What should we teach our children about where we come from? Is evolution good science? Is it a lie? Is it incompatible with faith? Did Charles Darwin really say man came from monkeys? Have scientists really detected “intelligent design”—evidence of a creator—in nature? What happens when a town school board decides to confront such questions head-on, thrusting its students, then an entire community, onto the front lines of Americas culture wars? From… More >>
Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America’s Soul
Tags: America's, Battle, children, education, Evolution, Girl, Monkey, Religion, school, school board, science, Soul, student, students, teach
#1 by Fm on January 19, 2010 - 10:03 am
If Dover Pennsylvania is anything like what Humes describes, it must be some kind of freak show.
I am a Christian (Evangelical) and have both Christian and mainstream-secular friends and colleagues. I have read widely on the controversy surrounding both Darwinism and cosmology (often referred to as the Anthropic Principal). But Humes’ Dover is an alien and unrecognizable place to anything I have seen in our culture. Monkey Girl does no justice to the richness of this debate, let alone the Constitution and American jurisprudence.
Hume style is that of the investigative journalist that is seeking truth while couching the story in a framework that everywhere embraces the human element — in the “docudrama” tradition. He chooses utterly clownish figures (not that I doubt such figures exist) as the headline representatives of those who question the current orthodoxy, and he brings up “enlightenment” stereotypes of threatening intimidation and oppression by ignorant religious kooks over sensible, rational, modern-type folk. Using reasonably engaging storytelling skills, he sets an underlying tone to these characters that is filled with tendentiousness through and through and blind faith in doctrinaire Darwinism.
Two stars for story telling. Zero for objectivity and factual content on any level.
Rating: 2 / 5
#2 by The Professor on January 19, 2010 - 11:23 am
This book purports to be an accurate and balanced account of the Dover trial but is closer to an Inherit the Wind type of mocking parody filled full of inaccuracies. It remind me of the early books I have read on the Scopes trial, such as Ray Ginger’s Six Days or Forever. Fortunately, we now have the far more accurate and balanced book by Edward Larson titled Summer for the Gods (which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize) that cover the Scopes trial. Someone also needs to do an accurate book on the Dover Trial because this book is irresponsible. Conversely, the Monkey book does have some excellent points. For example, the author states that the creation-evolution battle
” is a war without end, without pity — a war fought against stick figures and cartoons , with each side ready to demonize its opponent without hesitation. It would not occur to the organizers of the ‘Steeling the Mind’ conference to invite an evolutionary biologist to the conference so that the attendees hear another perspective just as it would not occur to the organizers of the annual conference of the National Science Teachers Association, which met a few weeks in the same vicinity, to invite a panel of creationists to join one of its sixteen separate sessions on teaching evolution and dealing with related controversies in public schools. The scientific community sees the creationist critics of evolution as yahoos, religious zealots, and scientific suspect charlatans. The creationists see the evolutionists as immoral and dishonest purveyors of a psuedoreligion called Darwinism that make God superfluous. They vilify and abhor one another in speeches, at conferences, on websites, and in blogs. There are occasional civil debates and attempts to cross the lines with bipartisan conferences, but they are rare; for the most part, any reaching out between these warring fractions is intended to gather information to refute.” (p. 28).
