What do you think?
Rate this book
Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics: Philosophical, Theological, and Scientific Perspectives
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."
825 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 21, 2015
"Fundamentalist and evangelical Christian parents who are familiar only with creationist literature ... have no idea how vast is the amount of evidence that supports evolutionary theory, and how weak are the specific claims of creationists."
Robert Pennock writes these lines near the end of this epic 800-page volume that he edits, a significant entry into the long-standing battle between scientists and creationists. It has a ring of truth to it – I grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical home and private school, and evolution was taught in caricature, only enough revealed (or misstated) to debunk, even though, as it turns out, the arguments against it had been answered by scientists numerous times for decades.
Thus I find books like this one to be helpful, not just for me but for any parent – or non-parent! – interested in learning the full measure of what evolution is and what claims are made against it. In a way, "Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics" serves as a sequel to "Scientists Confront Creationism," the 1983 series of essays tackling the arguments made by creation scientists about everything from the Cambrian "Explosion" to the alleged lack of missing links. Although that book focused on the Henry Morris-inspired revival of young-earth creationism and its attempts to gain entry into public schools in the 1970s, this one focuses on the Johnson/Behe-fueled surge of "Intelligent Design," a pseudo-scientific argument that actually incorporates elements of the philosophical disputes of the 1920s, when Fundamentalists were ruling out evolution on the basis of its status as a flawed religion rather than attempting to muster scientific-sounding arguments about creation. Unlike "SCC," which contains mostly original essays solely from the scientific community, "IDCIC" alternates essays from creationists and scientists, most of them having appeared elsewhere. The result is a more even-handed treatment of the creationist position – and a just-as-thorough debunking of it. The author list is an all-star cast from both sides: Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe, William Dembski and Alvin Plantinga, among others, on the one side, and Pennock, Evan Fales, Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins, among others, on the other side.
This book is important, helpful and enlightening. It explores in-depth the mischaracterizations and logical and philosophical fallacies that are not readily apparent when reading the creationist argument; as the subtitle implies – "Philosophical, Theological and Scientific Perspectives" – it is devoted mostly to questions outside the strict realm of natural science, and clearly comes down in favor of evolution as entailing no inherent conflict with Christianity, only with a biblicism that demands an over-literal interpretation of religious texts. In conjunction with "Scientists Confront Creationism," a teacher, parent or plain-old interested Christian or layperson has a comprehensive defense of a subject that has too often been improperly mischaracterized by its religious enemies, many of them also educators and parents. (It's a sign of how impervious to refutation creationist arguments are – how often they have appeared and reappeared since the mid-1960s, if not earlier – that books written in 1983 and 2001 can feel so enlightening in 2015.)
Although I call it important, helpful and enlightening, I do not call it an easy read. It's 800 pages, and some of the essays grow dense as they tackle the intricacies of information theory, epistemology and molecular biology. There's no shame in skimming some of this, and its value may lie more as a reference tool. Nevertheless, most of it I found (as a non-scientist, non-philosopher, and amateur theologian) to be easy to grasp and quite compelling. The essays sometimes grew redundant, and as a result, it could afford to be a couple of chapters and a few dozen pages shorter. Thus it has the rare distinction in my personal rating system of being both four stars (instead of five) yet still earning a place on my "Favorites" shelf. If you have any interest in what Intelligent Design is all about and why it hasn't met with acceptance among scientists, this is absolutely the book to read.
Robert Pennock writes these lines near the end of this epic 800-page volume that he edits, a significant entry into the long-standing battle between scientists and creationists. It has a ring of truth to it – I grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical home and private school, and evolution was taught in caricature, only enough revealed (or misstated) to debunk, even though, as it turns out, the arguments against it had been answered by scientists numerous times for decades.
