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Why Evolution Works (and Creationism Fails) is an impassioned argument in favour of science – primarily the theory of evolution – and against creationism. Why impassioned? Should not scientists be dispassionate in their work? 'Perhaps', write the authors, 'but it is impossible to remain neutral when our most successful scientific theories are under attack, for religious and other reasons, by laypeople and even some scientists who willfully distort scientific findings and use them for their own purposes.'
Focusing on what other books omit, how science works and how pseudoscience works, Matt Young and Paul K. Strode demonstrate the futility of 'scientific' creationism. They debunk the notion of intelligent design and other arguments that show evolution could not have produced life in its present form. Concluding with a frank discussion of science and religion, Why Evolution Works (and Creationism Fails) argues that science by no means excludes religion, though it ought to cast doubt on certain religious claims that are contrary to known scientific fact.
A few words from the authors: 'We address Why Evolution Works (and Creationism Fails), in part, to those who, for whatever reasons, deny what we consider well-founded scientific facts such as the antiquity of the Earth and the descent of species. At the very least, they carry an obligation to understand precisely what they reject. We also hope to provide parents, teachers, and others with sound arguments they can easily understand and give them ammunition with which to defend modern science.'
Matt Young is a senior lecturer in the department of physics at the Colorado School of Mines. A prolific writer, he is the coauthor of Why Intelligent Design Fails: A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism (Rutgers University Press). Paul K. Strode is a biology teacher in Boulder, Colorado, and an instructor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a doctoral degree in ecology and environmental science.
"Why Evolution Works (and Creationism Fails) delivers on the promise of its title. Deploying a host of fascinating examples. Young and Strode provide a lucid and lively introduction to the successes of evolution and the failures of creationism."
– Glenn Branch, National Center for Science Education
"Of similar books I have seen on this subject, this one is the best. Its discussions of evolution and refutation of creationism are clear, concise, and powerful. Matt Young and Paul Strode offer a unique, introductory-level book for students, scientists, or anyone who is open to thinking about the topic."
– Alan D. Gishlick, Gustavus Adolphus College
