From Publishers Weekly
Dembski, a philosopher/mathematician who has been an important theorist for the intelligent design movement, handles a wide range of questions and objections that should give both fans and detractors of ID plenty to chew on. The book's timing is appropriate; it is only in the past few years that ID, initially dismissed by some scientists as "creationism in a cheap tuxedo," has also begun to attract a more sophisticated brand of criticism. These critiques come not only from evolutionary biologists and philosophers of biology, but also from Christian theologians who have made peace with Darwinian evolution. While most of the core arguments of this book will be familiar to readers of the ID literature, they are presented here in (if one may say so) more highly evolved form: explanations are clearer, objections are borne more patiently, distinctions and concessions are artfully made. Without denying the theological and cultural implications of ID, Dembski is more concerned with ID's future as a scientific enterprise: a point where despite some successes the movement continues to struggle. The book's format-responding to individual questions in 44 short chapters-makes for a clear, if repetitive, read. Chapters can focus on a single issue and adopt an appropriate tone: basic questions get basic replies, pointed objections get forceful rejoinders, and technical questions allow Dembski to unleash a faculty for technical detail that can only be called impressive. The latter may leave some general-interest readers in the dark, but readers with the requisite background will appreciate the subtlety, insight, and occasional quirkiness of Dembski's theoretical work.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Audiofile
Is intelligent design (ID) thinly veiled creationism? Or perhaps simply anti-evolutionary resentment? Dembski (truly one of the pillars of ID) fields the easy questions as well as the tough ones, and Grover Gardner gives Dembski voice in covering this dense material. In a measured and conversational tone, Gardner brings to life some of the complexities of this field: Michael Behe's theory of irreducible complexity, evolution's information theoryâ ID-specific quandaries such as "the Wedge document," and ID's supposed religious implications. But while Gardner does everything possible to make this accessible, the material will be difficult to grasp for anyone not steeped in the debate. Dembski's honest assessment of this approach to scientific inquiry might not be the checkmate move his camp anticipates. S.M.M. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--Ce texte fait référence à l'édition
CD
.