Thus I find books like this one to be helpful, not just for me but for any parent – or non-parent! – interested in learning the full measure of what evolution is and what claims are made against it. In a way, "Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics" serves as a sequel to "Scientists Confront Creationism," the 1983 series of essays tackling the arguments made by creation scientists about everything from the Cambrian "Explosion" to the alleged lack of missing links. Although that book focused on the Henry Morris-inspired revival of young-earth creationism and its attempts to gain entry into public schools in the 1970s, this one focuses on the Johnson/Behe-fueled surge of "Intelligent Design," a pseudo-scientific argument that actually incorporates elements of the philosophical disputes of the 1920s, when Fundamentalists were ruling out evolution on the basis of its status as a flawed religion rather than attempting to muster scientific-sounding arguments about creation. Unlike "SCC," which contains mostly original essays solely from the scientific community, "IDCIC" alternates essays from creationists and scientists, most of them having appeared elsewhere. The result is a more even-handed treatment of the creationist position – and a just-as-thorough debunking of it. The author list is an all-star cast from both sides: Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe, William Dembski and Alvin Plantinga, among others, on the one side, and Pennock, Evan Fales, Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins, among others, on the other side.
This book is important, helpful and enlightening. It explores in-depth the mischaracterizations and logical and philosophical fallacies that are not readily apparent when reading the creationist argument; as the subtitle implies – "Philosophical, Theological and Scientific Perspectives" – it is devoted mostly to questions outside the strict realm of natural science, and clearly comes down in favor of evolution as entailing no inherent conflict with Christianity, only with a biblicism that demands an over-literal interpretation of religious texts. In conjunction with "Scientists Confront Creationism," a teacher, parent or plain-old interested Christian or layperson has a comprehensive defense of a subject that has too often been improperly mischaracterized by its religious enemies, many of them also educators and parents. (It's a sign of how impervious to refutation creationist arguments are – how often they have appeared and reappeared since the mid-1960s, if not earlier – that books written in 1983 and 2001 can feel so enlightening in 2015.)
Although I call it important, helpful and enlightening, I do not call it an easy read. It's 800 pages, and some of the essays grow dense as they tackle the intricacies of information theory, epistemology and molecular biology. There's no shame in skimming some of this, and its value may lie more as a reference tool. Nevertheless, most of it I found (as a non-scientist, non-philosopher, and amateur theologian) to be easy to grasp and quite compelling. The essays sometimes grew redundant, and as a result, it could afford to be a couple of chapters and a few dozen pages shorter. Thus it has the rare distinction in my personal rating system of being both four stars (instead of five) yet still earning a place on my "Favorites" shelf. If you have any interest in what Intelligent Design is all about and why it hasn't met with acceptance among scientists, this is absolutely the book to read.
November 14, 2013
This is a good book to get a handle on the current debates between intelligent design (ID) creationists and the rest of the world. From Christians who accept evolution and teach science at Christian universities to adamant atheists like Richard Dawkins, this gives a very broad spectrum of current debates on the topic. Although it was compiled in 2001, the arguments are very relevant. I checked the Discovery Institute's website in 2013, and they were still touting Michael Behe's "Darwin's Black Box" argument that was refuted more than a decade ago. The reality is they have no scientific program.
As a Christian who accepts evolution, I was at first reluctant to thoroughly examine the opposing viewpoints, but I'm glad I did because I was extremely unimpressed by what ID defenders have to offer. ID tries so hard to promote a negative and antagonistic view of evolution, gathering supporters with PhD's in diverse disciplines at respected institutions. In the end, though, the arguments are just a rehashing of tired objections slightly tweaked from the Scopes trials of the 1920's. Sad. Yes, Philip Johnson is a good lawyer. OJ Simpson had good lawyers, too.
The most disheartening aspect of the debate is that the most vocal supporters of ID (Philip Johnson, Alvin Plantinga, Michael Behe, and William Dembski) insist that there are only two options -- you MUST be either a critic of evolution (Darwinism, as they like to label it) OR an atheistic materialist.
I am personally allergic to this two-sided false dichotomy. I have seen so many Christians lose their faith because they buy into it. The fact is evolution is a scientifically sound explanation of biological history. It makes sense, and as time goes on and methods become more sophisticated, it continues to make MORE sense. It does not threaten faith. Actually, when given a fair hearing, the only honest response is wonder and awe at the amazing complexity of the universe and the origin of life. Yes, some atheists who happen to be scientists try to step into theological and philosophical territory and make extravagant claims against theists. They are just the loudest opposing voices to the IDs and creationists.
