Legal scholar Johnson is a most congenial member of a reputedly
dour, censorious band -- the staunch Christian critics of
Darwinian evolutionary theory. That theory in its contemporary
version Johnson sees as utterly excluding any divine creative
act, not only from consideration as a truth claim, but also from
toleration by the scientific, legal, and educational
establishments. Here he rehearses and updates the argument
against neo-Darwinian theory that he made in Darwin on Trial
(1991) and then critiques the methodological naturalism that
characterizes modern science and its influence. He sees
naturalism -- the contention that random natural processes
account for things as they are -- as having overstepped its
bounds, giving rise to relativism in morals and an absolutism in
science, law, and academe and denying religiously informed
thought a voice in intellectual discourse from the elementary
school on up. There are plenty of critics of "Godless science,"
but few are more intelligent (or better writers) than Johnson,
none more generous and gentlemanly in acknowledging their
opponents' strengths. -- Ray Olson
From: Library Journal
Johnson (Darwin on Trial, LJ 4/1/91) takes on naturalism, the
belief that the material universe is "all there is." Since this
is the basic position of all sciences, it has largely become the
accepted philosophy of our whole culture. Johnson asserts that
naturalism is an unproved metaphysical assumption, presupposed
rather than proved by science. As such, it is essentially a
religious position. He feels, therefore, that theism should be
allowed a respected place in the debate about the nature of
reality, since the conclusion will have far-reaching social
consequences. A meaningless naturalistic universe differs
profoundly from a purposeful, created universe in its
implications for law, education, and almost everything else.
Johnson does not preach; he reasons effectively and writes
clearly. His argument is well worth taking seriously. A well-
written book on a difficult subject; recommended for academic and
public libraries. -- C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, Ind.