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Thoughts on recent books on the intelligent design controversy: Some ways to spend your holiday cash

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Excerpts from Denyse’s comments on some recent books:

Of course, I have forgotten or omitted lots of worthy titles, but fundamentally it was much easier then [five years ago] than now to rhyme off the key titles you would need to read to really keep up with the ID controversy. Today, you need a library shelving cart and a budget to match.

Publishers who might have avoided the ID controversy in the past do not seem as afraid to touch it any more. … (Note: Lots of dull rants have been published all across the board, but presumably you, gentle reader, are only interested in hearing about books that could conceivably be of interest to a lay public.)

So where are we now? We have arrived at the point where titles about the ID controversy clearly and obviously sell well, over a fifteen-year period. And therefore I must now write my first ever year-end book list on ID. The following are certainly not the only important books published this year, but they are the ones I have read, on which I can offer some thoughts. The books are in alpha order by author; they are too disparate to rank in any order of excellence or usefulness.

 For more go here.

Also, for comments on recent news items as I catch up with my Post-Darwinist inbox, go here.

Comments
[...] In a December 26 comment, Larry Arnhart, author of Darwinian Conservatism, asked, Why would “family values” conservatism be contrary to Darwinian conservatism? In my book, I show how Darwinian science supports family values and traditional morality as rooted in human biological nature. So where’s the conflict? [...]Larry Arnhart asks: “Why don’t social conservatives embrace Darwinism?” O’Leary tries to explain | Uncommon Descent
May 22, 2007
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@Robo I have listened the radio show, so, what about it ?...Sladjo
December 27, 2006
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Larry Arnhart: “Why would ‘family values’ conservatism be contrary to Darwinian conservatism?” Well, the simple reason is that Darwinism stands for everything and therefore nothing. Whatever is was selected and whatever was selected is. Monogamy, polygamy, homosexuality, rape, bestiality, infanticide, cannibalism—Darwin predicts everything after the fact. Biology indeed can teach us, as John West points out in Darwin’s Conservatives: The Misguided Quest, but Darwinism does not equal biology. Historically it is the Machiavellians and the nihilists who have taken comfort in Darwin. If you think you can sell America's “family values” conservatives on Darwin ... well ... have I got a deal for you!Rude
December 26, 2006
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"Why would 'family values' conservatism be contrary to Darwinian conservatism? In my book, I show how Darwinian science supports family values and traditional morality as rooted in human biological nature. So where’s the conflict?" Comment by Arnhart — December 26, 2006 @ 12:36 pm Larry, I haven't read your book. But perhaps the abortion issue would be an example. American religious conservatives generally oppose unrestricted abortion rights because they view each human being as having intrinsic worth from conception. If a child is brought to full term who has serious heritable birth defects, doesn't this clash with Darwinian evolution?russ
December 26, 2006
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I would like to add the superb book "The Biotic Message". If you are a theist,your reasoning and logic will be heavely influenced by the scientific theory Walter ReMine proposes therein.Mats
December 26, 2006
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Why would "family values" conservatism be contrary to Darwinian conservatism? In my book, I show how Darwinian science supports family values and traditional morality as rooted in human biological nature. So where's the conflict?Arnhart
December 26, 2006
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Denyse O'Leary said,
Of course, I have forgotten or omitted lots of worthy titles, but fundamentally it was much easier then [five years ago] than now to rhyme off the key titles you would need to read to really keep up with the ID controversy . . . . . And therefore I must now write my first ever year-end book list on ID. The following are certainly not the only important books published this year, but they are the ones I have read, on which I can offer some thoughts.
I would like to add some books to your list (some of these books are not about intelligent design per se but do concern the evolution controversy) -- "Traipsing Into Evolution," by the Discovery Institute, a criticism of the Kitzmiller v. Dover decision. See http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3364 "Of Pandas and People," the book that was at the center of the Kitzmiller v. Dover case. Directed mainly at students of around high school age. "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," a bestseller by Ann Coulter. Approximately a third of the book is devoted to the evolution controversy -- see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godless:_The_Church_of_Liberalism#Science_and_intelligent_design "The Republican War On Science" by Chris Mooney has a chapter on the evolution controversy. This chapter is posted online at -- http://www.waronscience.com/excerpt.php?p=1 (four webpages long) "Not in Our Classrooms -- Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for Our Schools," from the National Center for Science Education, http://www.ncseweb.org/nioc/ My blog describes three Darwin-to-Hitler books -- "War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race", written by Edwin Black, at -- http://im-from-missouri.blogspot.com/2006/09/book-links-darwin-to-hitler.html "The Nazi Connection: Eugenics, American Racism, and German National Socialism" by Stefan Kuhl, at -- http://im-from-missouri.blogspot.com/2006/09/another-book-links-darwin-to-hitler.html "Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany," by Richard Weikart, at -- http://im-from-missouri.blogspot.com/2006/10/yet-another-darwin-to-hitler-book.html It seems that the books out there mostly discuss the scientific and philosophical aspects of the controversy and I think that there should be more discussion of the political, legal, and social aspects (with the exception that the Darwin-to-Hitler issue appears to be well-covered). However, the political and legal aspects are hard to keep up with -- for example, so much has happened in these areas in the past year or so (e.g., the Kitzmiller v. Dover decision and the Cobb County cop-out).Larry Fafarman
December 26, 2006
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Totally off topic but I don't know how else to contact UD. Here is New Zealand's top or second top physicist defending the anthropic principle and evolution. About 12 minutes long. http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/sat/sat-20061223-0945-Science_With_Paul_Callaghan-064.mp3Robo
December 25, 2006
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