Book Reviews
Theology and Science—Vol. 7, No. 4
11/1/2009
Even in an evolutionary age, the question of ultimate purpose remains open—and this collection is as good a place to begin its exploration as any.
More Information on this book
Science and Christian Belief—Vol. 21, No. 1
10/1/2009
This book is highly recommended. It is hugely erudite, generally lucid, and always thought provoking.
More Information on this book
CHOICE—Vol. 46, No. 1
9/1/2008
Though many would describe evolution as random and nondirectional, Morris, a well-known Cambridge paleobiologist, argues for a much different perspective. In his 2003 book, Life’s Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe (CH, May’04, 41-5285), Morris employed a series of well-supported arguments in presenting a more deterministic view of the evolutionary process. Morris follows up with this collection of writings by 12 renowned scientists, philosophers, and theologians, who were invited to examine the significance of the ubiquitous character of evolutionary convergence. Although many of the traditional examples of convergence are presented, such as the evolution of wings and streamlined fusiform swimming morphologies, readers are challenged to expand their definition of convergence to include examples that may be more subtle. Hal Whitehead compares whales, elephants, and humans in his chapter on social and cultural evolution. Even though it certainly would not be a stretch to include chimpanzees and marine mammals in a discussion on the evolutionary convergence of intelligence, Anthony Trewavas devotes most of his chapter to an exploration of intelligence in plants. Morris has assembled a powerful collection of arguments that effectively challenge the nondirectional, random view of the evolutionary process. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. —J. A. Hewlett, Finger Lakes Community College
More Information on this book
|