This book does a great job refuting both extremes, demonstrating that there is much more room for theists who accept evolution. The middle is much larger than both sides would have you believe.
As a Christian who accepts evolution, I was at first reluctant to thoroughly examine the opposing viewpoints, but I'm glad I did because I was extremely unimpressed by what ID defenders have to offer. ID tries so hard to promote a negative and antagonistic view of evolution, gathering supporters with PhD's in diverse disciplines at respected institutions. In the end, though, the arguments are just a rehashing of tired objections slightly tweaked from the Scopes trials of the 1920's. Sad. Yes, Philip Johnson is a good lawyer. OJ Simpson had good lawyers, too.
The most disheartening aspect of the debate is that the most vocal supporters of ID (Philip Johnson, Alvin Plantinga, Michael Behe, and William Dembski) insist that there are only two options -- you MUST be either a critic of evolution (Darwinism, as they like to label it) OR an atheistic materialist.
I am personally allergic to this two-sided false dichotomy. I have seen so many Christians lose their faith because they buy into it. The fact is evolution is a scientifically sound explanation of biological history. It makes sense, and as time goes on and methods become more sophisticated, it continues to make MORE sense. It does not threaten faith. Actually, when given a fair hearing, the only honest response is wonder and awe at the amazing complexity of the universe and the origin of life. Yes, some atheists who happen to be scientists try to step into theological and philosophical territory and make extravagant claims against theists. They are just the loudest opposing voices to the IDs and creationists.
This book does a great job refuting both extremes, demonstrating that there is much more room for theists who accept evolution. The middle is much larger than both sides would have you believe.
October 22, 2015
Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics is an anthology of articles written by professionals from a variety of fields either advancing or criticizing the "Intelligent Design" movement. Many of the articles were previously published in other sources, but some were written specifically for the book. The book is divided into nine topical sections, each section containing several articles pertaining to that topic. Typically, the first article in each section is pro-ID, followed by one or more articles critiquing the pro-ID viewpoint.
I would certainly recommend this book to someone wanting to get a grasp on the scholarly discussions that took place at the beginning of the ID movement - a movement that continues to exist and create controversy today (note that this book was published in 2001 and many of its articles were originally published in the 90's). As one with more pro-ID leanings, I was sensitive to the fact that the book is weighed more heavily in favor of the anti-ID position (a fact that the editor, Robert T. Pennock, admits in the preface). However, although the book does not achieve a perfectly balanced presentation of the viewpoints, one is at least able to hear the main proponents of ID present their arguments in their own words.
The book was a challenging read, both in the sense of it challenging my own perspective and in the sense of its containing discussions of difficult concepts (e.g. information theory). I came away with a better appreciation for the complexity of the issue.
I would certainly recommend this book to someone wanting to get a grasp on the scholarly discussions that took place at the beginning of the ID movement - a movement that continues to exist and create controversy today (note that this book was published in 2001 and many of its articles were originally published in the 90's). As one with more pro-ID leanings, I was sensitive to the fact that the book is weighed more heavily in favor of the anti-ID position (a fact that the editor, Robert T. Pennock, admits in the preface). However, although the book does not achieve a perfectly balanced presentation of the viewpoints, one is at least able to hear the main proponents of ID present their arguments in their own words.
The book was a challenging read, both in the sense of it challenging my own perspective and in the sense of its containing discussions of difficult concepts (e.g. information theory). I came away with a better appreciation for the complexity of the issue.
February 8, 2023
This book was nothing but a planned attack on what the Author thinks Intelligent Design as a study, mean. And, the editor's collection of authors all think Intelligent Design is nothing more than Creationism and that is nothing more than Religious Dogma verse "Science". And, they wrong. Because Science is supposed to be a search for truth and those who've made the Intelligent Design argument are Asking Question that those in especially biological sciences Should be asking themselves And they're not. And no, having no mechanism to explain the irreducible complexity (IC) (just about the only Science arguments mentioned for the ID people) doesn't mean We have to take the only other theory Evolution. We can accept a combination of evolution And something We don't F'en Know which is Obviously Missing From Evolution.
Those people who spin argument to express Only their bias opinion are useless, And this book is useless.
Those people who spin argument to express Only their bias opinion are useless, And this book is useless.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews