SOD Book Resources

Books

This page offers you access to a variety of book resources that we believe will prove helpful to anyone wishing to learn more about Evolution, Darwinism, and Intelligent Design.

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online.

You should also visit Project Gutenberg, an incredible online resource of books written by folks like Darwin, Huxley, and many others.

Darwin on Trial, by Philip Johnson. Read the book that started the ID revolution. Free online e-book of the first edition.

Darwin Strikes Back, by Thomas Woodward

[ID History, Apologetics]

This book offers an overview of recent skirmishes (1995-2006) in the ID/Darwin culture war, pointing out where the key moments in the history of this debate have occurred, what issues were raised, and what the responses were on both sides. Woodward also offers his own insight into the impact and meaning of these events.

Comments about this book:

"Woodward examines three major design theorists: Michael Behe, Jonathan Wells, and William Dembski, as well as their most notable critics including biologist Kenneth Miller, philosopher Niall Shanks, educator Eugenie Scott, and the ubiquitous Richard Dawkins. Woodward, once a staunch supporter of Darwinian evolution himself, finds that critics of intelligent design often offer flawed arguments."

-- Access Research Network

Reviews and Critiques:

"Woodward is a knowledgeable and, by the standards of these things, [somewhat] folksy in his presentation of the twists and turns in the debates between evolution and intelligent design (ID) over the past ten years, more or less taking off from where he left matters in his last, and equally informative book, `Doubts about Darwin'. Woodward is upfront about his theism, but he is also someone who reads widely and tries to deal with the key events and people himself in person. It's too bad that evolutionists don't have anyone comparable to him. Perhaps it means that evolutionists simply believe that the theory can sell itself."

-- Favorable review by Professor Steve Fuller

Darwinism, Design, and Public Education, John Angus Campbell & Stephen C. Meyer, eds.

Note: The audience for this book is Science Educators

[Academia, Education, Legal]

Co-editor John Angus Campbell lays out the design of the book in the introduction:

"Darwinism, Design, and Public Education will seek to advance public discussion of science education by presenting arguments for and against a more inclusive, controversy-based biology curriculum. In order to do this, the book will also present arguments for and against both contemporary Darwinism and the theory of ID itself. Darwinism, Design, and Public Education is divided into four parts and appendixes. The first part of the volume presents three essays arguing for a more inclusive approach to science education-indeed, one that would encourage science educators to teach students about scientific challenges to Darwinian theory and about the challenge posed to Darwinism by advocates of the theory of intelligent design. The second part includes several essays that provide scientific critiques of contemporary evolutionary theories or textbook presentations of these theories. The third part presents essays that develop the scientific case for intelligent design. The fourth part offers responses, chiefly critical, to the essays in the first three parts of the volume. The appendixes present both supporting documents about the controversy over the teaching of evolution in the public schools (including the transcript of a recent hearing of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and an essay by Donald Kennedy) and a technical supplement to the case by Stephen C. Meyer, Marcus Ross, Paul Nelson, and Paul Chien on the Cambrian explosion."

Comments about this book:

"This volume, a hefty 540 pages, includes a surprising array of different points of view across the academic spectrum and serves as a crash course on when, how, and why public education can benefit from the insights provided by design theorists and their critiques of Darwinian theory."

-- Thomas Woodward in Darwin Strikes Back (p.61)

Reviews and Critiques:

Campbell announces that DDPE will offer most readers "a first encounter with an alternative to the established paradigm [of Darwinian evolution] by qualified authors who believe that Darwinism is false and wish to see it replaced"—thus revealing the creationist agenda that guides the book. The intended audience is science teachers, many of whom are underprepared for teaching evolution and all of whom are so busy educating the young and dealing with the problems attendant upon that task that they cannot be expected to do the research that would reveal how misleading this book is. A hefty tome, it will undoubtedly impress educational policymakers who either harbor ID sympathies or are in no position to recognize the book's deceitfulness. It also hands ammunition to ID supporters who will try to persuade school boards that the inclusion of essays by a few reputable, pro-evolution scientists and scholars proves that ID's challenge to evolution is serious enough to compel recognition of it as a worthy scientific alternative. Although the book obviously was not published for scientists, scientists—as researchers, educators, parents, and citizens—should be deeply concerned about how it will be used, so it is from this perspective that I comment.

-- Critical review by Barbara Forrest

DDPE is an important book.... Implacable foes of ID will reject its central thesis, that the schools should teach the controversy qua scientific controversy; they will maintain that no controversy exists among informed, intellectually honest scientists. But, in my opinion, the ID contributors demonstrate that there are scientific grounds for doubting some of the assumptions and conclusions of neo-Darwinism and also scientific reasons for considering the claims of ID. For their part, the philosophers and rhetoricians make a strong case for a dialectical approach in the science classroom ("let a thousand flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend"). Together they have shifted the burden of proof to the anti-ID crowd: the latter ought to make a convincing case for not "teaching the controversy" or else be willing to argue it out on scientific grounds in the public school classroom.

-- Favorable review by Robert Rogland, High School Science teacher, Tacoma, WA

The Design Revolution, by William Dembski and Jonathan Wells.