The author then ignored his excellent advice and called those who believe that design in nature looks real, but is nothing more than an illusion, intelligent, well educated, honest, close to perfect and nice people, many who are professionals. Conversely the author implies, or states or quotes others who state that those who conclude that design not only looks real, but is real, are ignorant uneducated yahoos, (p. 28), their ideas are “worthless” (p. 12), they are religious zealots (p. xvi), lying fools (p. 349), ignorant and clueless (p. 27), ignoramuses (p. 29), bullheaded (p. 44), and scientifically suspect charlatans. This book demonizes one side and will only add fuel to the war that Humes notes goes on without end. I could not see any evidence that any Darwin skeptics reviewed this book for mistakes or even that Humes read much, if any, of the literature critical of Darwinism. All of the book’s endorsers are well-known atheists or secularists known for their opposition to those who question orthodox Darwinism. Humes makes the whole issue one of religion and is very open about his strong dislike for Christianity. He claims that “there is no historical proof … that Jesus of Nazareth ever lived” (p. 348) and that a “widely accepted historical influence on Hitler and the holocaust… was.. none other than Martin Luther” (p. 349), ignoring the fact that more Christians died in the camps than Jews (about 7 million vs. 5 million Jews, according to Jewish historian Max Dimont in his book Jews, God and History), and that Hitler made it clear that after he got rid of the Jews the Christians were next. Humes tries to argue that Darwin’s ideas were not important in Hitler’s goal of producing a superior race using Darwinian ideas and ignores the influence of Richard Wagner, Houston Chamberlain, and Darwin’s main German disciple Ernst Haeckle. Humes adds that the Christian Bible is “rife with proven geographic, scientific, and historical inaccuracies that endorses immoral acts including slavery” ignoring the fact that a major force against slavery was Christianity as the film “Amazing Grace” illustrates, and that slavery in Roman days was very very different then that practiced in America before the middle 1800s. A slave then could become emperor, as some did, and had a list of rights denied to most people today in much of the world today. It is true that many cultural Christians did support slavery but Humes account is hardly balanced. Humes claims that Darwin “neither considered nor accepted” social Darwinism (p. 349) when Darwin specifically stated he both considered and accepted social Darwinism. For example on Dec 3, 1869 Darwin wrote to the man who coined the word eugenics and founded the “science” of eugenics informing him that, after he read his seminal work (which Darwin called a “memorable work, ” one that we today regard as an infamous work), the book made him (Darwin) a supporter of eugenics. This book should be titled “Why Christianity is False”or “Why the Bible is False”.
Rating: 1 / 5
#3 by Larry Fafarman on January 19, 2010 - 12:46 pm
Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, the book is not neutral at all but is rabidly pro-Darwinist. For example, instead of merely presenting the pro-and-con arguments and letting the readers decide for themselves, the book flatly states,
“Jones concluded — correctly — that the evidence in favor of evolution is convincing and compelling, and that the counterarguments are far less so” (page 340) . . . . . .
“Arguably, evolution has been more rigorously tested, and enjoys more evidence in its support, than any other theory in the history of science.” (page 346)
The last chapter and the epilogue, which discuss the aftermath of the decision, do not acknowledge that a lot of the criticism of the decision is legitimate and paint Judge Jones as a martyr who has been subjected to death threats and who is fighting for judicial independence. For example, the book says of the Discovery Institute’s book “Traipsing into Evolution,”
“Jones is attacked for ‘conflating ID with fundamentalism,’ and after making this accusation, the book excoriates him by offering extensive information about how the intelligent design movement has nothing at all to do with Christian fundamentalism . . . the truth is that nowhere in Jones’ opinion does he conflate intelligent design with fundamentalism. The Discovery Institute just made this up.” (page 343)
Sheesh, one of the main purposes of the Kitzmiller opinion was to conflate intelligent design with fundamentalism. The book mostly stereotypes all critics of Darwinism as fundamentalists whereas many critics of Darwinism are not motivated by religion.
It is too bad that this book will probably be many people’s sole source of information and ideas about the Kitzmiller case.
I generously gave this book a four-star rating because it is well-written and has a lot of good information based on extensive research (though with some errors, which are almost inevitable). The book deserves a big fat “F” for objectivity.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Truth, Undiluted on January 19, 2010 - 2:01 pm
I REALLY wanted to like this book. I REALLY wanted an accurate account of the culture war Humes claims to be analyzing. This is my favorite subject of study.
I was very disappointed by the lack of thorough research. While I did not expect the author to take the side of religion, I also did not expect him to make completely false statements about it. I could list quite a few examples, but the most telling is in the Epilogue of the book, where he makes the statement (and I quote) “there is no historical record for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth outside of the scriptures”. Are you kidding me? Jesus of Nazareth is a very well-documented historical figure, whether you believe his claims of divinity or not. Other religions that are blatantly opposed to Christianity even document the life of Jesus. Did Humes forget about Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 AD), “the greatest historian” of ancient Rome? What about Flavius Josephus (37-97 AD), court historian for Emperor Vespasian? Both wrote about Jesus of Nazareth. A great article that covers more about the historicity of Jesus is here:
[...]
