Product Description

Why evolution is more than just a theory: it is a fact

In all the current highly publicized debates about creationism and its descendant "intelligent design," there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned—the evidence, the empirical truth of evolution by natural selection. Even Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould, while extolling the beauty of evolution and examining case studies, have not focused on the evidence itself. Yet the proof is vast, varied, and magnificent, drawn from many different fields of science. Scientists are observing species splitting into two and are finding more and more fossils capturing change in the past—dinosaurs that have sprouted feathers, fish that have grown limbs.

Why Evolution Is True weaves together the many threads of modern work in genetics, paleontology, geology, molecular biology, and anatomy that demonstrate the "indelible stamp" of the processes first proposed by Darwin. In crisp, lucid prose accessible to a wide audience, Why Evolution Is True dispels common misunderstandings and fears about evolution and clearly confirms that this amazing process of change has been firmly established as a scientific truth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1318 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

This the THE book on the subject
Natural Law, Science, and the Social Construction of Reality

As a philosopher who has written on evolution, both from a scientific and ethical viewpoints, I found this book to be extremely clear in explaining what evolution is, and what it isn't, and why we all not only should, but MUST accept the truth of evolution.

I have two minor quibbles with the book, quibbles only a philosopher would have. One has to do with the use of the term 'theory' and the other with Coyne's discussion of values in the last chapter.

Coyne is essentially correct in stating that the scientific use of 'theory' is not the same as everyday usage. In science theories explain facts. For example, atomic theory explains why boiled water turns to steam. Evolution is a fact. The evidence is overwhelming. Yet people refuse to accept the truth of evolution by calling it a theory.

As Coyne points out, there are some problems with explaining certain aspects of the evolutionary process, but that, in no way, diminishes the truth of evolution. My minor quibble with his use of the term is that he sometimes uses it a bit imprecisely and sometimes comes close to everyday usage.

The book is set out in 9 self chapters, each presents what is needed to convince the reader of the truth of evolution. And, in the process, he demonstrates the shortcomings and fallacies of anti evolution arguments.

In chapter one he defines what evolution is: "Life on Earth evolved gradually beginning with one primitive species....more than 3.5 billion years ago; it then branched out over time, throwing off many new and diverse species; and the mechanism for mot ( but not all) evolutionary change is natural selection."

Chapter two discusses the fossil record and how the fossil record demonstrates evolution in three ways:
Fossils confirms predictions which arise out of evolutionary theory, transitional forms are in the fossil record where they should be, and the fossil record records major changes.

Chapter three deals with our vestigial organs and how they demonstrate human evolution, as well as how human embryonic development also demonstrates the evolutionary process in humans. In this chapter Coyne also shows how various arguments from design do not hold up.

Chapter four is about how geography influences evolution from the developments of different characteristics of the same specie in different geographical contexts, and how travel to isolated islands can effect the evolution of a species. This leads into a discussion of the effects of environment on evolution.

Chapter five is a detailed discussion of the processes of natural selection and how it works, using a wide variety of examples. Briefly, natural selection involves the adaption of a characteristic which is variable within a species as the color of an animal. Second, some of the variation has to be genetic, and third, the genetic change must improve the animal's ability to leave offspring.

Chapter six about how sexual selection affects evolution. It is through sex that we reproduce, so how sex selects who produces works with natural selection in insuring species survival.

Chapter seven discusses what is meant by 'species.' It was Coyne's teacher Ernst Mayr who came up with the definition still used: a group of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups." This is called the "biological Species Concept."

And chapter eight finally gets around to human evolution. Coyne again returns to the fossil record and relates some of the history of finding fossils that fill out the human evolutionary chain. In this chapter he also discusses the relationship between humans and our nearest relatives, the chimpanzees. The most interesting aspect of this discussion is that, while we are constantly told that there is only a 1.5% difference in the dna of chimps and humans, Coyne shows how this is misleading and that the differences, when looked at from an amino acid standpoint, since there are hundreds of them, 1% in genetic material may still mean there are hundreds of differences in protein make up of the dna. Thus we are bit farther away from chimps than just 1.5%

And in the final chapter Coyne discusses why people still refuse to believe in evolution. People do want to give up other aspects of how we think about ourselves.

And my final quibble is when Coyne allows that sources such religion can still be used for our values. In this he still adheres to an old view of science where fact and value are separated. But, as I argue in my book, listed above, our understanding of nature implies certain values. In other words, evolution contains a foundation for ethics.

But aside from these minor quibbles, this a is a great book and should convince every reader of the truth of evolution.

WHY EVOLUTION is TRUE
In spite of a recent book review in The Economist calling the book "redundant" I consider it to be well written, easy to follow and a necessary wake-up call to those who hide their ignorance and unwillingness to think behind the motto "it's all so difficult so let's have faith in Intelligent Design" because that relieves us of the burden of having to think logically.

Evolution is True
I beleive this book should be required reading for high school and university students. Maybe then the USA will finally catch up with the rest of the world and its youngsters will be able to free themselves from fundamentalist fervour.

Very well written and it lays the facts out for all to see.