This message was bounced by my old ISP iiNet.net.au, so I am sending
it via my new ISP ibm.net. Sorry if you already received it.
Steve
On Sun, 23 Jun 1996 21:27:06 +0100, John Tant, N4XAN wrote:
JT>Stephen,
>You gave a nice list. I'd like to suggest one addition. Del
>Ratzsch, right here in our group, has written a really good book
>entitled _The Battle of Beginnings: Why Neither Side is Winning
>the Creation-Evolution Debate_ in which he points out significant
>shortcomings in the argumentation on both sides. It is well
>worth the time to read for several reasons. I'll give two. First,
>he spends some time developing the history of the problem and gives
>an opportunity to examine the historical definitions of science
>itself. Everything else, he rightly contends, hangs on that.
>Second, his analysis of their argument style shows a significant
>quantity of straw men and false analogies used by both camps. I
>appreciated this book so much I'm planning to use it in my senior
>level high school science class next year.
Thanks. I have just bought the book but haven't yet had the time to
read it fully. But I find the sub-title a bit strange. As Johnson
points out in his review of the book:
"Ratzsch's subtitle says that "neither side is winning" the battle
between the neo-Darwinists and the Biblical creationists. I cannot
imagine what gives him that impression, since the Darwinian position
dominates not only science, but government, the universities, the
public schools, and the media. Most people I meet in the secular
university world have gained what little information they have about
creationism from the writings of its principal enemies, such as Carl
Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, and Isaac Asimov. They take for granted
that evolutionary science has explained or soon will have explained
the entire history of life on naturalistic principles. To the extent
that they take any notice of either creation-science or theistic
evolution, they consign both to the subjective realm of "religion,"
which has nothing to do with an objective science like biology."
(Johnson P.E., "Starting a Conversation about Evolution", A review of
"The Battle of the Beginnings: Why Neither Side is Winning the
Creation-Evolution Debate", by Del Ratzsch.
I am sure the Darwinists will be happy to call a halt to the battle
with them occupying almost all the territory! :-)
God bless.
Steve
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