What's Darwin Got to Do With It? by Robert C. Newman

What's Darwin Got to Do With It? by Robert C. Newman ISBN-13: 9780830822492 Trade Paperback: 152 pages Publisher: IVP Books Released: January 14, 2000

Source: Personal library.

Book Description, my take:
This easy-to-read, cartoon-format book is an introduction to the problems with the commonly used "proofs" of evolution. Two professors carry on a conversation about the origins of life. One believes in (macro)evolution and the other in intelligent design. Both logic and science are used to explore which best explains the evidence: chance and time or some sort of intelligent designer.


My Review:
What's Darwin Got to Do With It? is an apologetic about scientific and logic problems with some of the commonly used "proofs" for macroevolution. The book is a quick read due to the cartoon-format (drawings with dialogue bubbles). It's appropriate for high school level on up, though probably middle schoolers could also understand it. The book covered topics like natural selection (moths and bird beaks), missing links (lack of transitional fossils, the Cambrian Explosion), common skeleton features between animals, information found in DNA, and irreducible complexity.

The book didn't deal with the question of the age of the Earth or universe. In one frame, the intelligent design gal mentioned millions of years in a way that sounded like she didn't contest that (rather than saying it in a way that sounded like she meant "even by your own standards of time..."). I believe in a young universe.

Still, I like to use this book as a way to introduce people to these problems with marcoevolution because it's a quick, fun read while still clearly explaining the points. It is an introduction level, though, so it's not really for people who feel they are experts on the issues. I'd recommend this book to people unfamiliar with the issues and who don't want to spend much time learning about them.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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