Hawking's theory about the beginning of the universe bares a certain resemblance to the biblical view (certainly not totally, but in parts.)
If you're up for a definite challenge and want to tell people that you're reading about quarks, event horizons, quantum particles, and singularities, then take a stab at Hawking. Prepare yourself for an education and a mind stretching experience.
Overall rating...3 Stars