Rating: 1 / 5
#5 by dvimus on January 19, 2010 - 3:16 pm
There are few trials that can be held up as epoch-making but the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial in the US in 2005 can be held up as such an example. It became the latest battleground between science and religion and shows how pre age 16 school education became caught up in a war that has been going on for centuries.
The author Edward Humes, manages to present this highly complex case in such a way the general reader is not left in a daze over what the evidence is or what the scientific terms that are inevitably employed in such a trail, means. The trial proceedings run to many hundreds of pages of evidence and the judgement to 139 pages. Both of these are intimidating documents to the general reader and this book makes for a first rate précis. That this is done without breaking what is a gripping narrative speaks highly for the quality of the writing throughout this book.
The book itself details the events leading up to the trial and the attempts made by the Dover School Board to introduce religion in the guise of Intelligent Design, into the science class. It also shows how they tried to cover up what they were doing and exposes the lies they told in their original depositions that were presented to court. The background to the trial is well presented with detailed and clear expositions what constitutes the theory of evolution and what constitutes intelligent design which is not a scientific theory. The deeper background in the shape of the Kansas Evolution Hearings and the Scopes trial are also given their due. Particularly impressive is the manner in which the trial proceedings are covered in a way that makes them accessible with the major arguments being presented on both sides. Humes adds to the picture as well by detailing the media circus that surrounded certain aspects the trial and how this was exploited during the course of the trial.
This book is amazing fair to all parties involved in particular those expert witnesses on the defence team that it would be all too easy to bash. Seldom has Michele Behe been given an image that shows him as both vulnerable and a somewhat unprepossessing spokesman for ID. We learn something of his background and see at what point he chose to depart from science and pursue intelligent design. The major fall guy in the case, William Buckingham, is again presented with the human failings that played their part in his downfall.
The Discovery Institute and the Thomas More Law Centre however fare much less well. It is obvious from the start they have an agenda to push and it is clear they have a deceptive method to push it. Humes has spent a great deal of time researching the method used in addition to what came out at the trial and the picture that emerges is of a duplicitous religious organisation with a hard-line politico-religious agenda that has nothing to do with science. It is very clearly by the end of book and the reader is left in no doubt that the Discovery Institute is the principal villain throughout this process.
Faring worst of all was the Dover School Board which proved to be an incoherent shambles in court. The mass ignorance concerning everything they brought into courtroom has been ably demonstrated by Hume. It emerges that the school board was ignorant both of the theory of evolution and intelligent design. None of them had read so much as one book on either subject at hand and none of them had consulted a single scientist whilst taking it upon themselves to redesign the science curriculum. Without actually stating it Humes manages to get his reader to question the mandate under which such a school board is allowed to operate and whether it is in the best interests of education in general.
The hero of this book turns out to the prosecution lawyer, Eric Rothschild. Critically, Rothschild had a passion for science which meant the support he was given by the prosecution experts could be used to the best effect. His destruction of Michael Behe as a credible defence witness is superbly well chronicled and explained. What we have here is the benefit of an expert commentary whilst having the feeling we are actually in the courtroom during the trial. This above all else makes the book compelling.
The judge, John E Jones III, is presented by Humes as an open minded and intelligent person, as keen to learn what exists at the heart of the issue as anyone else. It contrasts strongly with so much of the pre-trial literature being put out by the religious right that Jones was a man who would bow to the bidding of creationists and not upset the man who gave him his job, one George W. Bush. Throughout the book Jones the trial judge is given the role the reader assumes in that both have to make appraisal of the evidence presented. It is of course just another of the ways Humes manages to draw his reader into the narrative, but it is expertly done.
Jones judgement has become famous in its right with his description of the actions of the Dover School Board as “breathtakingly inane” resounding in the mind long after the details have faded. This book will not be comfortable reading for creationists, but read it they should. It is high time they realised that pursuit of a highly divisive religious agenda that flies so deeply in the face of current scientific evidence is a doomed strategy. At the end of the book it is fair to say concerning the division between science and religion that belief is one thing, baseless stupidity is something quite different and not to be encouraged.
In the decades ahead, this trial will be seen as THE one that defined what constituted science as opposed to religion and the position it occupies in US law. In this respect in it affect the lives of everyone who lives in the US and should for that reason be required reading.
Rating: 5 / 5