Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful....
Review: Mr. Pigliucci has put together a series of essays aimed directly between the eyes of the Christian right wing and the "psuedo-scientists" whose aim it is to confuse those searching for science in religion. The answer - You won't find it folks. Religious theory does not follow anything close to scientific method - regardless of what the psudo-scientists would like you to believe.
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading caricatures by a dishonest propagandist
Review: My advice is to READ this book and then go read the works of the people this guy criticizes. You'll find plenty of distortions in this book. What are you afraid of Pigliucci, loosing some power?
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful....
Review: Pigliucci's book gives a superb philisophical and practical discussion of the downsides to believing in theistic faiths. He also shows quite clearly why Darwinian Evolution is not "just a theory" - but one grounded in every fact we known about our physical world. Mathematics, for instance, is also "just a theory." The only reason we KNOW that 1+1=2 is because we use our brain: the certainty of the conclusion is based on rational thought alone. The same is true for biology and Darwinian evolution. Pigliucci shows the absurdity of adherence to religious "faith" in the face of solid scientific evidence. If you don't believe in the utter complete lack of "Intelligent Design" in evolution, then you may as well not believe in medicine, physics, bio-chemistry, genetics and every other science. For that matter, you may as well believe in ghosts, the tooth-fairy, leprechauns, ESP, alien abductions, and Santa Claus - they are all equally absurd! Here's a suggestion: for those religious apologists who want to blindly deny Darinian evolution and all of it's firm ties to every physical science we know, next time you're sick, forget going to your doctor - just stay home and pray. The only reason to see a doctor is because you believe he or she has some knowledge about biology. Otherwise, your priest will do. If you're afraid to be intellectually challenged .... if you prefer to be blinded by faith, and not ever critically or skeptically examine life around you, then don't read this book. Instead, just watch TV. Be warned: this book will make you THINK!!
Rating:
Summary: Not for Weak Minds!
Review: Pigliucci's book gives a superb philisophical and practical discussion of the downsides to believing in theistic faiths. He also shows quite clearly why Darwinian Evolution is not "just a theory" - but one grounded in every fact we known about our physical world. Mathematics, for instance, is also "just a theory." The only reason we KNOW that 1+1=2 is because we use our brain: the certainty of the conclusion is based on rational thought alone. The same is true for biology and Darwinian evolution. Pigliucci shows the absurdity of adherence to religious "faith" in the face of solid scientific evidence. If you don't believe in the utter complete lack of "Intelligent Design" in evolution, then you may as well not believe in medicine, physics, bio-chemistry, genetics and every other science. For that matter, you may as well believe in ghosts, the tooth-fairy, leprechauns, ESP, alien abductions, and Santa Claus - they are all equally absurd! Here's a suggestion: for those religious apologists who want to blindly deny Darinian evolution and all of it's firm ties to every physical science we know, next time you're sick, forget going to your doctor - just stay home and pray. The only reason to see a doctor is because you believe he or she has some knowledge about biology. Otherwise, your priest will do. If you're afraid to be intellectually challenged .... if you prefer to be blinded by faith, and not ever critically or skeptically examine life around you, then don't read this book. Instead, just watch TV. Be warned: this book will make you THINK!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: Scientists often seem remote, speaking an esoteric language whose precision increases its inaccessibility to the general public. Scientists also learn to avoid straying beyond the narrow regions of their expertise. That's good for science, but unfortunately leaves the public susceptible to those who speak whatever language will sell their arbitrary ideas. It also leaves the thoughtful, but non scientific, public without a guide to the issues on which science can and should inform. How refreshing it is, then, to read Dr. Pigliucci's essays! A well-published biologist and an experienced debator, Dr. Pigliucci brings a careful, analytical mind to a wide range of topics in science, society, and religion. He argues with clarity and elegance in favor of using rational methods to understand our world and to evaluate the claims of those trying to sell arbitrary or evidenceless ideas as truth. Dr. Pigliucci is especially strong in reviewing debates he's had with creationists. Having seen him debate with great style and success, I still find that a book is a better medium for presenting the thoughtful developments of arguments; his rebutals and further insights in 'Tales of the Rational' leave no further room for the pseudoscientific silliness of the creationists. The book is a delightful journey through the methods and philosophies of science, the application of science and reason to religious claims, the foibles and frauds of proponents of mindless faith, the pseudoscience of anti-evolutionists, and an examination of other scientific ideas often misunderstood by the general public. It's trendy presently to claim a growing connection between religion and science; this book is the antidote to those who think that science can be watered down sufficiently to force a fit with superstition and baseless speculation. What Carl Sagan and his 'Cosmos' was for general science, Dr. Pigliucci and 'Tales of the Rational' is for the rich nexus of science and theology. That is, he gives the reader the careful analytical tools of an experienced and scientifically skilled mind and does so in an exciting and entertaining way.
Rating:
Summary: Skeptics and Rationalists Have a New "Role Model"
Review: Tales of the Ration is truly that; rational tales. The book is a collection of essays and articles written by Dr. Pigliucci that convey his views of the rational and irrational world that we live in. Dr. Pigliucci provides outstanding and rational arguments for many issues that affect us today in the world of pseudoscience, irrationalism, and religion. The book is a must-have in the library of every freethinker, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, atheist, agnostic, and liberal theist. The book is definitely a must-read for those people that do not fall into one of those categories.
Rating:
Summary: Skeptics and Rationalists Have a New "Role Model"
Review: Tales of the Ration is truly that; rational tales. The book is a collection of essays and articles written by Dr. Pigliucci that convey his views of the rational and irrational world that we live in. Dr. Pigliucci provides outstanding and rational arguments for many issues that affect us today in the world of pseudoscience, irrationalism, and religion. The book is a must-have in the library of every freethinker, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, atheist, agnostic, and liberal theist. The book is definitely a must-read for those people that do not fall into one of those categories.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Survey of Issues Related to Biology
Review: This book is a superb introduction to thinking about issues related to science and the philosophy of science. The essays will interest both the professional and the lay reader. If you are interested in a readable critique of creationist rhetoric it is there; if you are interested in the debate over philosophical issues in the biological sciences it is there; if you are looking for a realistic skeptical approach to these issues, it is there as well. In short, this is a good introduction to understanding the role that biology plays in our lives and how the non-specialist should go about sorting through those issues. Highly recommended!!!
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