Co-author William Dembski says in this book:

"In ascribing the power to choose to unintelligent natural forces, Darwin perpetrated the greatest intellectual swindle in the history of ideas... Nature has no power to choose. All natural selection does is narrow the variability of incidental change by weeding out the less fit.... And yet this blind process, when coupled with another blind process, namely, incidental change, is supposed to produce designs that exceed the capacities of any designers in our experience....It's time to lay aside the tricks - the smokescreens and the handwaving, the just-so stories and the stonewalling, the bluster and the bluffing - and to explain scientifically what people have known all along, namely, why you can't get design without a designer."

Reviews and Critiques:

William Dembski's latest book, The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design consists of 44 questions about intelligent design with short answers by Dembski -- each answer takes about 6 or 7 pages, on average. Critics of Dembski -- such as Mark Perakh -- who were looking forward to having their objections addressed will be disappointed. The Design Revolution is even more intellectually dishonest than I thought possible. The easy questions Dembski actually addresses are answered disingenuously; the really hard questions he avoids entirely. This book should have been titled Desperately Evading the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design.

-- Critical review by Jeffrey Shallit on Panda's Thumb

...the extensive index in his latest book The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design completely omits the names of most of the prominent critics of Dembski’s ideas. We don’t see in that index the following names: Rich Baldwin, Eli Chiprout, Taner Edis, Ellery Eels, Branden Fitelson, Philip Kitcher, Peter Milne, Massimo Pigliucci, Del Ratzsch, Jeff Shallit, Niall Shanks, Jordan H. Sobel, Jason Rosenhouse, Christopher Stephenson, Richard Wein, and Matt Young. All these writers have analyzed in detail Dembski’s literary output and demonstrated multiple errors, fallacious concepts and inconsistencies which are a trademark of his prolific production. (I have not mentioned myself in this list although I have extensively criticized Dembski both in web postings and in print; he never uttered a single word in response to my critique, while it is known for fact that he is familiar with my critique; the above list shows that I am in good company.)

-- Critical review by Mark Perakh

Since William Dembski’s latest book is subtitled “Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design”, the naive reader might think that he has taken seriously the numerous criticisms leveled at his ideas. More experienced readers will be unsurprised to learn that Dembski mostly just repeats the same fallacious arguments he has always made. None of the major criticisms of his work is adequately addressed.

-- Critical review by Jason Rosenhouse

Read the favorable review by Travis K. McSherley

Read several articles about and by Dembski at the ARN web site.

Read the "complete links" page on William Dembski by Stephen E. Jones

Doubts About Darwin: A History of Intelligent Design by Thomas Woodward.

[ID History]

Comments about this book:

Doubts about Darwin is based on the doctoral dissertation by Tom Woodward in which he documents the rhetorical history and development of the ID movement. As a participant in the movement himself, Dr. Woodward provides an insider view of key events and personalities over the past twenty years. What readers will find most useful about this book is the succinct summary of key arguments and books by Michael Denton, Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe and William Dembski. You could consider it the "Cliff Notes" of the Intelligent Design Movement.

-- Access Research Network

Reviews and Critiques:

Woodward's book, as the subtitle specifies, is a history of the intelligent design movement. His focus is more than history, however; it is the assertion that the narrative of the intelligent design movement serves as an integrating and motivating factor in the rhetorical pursuits of the movement. The book focuses on the originating figures in the movement, such as Michael Denton, Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe, and William Dembski. However, the theme that is followed throughout is a look at how rhetoric played a key role in the advancement of this movement. Woodward especially looks at the ethos of the main characters, the need for scientific credibility, and a certain amount of distancing from creationism. What this contributes is an analysis of how the credentials of Darwinism were questioned and how the intelligent design movement grew in acceptability... Woodward's book does make an important contribution as a historical look at the intelligent design movement and how rhetoric played a part in its advancement.

-- Read the favorable review by Owen Anderson

Woodward's account shows that the problem with the template of "religion vs. Darwin" is that it simply doesn't fit the ID movement, although many detractors try to insist otherwise... Woodward is a friend of the Intelligent Design movement, he lets the thinkers speak for themselves and is neither partisan nor unfair. Rather, without getting too technical, he frames the debate in terms of rhetorical strategies employed. In this way, the reader can discover the larger intellectual, historical, emotional and cultural contours of this growing debate, which is not about to go away any time soon.

-- Read the review by Doug Groothuis

Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth?, by Jonathan Wells.

[Science]

Also, don't miss the video and study guide

Comments about this book:

Icons of Evolution argues that standard textbook examples supporting Darwin's theories are taught uncritically in public schools, even though a growing number of respected scientists are beginning to question his tenets. The film focuses on a recent public school controversy in Burlington, WA. Roger DeHart, a high school biology teacher, taught evolution but included extracurricular readings from scientific journals that were critical of Darwin. After a parental complaint, DeHart was denied permission to continue this practice, was reassigned to other duties, and eventually went to a different school district. The film examines the major hypotheses ("icons") of evolutionary theory and provides scientific arguments that question their validity. Most of the scientists interviewed are critical of Darwin, while only a few argue for the widely held evolutionary viewpoint. The film concludes that scientists need to be open to new evidence that brings evolutionary theory into question and that high school students need to be aware of the current scientific controversy concerning evolution.

-- Gary D. Barber

Reviews and Critiques: