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(crosspost) Book Rec. for Overview of Evolution?


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Hi, I'm not a troll, I've been here for a long time :lol:, and this is a serious request.

 

Long before this recent kerfluffle started, I had planned to do a course showing both the creation and evolution perspectives. Being a creationist I have a source for that side. (FWIW, I deplore what Ken Ham is doing--I hate it when a person I agree with theologically leaves logic and goodwill behind, acts like a total jerk, and then cries persecution. It makes me cringe to be a Christian and a creationist. So, back to the topic, I hope . . .)

 

However, with atrociously bad timing, now is when I need a source for the evolution side, written by someone from that perspective. I need something engaging that young people can understand, something that gives a solid overview, and something that is not waaaay too long a tome. It does not have to be a "textbook."

 

Any ideas, wise hive?

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DK Eyewitness: Evolution

 

The Human Story Our Evolution from Prehistoric Ancestors to Today by Dr. Maeve Leaky and Dr. Louis Leaky (National Geographic)

 

The Evolution Book by Sara Stein

 

 

If I were giving this talk, I'd try to remember to mention that there are Christian denominations that accept the scientific theory of evolution and do not see it as conflicting with their faith.

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If I were giving this talk, I'd try to remember to mention that there are Christian denominations that accept the scientific theory of evolution and do not see it as conflicting with their faith.

 

Oh yes, most definitely. They are already aware of this to some extent. And we've always made it clear it is NOT a salvation issue, :tongue_smilie: (long before this recent kerfluffle). But you are absolutely right to bring it up.

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The video Darwin's Dangerous Idea -- it was from a PBS series on Evolution (was it the Great Transformations series?). The other ones in the series weren't bad either.

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/about_tv.html

 

Our library has them all. I wouldn't be surprised if a place like Netflix also has them, if you can't get them at the library.

 

It's not a book, but might do a better job than some of the suggested books at getting the basics across.

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If you are wanting the 'hardcore', opposite end of the spectrum kind of spin, Richard Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth is very readable, but he does not shy away from controversy.

 

If you are wanting a book that shows how evolution and God need not conflict, Ken Miller's Finding Darwin's God is excellent.

 

Both of those books explain the basics of evolutionary theory in a clear, readable way that should be understandable by anyone reading on a high school level.

 

For a more 'fun' way of presenting the same material, you might look for Jay Hosler's Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth, which is in comic book format, but still explains a lot of fairly technical stuff.

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How about Darwin's Ghost by Steve Jones?

 

I recently listened to him on (very old -- 1999!) Melvyn Bragg's BBC Radio 3 program 'In Our Time' and he has a lot to contribute. His book aims to make Darwin's Origin of Species accessible to modern readers.

 

hth

~Moira

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These are from a series of videos that have been up on the web for awhile. At one point, I had the link to the whole series. I don't know if they're all on youtube now. These two were pretty good to start with, though.

 

 

The scientific method made easy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcavPAFiG14

 

Creation Science Made Easy:

 

 

 

Edited by flyingiguana
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Here are a few more in the series. If you look at the related video links at youtube you can find the ones that are relevant to your topic:

 

Origin of the universe, Earth, and life:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural selection and evolution:

 

 

 

and they continue on.

 

The man who makes these is a science writer.

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I was really put off by Ken Ham's personal attack on Christians who accept the theory of evolution. As a result, I checked out http://biologos.org/resources/books and decided to read Saving Darwin: How to be a Christian and Believe in Evolution. It gave me a great perspective on intelligent design, creationism, and evolution, and the interesting history of each. The author especially draws a distinction between biological Darwinism and social Darwinism. Darwin's pure data support the descriptive nature of the former, but indicate nothing about the prescriptive nature of the latter. I enjoyed the book because I accept its premise.

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