What are the best books you've ever read about evolution?

by JimmyPage 37 Replies latest jw friends

  • Cadellin
    Cadellin

    Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer. This is a great place to start, if you've already checked out the invaluable talkorigins website.

    Life: The First Four Billion Years by Richard Fortey, who takes a very wide angle, examining not just organic evolution but also what was going on geologically and climatalogically at the same time, since everything affects the other. He's got a great "chatty" style which is pleasant to read.

    Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters by Don Prothero. So much for the fallacy of there not being any transitional fossils! This book is good because it digs deep (but not too deep for the lay person) into explaining WHY a particular fossil demonstrates evolution and how it fits into the broader play.

    The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins. This one's more daunting than the previous three but an excellent read once you've got the basics under your belt. He models his tale on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, admittedly quite loosely, but it's a fascinating trip back in time, examining retrogressively the last common ancestor before each major "break off" in homo sapien lineage.

  • Cadellin
    Cadellin

    Oh, and not to be missed: Life, How Did It Get Here? By Evolution and Creation?

    Seriously--research into all of the scholarly, accurate and highly responsible quotes in that book was what convinced me, once a die-hard creationist, that evolution was true!!!

  • MissingLink
    MissingLink

    Same for me Cadellin. That was the first book I looked at to "make the truth my own" a few years ago. The lies are outrageous and bold because at the time, there was no internet, and it would be very difficult for JWs to verify the claims made in this book. Seeing the lies for myself broke the spell totally for me. This is not unique to the watchtower though. That book is standard creationist propoganda.

  • Psychotic Parrot
    Psychotic Parrot

    There's so much information about evolution on the internet nowadays that reading books about it is almost unneccesary unless you're into details, but since you're a beginner... the internet should do just fine...

  • leavingwt
    leavingwt

    PZ Meyers:

    There is nothing condescending about appreciating that almost every human being, even the most god-soaked, has a functional mind and that maybe they can actually learn about science and a scientific way of thinking that makes their myths untenable. There is nothing condescending about being uncompromising in our expectations and trusting that others can hear and think and express their own ideas. There is something deeply condescending about setting aside a big chunk of people's experience and telling people that they should not question it.
  • jaguarbass
    jaguarbass

    The best book I have ever read on evolution is "Human anatomy and Physiology by Marieb" . A college text book

    To me it proves we did not evolve.

    I'm aware others read it and conclude we did evolve.

    Its just a book of facts on what the body is and how it works.

    Darwisim under the microscope by Dr. James Gills, a medical doctor, world famous eye surgeon.

    A doctor who does not believe the eye evolved much less humans.

    Origins of species by Darwin. A book that lays out the basic premise, that you can either embrace or refute.

    A book that explains evoloution in a gop, republican way, is "The history of the World" book 1 by Will Durant.

    An excellent history on humans on earth. If you want to believe in evolution this book will be fuel for your fire.

    Not so much a scientific book, but a look at history from a person who believes in Darwin.

    I'm an agnostic at 57. I was a believer in God and creation of sorts until I turned 50.

    One of the best books I have found thinking outside of the box as to what is going on here

    on earth is "Slave Speicies of God" by Michael Tellinger. It will take you down the rabit hole.

    You might not like the truth and reality of what is really happening.

  • PrimateDave
    PrimateDave

    "Life: The First Four Billion Years by Richard Fortey, who takes a very wide angle, examining not just organic evolution but also what was going on geologically and climatalogically at the same time, since everything affects the other. He's got a great "chatty" style which is pleasant to read."

    Yes, that was a very interesting book to read.

    Dave

  • PrimateDave
    PrimateDave

    At the risk of getting off topic here, I want to respond to Jaguarbass. I looked up Michael Tellinger and Zecharia Sitchin using Google search, something I would highly recommend that you, Jaguarbass, do as well, since their "theories" (Annunaki, Nibiru) have no basis in fact. Tellinger bases his creative fiction off of the creative fiction invented by Sitchin, who poses as a scholar of ancient languages. It seems like you won't read any serious information written by evolutionary biologists or paleontologists, but you get suckered in by these con artists?

    I also looked up James Gills. Do the words "Christian Apologist" mean anything? You might as welll be reading Life: How Did It Get Here - By Evolution or Creation? by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. You might especially enjoy chaper 11, "The Amazing Design of Living Things." In paragraph 11 they quote a scientist as saying that he "doesn't know" how a bunch of microscopic cells can assemble the complex skeleton of a sponge. See that! Scientists don't know! Creationists win! Not!

