Rating: 
Summary: About Natural Selection & Politics
Review: On the positive side, reading this book can spark the reader to think more about the implications of natural selection. It is a very powerful algorithm that reshapes the genetic makeup of populations. It has far reaching consequences in spite of, or perhaps because of, it's deceptive simplicity.On the negative side, the author cannot help but try to make Punctuated Equilibrium a bigger deal than it really is. The author claims that until he and Gould introduced PE, scientists general considered evolution to occur at a steady pace over the lifetime of a species. This sounds like a strawman argument to me. There is nothing in Darwin's formulation to indicate that rates of change are constant, and anybody in the field would be aware of us without having to be 'reminded' by the PE boys. I also don't think that the relative rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record has ever been a real problem since Mayr. If signficant evolution can occur in small populations over short periods of time, then of course the probability of finding the corresponding fossils is really low. Eldredge & Gould could have explained this in a 5 page paper. But that's not how you get famous. You get famous by promoting a simple observation as some type of revolutionary idea. I'm gonna back to reading Richard Dawkins. He once admitted that as a research scientist he was decent, but he felt his real contribution could be made by writing books for the general public. A remarkedly candid and honest statement from an amazing fellow!
Rating: 
Summary: Science and Dogma
Review: The author's summary of evolution, along with his presentation of the historical evolution of that theory, presents the disparate elements in a very concise manner. The short text of the book (<200 pages) provides a clear view of where the theory of evolution started and where it is now. Any reader should appreciate Dr. Eldredge's understanding of the science along with his ability to communicate that understanding. Geared towards the "casual" scientist's interests, this book is a fine accomplishment and an engaging read. At first, I was somewhat put off by the attacks on creationist dogma. Although its presence in the title is more distracting than the instances throughout the book, I felt the book's function as an overview of evolution would be more useful than as a rebuttal to the beliefs of a subset of the religious community. Presenting the facts clearly should be enough to defend evolution. However, seeing other readers' reviews, I'm reminded that a battle exists, and it must be addressed along with any presentation of the theory itself. While it would be correct to be put off by a book on physics or geometry that felt the need to address religious beliefs -- sciences that are inexplicably left alone by the religious community -- it's unavoidable with a book on evolution or biology. One area of science is demonized over others that follow the same principles. Because of this, evolutionists are forced to defend themselves, too often, not against their peers but against laymen. As the external battle spills over to book reviews, I'm reminded of some of the benefits of excessive scrutiny pointed out by Dr. Eldredge. Although this scrutiny generally comes from scientists themselves in order to work out the thesis/antithesis/synthesis of ideas, external scrutiny may be no less productive to drive science forward. Read the book. It's quick, thorough, and inexpensive. Above all, it's a very readable presentation of a very important science.
Rating: 
Summary: uh no
Review: This will be short. I read it and this is all it shows: This book fails to show the triumph of evolution and only shows the failure of young earth creationism. For Old earth creationism check out The Genesis Question.
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