    Dave

  • jaguarbass
    jaguarbass

    Dave the creative fiction of Zechariah Sitchin is based on the bible and the Summerian text. And the

    epic of gilgamesh.

    His writings are his interpretations of these works. Kind of like Von Doniken.

    It's thinking out of the box.

    He writes about and interprets acient myths.

    You need to read Tellinger or Sitchin the 12th planet, before you dismiss them.

    There is dissinformation going on against Sitchin.

    These text that he interprets talk about taking a spaceman and a monkey/ primate/ bigfoot

    and making man and splicing DNA. and making humans.

    He was interpreting this back in the 60's

    before we even knew how to splice dna.

    I dont even know if interprets the right word because thats what the text say happened.

    The text have just been found sitting in museums since the 1960's.

    A whole house of cards was built, Our society and civilization and Sitchin finds

    the first civilization in history to spring up out of no where and write, print on clay and have

    complicated mathematical formualas that they had no use for. And tell that space men

    came to earth and made humans combining an animal with themselves to make

    us to be their slaves.

    Man has been a slave through out his existence here on earth.

    I have googled Sitchin and Tellinger many times, I've read all the amazon reviews pros and con.

    Still his writings are some of the best most interesting things I've read about evolution.

    To me its like reading fiction about fiction.

    I think there is a big effort by many to discredit Sitchin. Because a whole house of cards will

    come down if he is correct not just the religious house of cards but the psuedo science house of

    cards also.

    So Sitchin is getting it from both sides

    As far as not reading anything serious Anatomy and physiology is pretty serious and factual.

    I read that 3 times cover to cover. In college.

    To me reading books by evolutionary biologist is no more serious than reading a book

    by a bible/christian apologist.

    They both take facts and twist them to fit their theories, like pounding square pegs into round

    holes.

    I suspect that because evolutionary biologist show you that bacterias and viruses apapt, change

    or in your terms evolve that is proof that all life started as an amoeba and came from a

    common ancestor.

    As you know that's not my favorite theory.

    I will concede I am as much in the dark as every other human on this

    earth whether they know it or admit it or not.

    Evolution doesnt consider the unknown, unknown dimensions, aka the spirit realm.

    There is no doubt there is adaptation. And most people today call that evolution.

    I have read things in the past that say the earth isnt old enough for things to have evolved

    from nothing to where they are today.

    The reason being the sun. The size of the sun and distance and the sun being around

    long enough to have provided an atmosphere that would be hospitable.

    Now your going to tell me.

    So and so says that the sun could have been here long enough.

    So I have one scientist saying no and one saying yes and they are both apologist for their

    postions.

    So it boils down to what do I want to believe.

    I'm not going to any meetings,

    I'm not sending any money.

    But I may from time to time comment on threads that ask what are the best books you've ever

    read on evolution.

    And while I accept your critique of my best books on evolution list, those are still the best

    books I have read.

    I dont know if I'm going to read any more books on evolution or creation, I'm kind of over it.

    But I do always enjoy responding to you and reading your post.

    I change all the time. I reserve the right to change. I am like a heat seeking missle

    looking for the truth.

    I was a christian once, now I'm an agnostic.

    I was a republican once now I'm an independent.

    The truth on certain subjects might be in other dimensions beyond my technologies

    to ascertain today.

    I can understand why many people embrace evolution.

    Because most of the time if not all of the time God isnt there.

    I could suck all of the light and life out of my world and say gods not

    there and maybe hes not.

    Or I can delude my self, fake it until I make it that God is there.

    and that everything is going to be all right. If I just keep taking one step after

    the other.

    But none of that disproves evolution. Or proves creation.

    I think the best thing to disprove evolution is anatomy and physiology. The college text book by

    Marieb. But still probably most that read it believe in evolution.

    Because society is being programed to believe in evolution.

    That doesnt make it right.

    In my opinion that just proves the masses are asses.

    Any ways I've enjoyed responding to you Dave.

    I know I just spent an hour on this and it makes absolutely no difference.

    What a waste of time.

    But the beer was good.

    Math is factual

    Anatomy physiology are factual

    Sitchin may or may not be a con artist.

    evolutionary bioloby may be true.

    But to say that whales turn into cows or cows turn into whales in my estimation is also a con.

  • wavvy
    wavvy

    God and the New Physics - Paul Davies. Not entirely about evolution but touches on it.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit