Books Most Important to You
by Steve PetermannI think it's an interesting (and tough) task to come up with a short list of the books or papers that have been most important to you. I'm always interested in what people are reading and think is important. In order to keep this list around a dozen what helped me was to look for books in my bookshelves that never seem to end up in the overflow stacks. The following are some books that have been important to me:
- Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Paul Tillich
- Stages of Thought, Michael Horace Barnes
- The Courage to Be, Paul Tillich
- A Different Universe, Robert Laughlin
- The Writings of William James, William James, John J. McDermott
- The Shape of Ancient Thought, Thomas McEvilley
- In the Presence of Mystery, Michael Horace Barnes
- Darwin's Black Box, Michael Behe
- Descartes' Error, Antonio Damasio
- In Whom We Live and Move and Have our Being, Philip Clayton
- The Tacit Mode, Michael Polanyi's Postmodern Philosophy, Jerry Gill
- The History of Religious Ideas, Mircea Eliade
- Philosophers speak of God, Charles Hartshorne, William Reese
Anyone else care to share their list?
P.S. I could have also included various religious scriptures but decided to focus on non-scriptural works.
July 17th, 2006 at 3:26 am
hum, if I were one to keep books after reading them, I only seem to keep ones that were gifted. However as a teen, I did read a book by Pinker that had an important (if temporary) effect on me (I uh, ahem, grew up:mrgreen:) it was supposed to be about the evolution of emotion but I don't really recall much of the book actually dealing with that specifically, more with how evolution works, how eyes evolved etc.:cool:
Comment by carbon14atom — July 17, 2006 @ 3:26 am
July 17th, 2006 at 9:00 am
Darwin's Black Box-Behe
Warranted Christian Belief - Plantinga
A Case Against Chance and Self-Organization - Overmann
Mere Christianity - Lewis
C.S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea - Reppert
Life's Solution - Morris
Organic Chemistry - McMurry
Thomas Aquinas - Copleston
Modern Physics and Ancient Faith - Barr
Catholicism and Fundamentalism - Keating
Comment by Doug — July 17, 2006 @ 9:00 am
July 17th, 2006 at 9:11 am
* Stickman Theology (it's by a friend of mine, not yet available publicly, but I think anyone can email me for a copy)
* Messy Spirituality
* Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
* Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming
* Decision-making by the Book
* Understanding the Pattern of Life
* The Art of Computer Programming
* A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament
* Modern C++ Design
* Applying UML and Patterns
* and most of all, with a shameless plug, Programming from the Ground Up.
Comment by johnnyb — July 17, 2006 @ 9:11 am
July 17th, 2006 at 12:00 pm
The Abolition of Man, CS Lewis
Proverbs
The Everlasting Man, GK Chesterson
Human Action, Ludwig von Mises
Liberalism, Ludwig von Mises
The Road to Serfdom, Hayek
The Law, Frederick Bastiat
Fox in Socks
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Curious George
Fancy Nancy
Comment by todd — July 17, 2006 @ 12:00 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
As far as the books that had long-lasting effects on me:
The Best Things in Life - Peter Kreeft
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle - John D. Barrow, Frank J. Tipler, and John A. Wheeler
Evolution: A Theory In Crisis - Michael Denton
Darwin's Black Box - Michael Behe
The Silver Surfer and Berserk comics
Comment by Guts — July 17, 2006 @ 6:05 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 6:18 pm
The Bible.
Comment by Douglas — July 17, 2006 @ 6:18 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
The Sweet Patootie Doll - Mary Calhoun
A Chocolate Moose for Dinner - Fred Gwynn
Infant and Child Care - Benjamin Spock
The Genetic Code - Isaac Asimov
A Yaqui Way of Knowledge - Carlos Castenada
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robt. M. Pirsig
Perfect Symmetry - Heinz Pagels
Relativity - Albert Einstein
People of the Lie - M. Scott Peck
Six Not So Easy Pieces - Richard Feynman
The Rainbow and the Worm - Mae-Wan Ho
The Mystic Vision - Eranos Society
The Nature and Destiny of Man - Reinhold Niebuhr
The Nature of Space and Time - Hawking and Penrose
Beyond the Post-Modern Mind - Huston Smith
The Large, The Small, and the Human Mind - Roger Penrose
Comment by Joy — July 17, 2006 @ 7:14 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
Hi Joy,
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robt. M. Pirsig
Come to think of it, this was an important book for me too. It got me to learn how to juggle and opened up my hyper-structured engineering mind.
Comment by Steve Petermann — July 17, 2006 @ 7:22 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
In no particular order:
Provocations by Kierkegaard
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Watterson
The Myth of Religious Neutrality by Clouser
Institutes of the Christian Religion by Calvin
Against Method by Feyerabend
Nature, Design and Science by Ratzsch
Responsible Technology by Monsma, et al.
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Doyle
In the Twilight of Western Thought by Dooyeweerd
Comment by macht — July 17, 2006 @ 7:24 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
LOL! Well, I didn't come into my own per the juggling and hyper-structure (puppetmaker, costumer, stage designer, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer for the Circus) until I got Clown Alley by Bill Ballantine. Lived in a house with an entire corner of the living room devoted to mirrors, lights and talcum powder (Krylon in the drawers), a coffee can nailed to the door from porch labeled "Noses." Buy the darned things by the gross and they still disappear on a regular basis…
Zen… was an adult Sunday School project at the Church Grandma built, I was just passing through (Navy). Enjoyed it immensely. I have my "favorites" shelf, but these are books I tend to read over and over again. And top billing on that list has to be Perfect Symmetry. Elaine Pagels' books are interesting, but not life-affecting. Heinz (her late husband) died in a mountain climbing accident years ago, but his effort is the best general purpose overview I've got (and I've a few).
Comment by Joy — July 17, 2006 @ 9:11 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
I am brand new to this blog — from a link at gnxp.com — and so would just like to make a brief comment. There is a shocking lack of books on history on these lists. How can you young whippersnappers (I assume you are young) take a serious interest in where the world is going and not take a serious interest in where it has been. For your edification I therefore recommend the following list, in no particular order:
1. The Protestant Ethic and the Rise of Capitalism by Max Weber
2. What Happened in History by V. Gordon Childe
3. For the Glory of God by Rodney Stark
4. A History of the Jews by Paul Johnson
5. Cicero by Anthony Everitt (What Rome was really like)
6. American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis
7. The Birth of the Modern by Paul Johnson
8. Patriotic Gore by Edmund Wilson
9. God's Funeral by A. N. Wilson
10. A Wack Job on Adam and Eve by Luke Lea
Comment by lukelea — July 17, 2006 @ 9:25 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Lord of the Rings
How To Play Lead Guitar - I. Forget
The Gospel of St. John
Orthodoxy - GK Chesterton
The Scapegoat - Rene Girard (a hard read but interesting ideas)
Evolution: A Theory In Crisis - Michael Denton
Darwin's Black Box - Michael Behe
Darwin On Trial - P.Johnson
The Cat in the Hat (I recommend it over 'One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish')
Recent: Darwinian Fairytales - David Stove (funny guy)
No doubt I'm suffering from Confirmation Bias
Comment by samohth — July 17, 2006 @ 9:54 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
I just wanted to point out, to all you with big, long, impressive lists, that the Bible is actually 66 books. So there.
Comment by Douglas — July 17, 2006 @ 10:29 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
This was REALLY difficult. I used to read between 5 and 10 books per week, but then children and research and teaching and writing intervened. Counting all of the childrens' books, our home library has between 5,000 and 6,000 volumes (not counting bound or boxed periodicals), every one of which one of us has read at least once, so making a choice like this is almost impossible. Also, it wasn't clear whether it was restricted to non-fiction (and whether books of poetry counted), so I included all three. Here is the list, alternating non-fiction and fiction, and in decreasing order of importance (entries are title/author/estimated times completely read):
Origin of Species (1st edition)/Charles Darwin/over a dozen times (it's required for my evolution course
Lord of the Rings (including The Hobbit, of course)/J. R. R. Tolkein/over a dozen times (at least a half dozen times out loud to my kids, using different voices for each character)
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis/E. O. Wilson/at least three times (my first edition copy was inscribed by Ed Wilson at a dinner party following his presentation of the Messenger Lectures here at Cornell)
Little,BIG/Johm Crowley/at least six times (the finest single-volume fantasy ever written)
The Selfish Gene/Richard Dawkins/at least six times (used to be required in my course)
The Dispossessed/Ursula K. LeGuin/at least a dozen times (the finest single-volume science fiction novel ever written)
The Evolution of Human Sexuality/Donald Symonds/at least six times (started me on over a decade of intense and rewarding research)
Time Enough for Love/Robert A. Heinlein/at least a dozen times (along with the rest of his Future History novels and stories, and especially his "juveniles")
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance/Robert Pirsig/at least a dozen times (the one book I most consistently give away to my students)
Turtle Island/Gary Snyder/at least a dozen times (the greatest American poet since Whitman)
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 17, 2006 @ 10:30 pm
July 17th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
Origin of Species, Charles Darwin.
Genetics and the Origin of Species, Theodosius Dobzhansky.
Biology of Ultimate Concern, Theodozius Dobzhansky
Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches, Peter Grant
The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins
The Last Temptation of Christ, Nikos Kazantzakis
Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
The Magus, John Fowles
Sophie's Choice, William Styron
The Inheritors, William Golding
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller, Jr
The Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac
Comment by KC — July 17, 2006 @ 11:23 pm
July 18th, 2006 at 5:31 am
Living the Good Life , Helen and Scott Nearing
Triumph of Politics, David Stockman
Comment by RogerRabbitt — July 18, 2006 @ 5:31 am
July 18th, 2006 at 8:58 am
My Family and other Animals, Gerald Durrell
Evolutionary Biology, Douglas J. Futuyma
The Lantern Bearers, Rosemary Sutcliff
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
The Politics of Jesus, John Howard Yoder
Comment by Nick — July 18, 2006 @ 8:58 am
July 18th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
Allen,
Just curious, but in the midst of all that reading you've done, and all those books you have, have you ever read the Bible through? The New Testament? I seem to have noticed a bit of a trend here.
Comment by Douglas — July 18, 2006 @ 4:54 pm
July 18th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Hi lukelea,
Welcome!
I'm not young by any stretch of the imagination and like you I think history is extremely important. My particular interest is in the history of thought, in general, and the history of religious thought, in particular. These are the books I have found very informative:
The Shape of Ancient Thought, Thomas McEvilley
Stages of Thought, Michael Horace Barnes
The History of Religious Ideas, Mircea Eliade
Philosophers Speak of God, Charles Hartshorne, William Reese
McEvilley's book is a remarkable one for understanding how the ancients approached deep issues, including both Western and Eastern thought.
Stages of Thought and The History of Religious Ideas (3 volumes) offer a historical look at the evolution of religious thinking.
Philosophers Speak of God is a great survey of philosophical thinking about God dating back to early Greek thinkers.
What I have found in surveying the history of thought is that most of the "modern" issues have already been dealt with in great length by the great minds of the past. Obviously things have changed somewhat over the millenia but especially when it comes to seminal questions regarding the constitution of reality and metaphysics what is crucial in the "new" discussions can be informed greatly by the past struggles.
I admit to not knowing much about the sociological and political history of struggles but I think that would also have much to offer.
Comment by Steve Petermann — July 18, 2006 @ 5:17 pm
July 18th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Douglas,
I think what is more pertinent is the variety of important books. If one is to offer a well founded opinion on things, isn't it more important that the readings be broad? When an individual has only a narrow focus of readings doesn't this lend less credence to their opinions, particularly when they spout off on something they know little about? As Michael Ruse has lamented about the likes of Dawkins and Dennett, they have not studied religious sentiment or culture in any depth at all. What is remarkable about the great polymaths is that they were well versed in many areas of thought and art. If you're reading is limited to the Bible only, many will think that you do not embrace the full range of human experience and thought. In my view the Bible is a remarkable book but there are other works that are very important as well.
Comment by Steve Petermann — July 18, 2006 @ 7:52 pm
July 18th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
By order of influence on my life:
The Christian Scriptures which I now believe to be written under the inspiration of the Intelligent Designer of the Universe and Life
God and the Astronomers by Robert Jastrow NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center
Foundations of Math ( I misplaced the exact title and author) but it taught me so much about logical thinking!!!!
Calculus by Swokowski
Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday and Resnik
Why I Believe by D. James Kennedy
Evolution a Theory in Crisis by Michael Denton (I rate it #1 in influence to ID movement)
In the Beginning by Walter Brown
When I Say No I Feel Guilty a book on communication by Manuel Smith (excellent for those learning the art of internet debate)
Between Parent and Child a book on empathetic communication by Haim Ginott
Mystery of Life's Origin by Thaxton, Bradley, Olsen (the 1984 classic which is considered the beginning of the modern ID movement, rate #2 in influence)
Modern Physics by Serway, Moses, Moyer
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by Barrow and Tipler (I rate #1 in long term importance, imho, but #5 in influence, the other ID influential books are #3 Cybernetic Approach to Evolution by A.E. Wilder-Smith, and #4 Darwin's Black Box)
Emperor's New Mind by Penrose (artificial intelligence and quantum physics and platonic metaphysics)
Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter (800 page cult classic for math and computer science geeks)
Mind's Eye by Dennett and Hofstadter, with Harold Morowitz (Morowitz's essay is a classic, and I was lucky enough to have attended the school where he teaches, and to have finally met him last year)
…
I should say, I've learned a lot on the internet, it seems a very efficient way of learning things!
Comment by Salvador T. Cordova — July 18, 2006 @ 8:11 pm
July 18th, 2006 at 8:23 pm
Steve,
I myself have read many of the books already listed here by others (though I myself have also not read many of the books already listed here by others). My point wasn't that only the Bible should be read and considered important - my point was that so many otherwise well-read individuals here apparently have not read (carefully, thoroughly) the Bible, or have not considered it important/influential in their lives. In either case, a telling non-statement.
Comment by Douglas — July 18, 2006 @ 8:23 pm
July 18th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
Doug:
As a matter of fact, I've read the Holy Bible through at least three times: twice in the King James Version (a copy of which I was given at my confimation and a copy of which I bought myself), and once in the New International Version (yes, I know, the only true version is the KJV, the others were translated by idolators and blasphemers ;-)). I have also read the Apocrypha (included with the Oxford Annoteted Bible) and parts of the gospels of Timothy and Judas. I also spent about a year reading large parts of the KJV side-by-side with a concordance and Asimov's Guid to the Bible. I have also read Jack Miles' God, A Biography through at least twice, his Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God, plus Hans Kung's Does God Exist?, plus a small library of other books on the subject.
My wife, it turns out, is a friend of Elaine Pagels (seriously considered gettin a PhD under her). My wife's academic specialty is the origin and early history of Christianity and related Mediterranean religions, and has read parts of the Tanach (in biblical hebrew), and most of the New Testament (in Greek and Aramaic). She has an extensive library on the subject (~500 books), some of which I have read (I particularly liked Bart Ehrman's Lost Christianities and Misquoting Jesus). I also spent over a year reading through the journals of George Fox and John Woolman (part of my clearness process in becoming a member of the Ithaca Monthly Meeting of Friends).
However, I didn't put those books into my list (as I pointed out in my preface), partly because I wasn't sure if fiction was excluded (and so had to include some) and partly because other posters had specifically left off religions texts. Odd: I thought Intelligent Design wasn't necessarily about religion, especially Christianity. My mistake…
What was your question again?
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 18, 2006 @ 10:50 pm
July 18th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
Douglas:
I omitted the Bible from my list because I've no particular desire to discuss religious beliefs or argue interpretive fine points on this forum, and that is precisely what the discussion would devolve into on your terms.
Besides, I do not consider it to be in the same class of fictional, philosophical, scholarly and scientific literature that most stirred my imagination, deepened my understanding of people, impacted my knowledge of science, and helped to shape my views about intelligent design - thus led me here.
Comment by Joy — July 18, 2006 @ 11:46 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 4:26 am
joy,
I love you too.
Comment by Douglas — July 19, 2006 @ 4:26 am
July 19th, 2006 at 4:30 am
Al,
I thought this thread was only about "Books most important to you". I suppose it figures that, as a Young Earth Creationist, I would fail to notice the implied "(that deal with Intelligent Design or its antithesis, science)". My bad.
I forget.
Comment by Douglas — July 19, 2006 @ 4:30 am
July 19th, 2006 at 9:00 am
Douglas,
I omitted the Bible, specifically because Steve wrote the following in his original posting:
I could have also included various religious scriptures but decided to focus on non-scriptural works.
I assumed that Steve was interested in books other than Scripture in order to avoid a series of comments like this:
"The Bible"
"AOL"
"Me Too"
"Me Three"
Comment by Nick — July 19, 2006 @ 9:00 am
July 19th, 2006 at 9:01 am
Allen, does the sarcasm imply that you think otherwise? In other words, is it your view that Intelligent Design IS about religion. Do Douglas' comments confirm your suspicions?
Comment by bipod — July 19, 2006 @ 9:01 am
July 19th, 2006 at 9:23 am
In a word, yes.
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 19, 2006 @ 9:23 am
July 19th, 2006 at 9:24 am
It's interesting that there seem to be a relatively small number of books about biology and natural history unrelated to ID/evolution. Joy listed Asimov's The Genetic Code and Allen MacNeill listed Wilson's Sociobiology. I haven't read the latter book, but judging by some of Wilson's other books, I suspect it includes a lot of descriptive natural history as well as evolutionary hypotheses.
I came to biology through an early and all-absorbing childhood interest in natural history. Hence, the listing of My Family and Other Animals– I consciously modeled myself on the young Gerry Durrell). One of the things I find most frustrating about the ID/evolution/creationism debate is that so many people are focused on philosophical ramifications and apparently couldn't care less about the organisms. I usually try to steer the discussion back to actual animals and plants, sometimes with limited success.
When reading Gould or Wilson (see especially his autobiography, Naturalist), I get the feeling that they are, first and foremost, fascinated by nature and have "a feeling for the organism." I don't get that impression from Dembski or, to a lesser extent, from Dawkins.
So, who would you all consider to be the ID theorist who best fits the description of "natural historian" or "naturalist?"
Comment by Nick — July 19, 2006 @ 9:24 am
July 19th, 2006 at 9:27 am
Hey, I mentioned the bible. I've read the New Testament extensively
but can't get thru much of the Old Testament. Everyone should read Genesis to figure out where we came from, who we are and where we should be trying to get back to. The casual reader might skim one of the gospels to get some idea of what The Designer is like and how he feels about us and what he expects from us.
The Selfish Gene - this has appeared on a number of lists and I really should try to read some of the oppositions literature but I'm afraid with Dawkin's calling me ignernt (I am, but not willfully), his bizarre 'expose' of a mostly harmless evangelical leader and group in Colorado (these people
are really not to be compared with fundamentalist Islamic terrorists) and
reading David Stoves critique of his ideas in 'Darwinian Fairytales', it probably would not have much of an impact on me.
However, there might be something to his 'memes' theory from what I know of it. I mentioned Rene Girard who thinks we are not so much infected with other peoples thoughts as other peoples desires with imitation being the principal way we learn. In fact he calls it 'mimetic desire'. This, to my thinking, is more useful than 'memes' to help explain human behaviour, not to mention that Girard's ideas give new meaning to xtian salvific theology. Come to think of it, some of the behaviour exhibited by folks in this debate are predicted by his theories.
Comment by samohth — July 19, 2006 @ 9:27 am
July 19th, 2006 at 9:40 am
Allen, good to know that our blog has a commenter named Douglas to trigger your confirmation bias.
Comment by bipod — July 19, 2006 @ 9:40 am
July 19th, 2006 at 10:04 am
Nick asked:
"So, who would you all consider to be the ID theorist who best fits the description of "natural historian" or "naturalist?"
In a word, none.
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 19, 2006 @ 10:04 am
July 19th, 2006 at 10:11 am
In a few more words, let me give you an example:
Outside the building in which my office is located, there is a busstop. Next to it is a steep, eroding, south-facing sandy bank. Every spring, following a week of warm sunshine, that bank literally erupts, as the largest colony of Halictine bees (sometimes called "sweat bees") I have ever seen comes alive once again. I have spent literally hours watching them, trying to figure out what the various territories are (by watching who buzzes whom when they get too close), trying to distinguish males from females (it's difficult, because unlike honeybees, these bees are not sexually dimorphic. Years ago, I seriously considered getting my PhD from Cornell's preeminent expert on Halictines, George Eikwort. I didn't, and a few years ago George was tragically killed in a bus accident in Jamaica (where he was studying bees).
Do I know any IDers who spend hours doing the kind of things that nearly all of the evolutionary biologists I know do? No. None.
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 19, 2006 @ 10:11 am
July 19th, 2006 at 10:13 am
And what, exactly, is a "confirmation bias?"
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 19, 2006 @ 10:13 am
July 19th, 2006 at 10:42 am
In no particular order:
Charlotte's Web E.B. White
The Stand Stephen King
The Civil War: A Narrative Shelby Foote
Full House Stephen Jay Gould
The Historical Baseball Abstract Bill James
Mein Kampf Adolph Hitler
The Diary of Anne Frank
The March of Folly Barbara Tuchman
Guns, Germs and Steel Jared Diamond
The Killer Angels Michael Shaara
Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
The Fabric of the Cosmos Brian Greene
Comment by Aagcobb — July 19, 2006 @ 10:42 am
July 19th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Hi, Im' seeking some help from a committed evolutionist out there. In your opinion what book by reknowned modern biologist (living within the past 50 yrs.) presents the most convincing and compelling argument for common descent? I've always ended up being more skeptical than convinced after reading books like the Darwin's, Origin of the Species, Miller's, Finding Darwins God, or Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker. Is there something that I've missed that I should read. Please tell me why you found it so convicing.
Comment by JOHN_A_DESIGNER — July 19, 2006 @ 12:22 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
I suggest you read Chapter 14 (pages 550 to 582) of Freeman & Herron's textbook Evolutionary Analysis, 3rd ed. (any good university library should have a copy, or you can pick up a used copy at ABEBooks.com). Although it's pretty technical in places, it will give you a good idea of the logic of phylogenetic reconstruction and the kinds of evidence used when doing it.
Using a popular book (i.e. not a textbook) to understand a scientific concept is never a good idea, IMHO. When I want to learn about physics, for example, I read a physics book written by a physicist, not a popular book written by a journalist or "science writer." Sure, it's more difficult, but anything worth doing is difficult at first…
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 19, 2006 @ 1:10 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Why limit it to "evolutionists." I'm told that ID isn't incompatible with common descent, so maybe the IDers here have some suggestions. I was raised YEC, but what really convinced me of common descent wasn't a book. It was island biogeography — seeing with my own eyes during an undergraduate research experience the ways that related species varied among different habitats on a single large island. So, in my own little way, I came to the conclusion the same way that Darwin did!
That said, I was also influenced by a class which used Futuyma's Evolutionary Biology textbook, so I'd recommend that. At the same time, I also read many of S.J. Gould's essays in Natural History magazine. At this point, I'm not sure which of his essay collections would be the best. Perhaps Eight Little Piggies?
Comment by Nick — July 19, 2006 @ 1:18 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
I also included The Rainbow and the Worm," which is an amazing little book about biophysics (and nematodes) by Mae-Wan Ho. It was required reading for the UA course on consciousness, and was surprisingly difficult to come by at the time.
Allen:
Well, I'm not an ID 'theorist' or anything (just a supporter), but I've got quite a few interesting experiments going at any given time, as well as long term projects. One of the most interesting is a multi-year observation of altered life-cycles in local flora (like jewelweed, chickweed, masterwort, goldenrod, etc.) under the kudzu. Once the kudzu takes over the regulars either have to adapt or die out (trees die, but mostly because the kudzu vines pull 'em down when they die back and thus shrink in the fall). The same plant species will appear earlier before the kudzu greens, they'll be smaller, they'll flower faster (with different colors), thus are tended by entirely different pollenators. Very interesting. But if they're transplanted out of the kudzu zone, they revert back to normal in just a season or two.
I'm also involved in some work for a book my sister and I are planning after she retires (teaches biology overseas, Ph.D. in plant physiology). It'll be about plant alkaloids and attendant in-house moderators along with traditional medicinal usages and associated doctrines. I grow ginseng, goldenseal, black cohosh and a number of other forest medicinals and produce a quite effective salve treatment for skin cancer that's in great demand among friends and relatives and has been supplied to physicians in 3 states for analysis because they asked after seeing it work.
Other than that I also participate in ongoing research on synesthesia, as a subject. Not only did I learn to control it, I have also had great luck teaching how to experience synesthetic input, even with non-relatives (success is better with relatives, though). Cytowic now surmises that all humans are born synesthetic, which goes along with what I hear most often when students 'get it' - "It's like remembering!"
I honestly don't know why anyone would have to buy into the RM-NS pablum - or authoritarian "Orthodoxy" or any "Doctrines" or "Tenets" thereof in order to be fascinated enough by life to know a lot and always seek to know more. I live in a rural area, everybody farms and gardens, and many have livestock of one sort or another. While there are many arrogant evolutionary biologists who would look down their noses at the whole lot as ignorant rubes, there's actually a vast store of knowledge collected into these mountain coves and valleys.
Science's loss, but I learn all I can from all the Masters around here who care to share, and so do most of the biology teachers from our regional institutions. It's encouraged, so the knowledge isn't lost while the Big-Heads are busy trying to pretend there's nothing to know about life from dealing directly with it and seeing how it conducts itself…
Comment by Joy — July 19, 2006 @ 1:35 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Nick said: "I came to biology through an early and all-absorbing childhood interest in natural history."
Then Nick said: "I was raised YEC, but what really convinced me of common descent wasn't a book."
1st off, I didn't know that one was raised YEC like one might be raised Catholic. 2nd, You're claiming you were raised YEC, but that early in your childhood you had an all-absorbing interest in natural history. Was it your parents that 'raised' you YEC? Did you have to sneek books on natural history into your room? Or did natural history, at that time, support your YEC beliefs?
Comment by Doug — July 19, 2006 @ 1:52 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Douglas,
I'm going to take your advice and read the Bible.
Comment by Doug — July 19, 2006 @ 1:57 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Joy wrote:
"I live in a rural area, everybody farms and gardens, and many have livestock of one sort or another. While there are many arrogant evolutionary biologists who would look down their noses at the whole lot as ignorant rubes…"
I, too, live in a rural area (pretty much all of upstate New York qualifies), and grew up working on dairy farms, fishing in the creeks, and hunting in the hills. And my experiences with my friends and neighbors have convinced me that, as you say, they know a lot about the nature in their "home ranges."
However, I personally don't know any evolutionary biologists who look down on those folks at all. Indeed, several of my colleagues and I here at Cornell have served alongside of them in volunteer fire departments, etc. and have a deep respect for their opinions. Arrogance is certainly not restricted to scientists, nor members any other group of people. It is, however, a characteristic of individuals, not groups, IMHO. Therefore, I try to avoid categorical statements (and the attending fundamental attribution errors) as much as possible.
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 19, 2006 @ 2:15 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
This is fun! (Or was fun.) And challenging!
David Bohm. 1957. Causality and Chance in Modern Physics.
One of the best books on science I've ever read. Very, very highly recommended.
David Hackett Fischer. 1970. Historians' Fallacies.
After reading this I stopped believing in "history." A bitingly witty compendium of sloppy scholarship.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn. 1974. The Gulag Archipelago.
Changed me from a peacenik into a Cold-Warrior. A testament to moral resilience under the most dreadful tests imaginable. See also Viktor Frankl. 1959. Man's Search for Meaning. How true love makes it possible to endure anything. Anything.
W. Ross Ashby. 1952. Design for a Brain.
Reason I went to college. Otherwise I'd be a professional surfer.
Ambrose Bierce. 1911. The Devil's Dictionary.
Throw away all those other dictionaries. This is the only dictionary you'll ever need.
Thomas Kuhn. 1970. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
The only book on the "philosophy of science" I ever read (finished). The only book from what I have read. One reviewer said it was an almost unbroken series of aphorisms.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky. 1868. Idiot.
I could identify. How some adults become adults not by a natural development or progression, but by murdering the "child-within."
Ezra Pound. 1970. The Cantos.
No one actually "reads" this. It's unreadable!
Kalman, Falb, & Arbib. 1969. Topics in Mathematical Systems Theory.
The only textbook I actually read in college. Defined the field for my generation… And as unreadable as The Cantos.
Richard Feynman. The Feynman Lectures. 1970.
Reason I became a physicist. Otherwise I'd be a professional underwear model.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 1970. One Hundred Years of Solitude.
I rarely read fiction but I was surprised by how I identified with the "mad pursuit" of Jose Arcadio Buendia. The mad pursuit of all designers. (To keep him from injuring himself he was tied to a tree.)
Comment by Rock — July 19, 2006 @ 2:45 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Allen, you're right that arrogance is a personal trait rather than a trait general to groups. That's why I included the qualifier "many." That you personally don't know any arrogant scientists means absolutely nothing to me or my experience with scientists. I'm always glad to find an open minded scientist, and have met quite a few of them too. Open minded scientists don't go around asserting that they know everything and they don't try to impress upon "the rubes" (many of who didn't get past the 8th grade) their version of reality when they're supposed to be learning from "the rubes" how best to treat fire blight or root problems with the grapevines.
If they slow down and pay attention, they'd learn all sorts of nifty ways to correct imbalance problems in the field without soil and ecosystem-killing chemical pesticides, treatments or fertilizers. Because the organic market here is the up-and-coming replacement now that the tobacco bases have been deleted (the premium for labor-intensive organics is considerable), what these folks know is vitally important to lots and lots of friends and neighbors. Along with the importance of keeping certification-killers OUT of their friends' and neighbors' fields (GMOs, soil-killers, etc.)
When you do live outside the city, it's not difficult to see how the whole of the artificial world that cities produce in and around themselves can go away completely tomorrow and most in the country will do just fine. If you've got a few good truck farmers nearby, make friends and visit regularly - I buy 'shares' in the crop (often trade labor or medicinals) and we've a community project for planting extra rows for trade and giveaways.
That very few are well versed in Neodarwinism or its just-so histories wouldn't make a bit of difference to the ability to survive and thrive. It's just plain not useful to a majority of human beings. That has never stopped self-professed Defenders of Neodarwinian Orthodoxy from asserting that they hold the ultimate, Absolute Truth about life and death on planet earth. I call that arrogance, you can call it whatever you like.
Comment by Joy — July 19, 2006 @ 2:47 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Rupert Sheldrake is not a "traditional" ID theorist, at all but he conducts a great number of interesting research projects with animals and people that "traditional" evolutionary biologists would never consider performing, because they already "know the answers" without doing the experiments.
Comment by MatthewCromer — July 19, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.
Comment by Guts — July 19, 2006 @ 2:53 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
1st off, I didn't know that one was raised YEC like one might be raised Catholic.
One can be raised Southern Baptist like one can be raised Catholic, and in the Baptist churches that I attended, YEC was part and parcel of the theology.
2nd, You're claiming you were raised YEC, but that early in your childhood you had an all-absorbing interest in natural history. Was it your parents that 'raised' you YEC?
More or less. My parents were and are both committed Christians (as am I), and they considered YEC to be correct in both theology and science — or at least my mother did. I didn't really know what Dad thought about creation/evolution. The church environment, Sunday school, Church library, etc was also strongly YEC, so my parents weren't the only influence. I can remember a YEC lecturer in church one Sunday evening - it was disturbing to me, because I wanted to agree with his conclusions but recognized some of his arguments as bogus. No, I don't recall the name of the lecturer. It was about 20 years ago.
Did you have to sneek books on natural history into your room? Or did natural history, at that time, support your YEC beliefs?
No and no. I was permitted to read just about anything I wanted to read. Very early on, there wasn't much conflict, because creation/evolution is largely irrelevant if you are just collecting insects and hunting in rockpools. Later, I think I compartmentalized the two subjects to avoid cognitive dissonance. In other words, what I already knew about natural history conflicted with YEC, but I chose not to confront the issue (or didn't have the intellectual courage to challenge Sunday school teachers, etc). I have never kept journals/diaries, so it is a little difficult to reconstruct exactly how I reconciled the issue at various points in my childhood, but I do still have a copy of an embarrassingly bad anti-evolution essay that I wrote in high school!
Comment by Nick — July 19, 2006 @ 3:16 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Oh, my, how could I have forgotten to mention that book. That book and what it symbolizes got me into the whole ID movment : Man's Search for Meaning. And indeed, my life got happier the more I was involved in the movment.
Salvador
Comment by Salvador T. Cordova — July 19, 2006 @ 3:46 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
I am a great admirer of Frankl, Salvador T. Cordova. I keep "Man's Search for Meaning" on my bookshelves as a reminder. It reminds me that there is only one thing: Love.
"As the inner life of the prisoner tended to become more intense, he also experienced the beauty of art and nature [design] as never before"¦" What an extraordinary phenomenon! You'd think the prisoner would experience more intensely the instinct to survive. But he is becoming more acutely attuned to "the beauty of art and nature"?! Frankl must be delusional! Exactly! He next relates an experience of how exactly it is a "delusion." The prisoners' attention is drawn to the sunset: "How beautiful the world could be!"
The stunning thing in this memoir is the talk about the appreciation of beauty, hope, joy, happiness, etc"¦. in the camps!
Frankl asks, "Is that theory true which would have us believe that man is no more than the product of many conditional and environmental factors"”be they of biological, psychological or sociological nature? Is man but an accidental product of these?"
Answer that and you know what this whole "debate" is about.
Frankl talks about how the attempt to recreate in his mind his life's work destroyed by the NAZI's sustained him. But it didn't. It occupied his time. And that is all. What sustained him, the only thing (as even he recognizes) that kept him alive was his undying love for his wife.
Who was already dead.
Love never dies.
I sincerely believe that.
Comment by Rock — July 19, 2006 @ 4:48 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
Nick….
thanks. That does make sense. What I initially thought was inconsistency in your 2 posts was more of my inability to see how there could be a connection. And with your explanation, I can now see the connection.
Comment by Doug — July 19, 2006 @ 4:49 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
Allen,
Maybe Michael Shermer can help you understand confirmation bias:
http://telicthoughts.com/?p=79...
Comment by bipod — July 19, 2006 @ 5:16 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
This was easy. I don't read books twice.
1) Science and Christianity : Conflict or Coherence? - Henry F. Schaefer III (claims to have read through the Bible 13 times and counting)
(Counting as one book): Lee Strobel's three Cases For…Faith, Christ, & Creator.
2) What Makes Biology Unique? - Ernst Mayr
3) For The Glory of God - Rodney Stark
4) The History of Science and Religion in the Western tradition - Garland
5) History of Philosophy, Volumes I & II - Copleston6) Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview - Moreland and Craig
7) C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea - Reppert
9) (Counting as one book) Does God Exist? (1990, 2003) God? (2004) - Moreland, Craig, Craig & Nielsen, Flew, and Armstrong.
10) Moral Darwinism - Wiker
11) The Hidden Face of God - Schroeder
12) Voodoo Science - Robert Park
13) The Elegant Universe - Greene
Victor Reppert, C. S. Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, and Angus Menuge have convinced me that materialism cannot possibly be true. I see a lot of science as looking at shadows in Plato's cave.
"I thought Intelligent Design wasn't necessarily about religion, especially Christianity."
Wow, isn't that strange? The world's most popular religion just happens to have the most ID supporters. Probably has the most ID detractors, too.
Comment by Ben Z — July 19, 2006 @ 5:51 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Nick,
I'm afraid I don't have your scientific nack for detecting implicit intent. I took his "P.S." which you quoted as merely describing his own approach, not as a preferred guideline for the rest of us. My Creationist worldview can be so blinding.
Comment by Douglas — July 19, 2006 @ 5:55 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
-Akallabeth and Of the Rings of Power, J.R.R. Tolkien
A brief collection and an all in one reference for history of the Middle Earth. Lots of philosophical food for thought.
-The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Searching for the meaning of life? This book might help.
-Animal Farm, George Orwell
Brilliant!
-Servers of the Divine Plan,Anonymous (Available for free Download)
Is our planet passing through some sort of ascension, transformation or transition? Is there a divine plan for our planet?
-The Active Side of Infinity, Carlos Castaneda
Castaneda's last work before his death. Universe is all energy and Don Juan could see it as it flows. Towards end of the book few chapters are not for the faint-hearted.
-The Fire from Within, Carlos Castaneda
It doesn't matter if Don Juan Matus was a real person or not, Castaneda made him real.
-The Way of the Wizard, Deepak Chopra
-Chariots of the Gods, Erich von Daniken
Have Aliens visited our planet? It seems Erich has the answer.
-Mage: The Ascension - 2nd Edition, Phil Brucato
This one actually is a game rule book. I'm not a fan of Role Playing games but this book and the underlying philosophy has much more to offer than expected.
-Stranger Than Science, Frank Edwards
-Darwin's Black Box, Michael Behe
Techy:
-Operating Systems, Tanenbaum
-IBM PC - Technical Reference Manual, IBM Corp.
-The C Programming Language, Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie
-Digital Signal Processing, D.G. Myers
-Signal Processing Algorithms, Samuel Stearns
-80386, Technical Reference Manual, Intel Corp.
Comment by Farshad — July 19, 2006 @ 5:57 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
Now, since I have so many, many books I could list, I might as well start from the beginning, as much as I can. The first book/books which stirred my love of reading were a series (or part of an educational series) called "Ride the Reading Rocket", which I rode/read back either pre-Kindergarten (I don't think so) or pre-1st grade (more likely) during the summer at church. It was about a robot and a couple of his robot friends, and some adventures in a mine or cave, if I remember correctly.
Another is "The Phantom Tollbooth". I think this book contributed a great deal to the development of my sense of humo(u)r. I believe I read it when I was 7 or 8. (Which reminds me - I read through the New Testament three times when I was 8. During the summer, while other kids were out playing. And people wonder about me.)
Comment by Douglas — July 19, 2006 @ 6:03 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 6:04 pm
Allen wrote:
I am curious, how many of those friends and neighbors of yours that "know a lot about nature" accept Darwinian evolution? How many friends and neighbors do you have that actually refutes evolution or accepts ID do you think "know a lot about nature"?
I am also curious if any of the evolutionary biologists that you've mentioned include people like Dr. Provine and the "those folks" include ID advocates? Because I am curious how an evolutionary biologist like Provine would express his deep respect to those who might have a metaphysical worldview outside of Darwinian materialistic evolution? According to Provine anyone who even considers anything beyond matter is irrational. Do you think it is logical for a person to have a deep respect for the irrational?
Comment by teleologist — July 19, 2006 @ 6:04 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
By George - George Foreman
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris
I Never Had It Made - Jackie Robinson
Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years / The War Years - Carl Sandburg
Yeager - Chuck Yeager
Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman - Richard P. Feynman
My American Journey - Colin Powell
Hunting Trips of a Ranchman - Theodore Roosevelt
Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas R. Hofstadter
Comment by chunkdz — July 19, 2006 @ 7:02 pm
July 19th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I have to say that it is quite remarkable the wide array of books that ID/Evolution interlocutors find important. We have history, theology, biology, fiction, mathematics, science, biography, physics, childrens books, scripture, philosophy, comics, humor, technology, psychology, etc. Perhaps this is a unique environment for debate. Where else would one find such a broad variety of interests and perspectives? Or is this a common thread among "intellectuals"
Comment by Steve Petermann — July 19, 2006 @ 7:58 pm
July 20th, 2006 at 8:44 am
Knowing God - J.I. Packer
No Wonder They Call Him The Savior - Max Lucado
When Skeptics Ask - Norman Geisler
The Design Revolution - Dembski
Darwin's Black Box - Behe
Comment by Scott — July 20, 2006 @ 8:44 am
July 20th, 2006 at 8:52 am
And I'm really looking forward to reading Agents Under Fire.
I hear it's the nail in the coffin of Darwinian mythology.
Comment by Scott — July 20, 2006 @ 8:52 am
July 20th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Hi Joy,
Of course the same can be said for quantum mechanics, plate tectonics and relativity theory, as well, and maybe we would be better off if we lived simple lives on the land, relying on folk wisdom handed down generation to generation as humans did for 100,000 years. It seems a little hypocritical, however, to make that argument while sitting in an air conditioned room, typing on a computer keyboard to post on the internet.
Comment by Aagcobb — July 20, 2006 @ 10:24 am
July 20th, 2006 at 11:47 am
You tell her Aagcobb, just like evolution is a fact like gravity is a fact, right? We all know that quantum mechanics has nothing to do with modern electronic devices right? We all know that heart monitor or pacemaker is just an illusion and has no basis on quantum mechanics.
On the other hand, we all know that Neodarwinism is the true foundation for the silicon devices that allow us to communicate through the internet. Neodarwinism is the science that produced the pacemakers. Assuming that Neodarwinism is true, it is vitally important for our every day existence that we know your great, great "¦. great grandfather was the monkey boy or you were just like one of those billions of bacteria in your stomach, right?
Comment by teleologist — July 20, 2006 @ 11:47 am
July 20th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Aagcobb:
LOL!!! What in the world makes you think I've got air conditioning, Aagcobb? Or television? Heck, right now I don't even have a radio or CD player (it got left out in the rain during the Everybody Birthday Party in June…).
Do have copperheads, though. One bit my nephew last night while posing as a stick in the middle of the driveway! Not as bad as the bite my grandson got a couple of years ago, but went to the ER anyway just in case. No need for that nasty omni-antivenom this time (a good thing, since it kills way more people than snakes do).
They're hatching out all over right now, putting the creek and swimming hole off limits. You do know that young vipers are a lot more poisonous than the Big Daddies, don't you? And of course you also know why. As we do, because we get a copperhead invasion every summer (the timber rattlers stay well away from the yard). Grandson, dogs and I are going snake-hunting this afternoon. We'll relieve him of his head and hang it on the fence to ward off his buddies. That doesn't actually work, but it looks cool and makes us feel tough. No one who lives here has been bitten in 14 years, though we've killed an average of 3 a year in the yard, garden and house (yes, one did come right in…).
I do have a 'pooter (only 6 years old!) and a dial-up connection. Have a cell phone too, though I don't much like it. Reception is dismal. Have a microwave oven, a refrigerator and a toaster too! One of these days I'll go off-grid and my dream will be reality. No thanks to Neodarwinism.
Comment by Joy — July 20, 2006 @ 12:24 pm
July 20th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Here's my list:
Evolution a Theory in Crisis by Michael Denton
Mystery of Life's Origin by Thaxton, Bradley, Olsen
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by Barrow and Tipler
The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
Beyond Natural Selection by Wesson
Darwin On Trial - P.Johnson
The Biotic Message by Walter ReMine
Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe
Shadows of the Mind by Penrose
Nature's Destiny by Michael Denton
Nature, Design and Science by Ratzsch
The Fifth Miracle by Paul Davies
C.S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea - Reppert
Life's Solution by Simon Conway Morris
The Design Revolution by William Dembski
Comment by Jack — July 20, 2006 @ 12:51 pm
July 20th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
Hi Joy,
Sorry, Joy. Where I am the heat index is about 100 right now, so without AC I'd probably be in a swimming pool instead of at my computer
Comment by Aagcobb — July 20, 2006 @ 1:21 pm
July 20th, 2006 at 5:28 pm
It was only 85 here today before the rain, a fan works fine. Which brought some pea-hail, but the tomatoes made it through okay - at least we didn't lose a 100-foot tulip poplar like we did last week from lightning… a winter's worth of heat without having to tackle a standing widowmaker! Even during the hottest part of the summer the nights are in the 60s. We're usually 10 degrees warmer in winter than the plateau or piedmont, 10 degrees cooler in summer. It's called an "isothermal," and we live in this one very much on purpose.
Comment by Joy — July 20, 2006 @ 5:28 pm
July 20th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
Hi Joy,
Interesting choice where to live. As my retirement is approaching in a few years I've been looking for a more temperate climate (108 here today). I can't afform California and don't want the humidity of the Southern coasts so I'm thinking about something about half way up the mountains in the desert states. I haven't actually been there yet but from my research on weather.com there's a place in the mountains about 20 miles outside of Tucson that is very temperate and dry if you don't go too high. What I like about it is the proximity to city resources like the cinema, libraries, music, etc. but its still a rural area. There are a few other places like that in the US and I hope to someday visit them. I also agree with you about getting off the grid. I just read The Long Emergence by Kunstler about peak oil and it looks like getting out of the cities and into sustainable communities is in our future particularly for the children and grandchildren.
Comment by Steve Petermann — July 20, 2006 @ 6:00 pm
July 20th, 2006 at 11:10 pm
Hi, Steve. You might want to check out the Santa Fe - Taos area (northern NM). Views are great from the mesa (6,000 ft. elevation) but climate is temperate if you don't live on the shady side. It's dry, but that seems to appeal to you.
I lived halfway to Angel Fire for a couple of years (8,000 ft.) once. Nice adventure, but those mountains can't be considered friendly by anybody. I prefer these eastern mountains. They rise from the plain as high as the rockies, they just start lower. Richly abundant despite human greed that has stripped them more than once, but "Smokey" because it can be a lot like a rain forest at times. Just a preference.
Comment by Joy — July 20, 2006 @ 11:10 pm
July 21st, 2006 at 9:17 am
How many nails does the damn thing need?
Comment by samohth — July 21, 2006 @ 9:17 am
July 21st, 2006 at 9:56 am
Hi, folks:
Can't post much right now; heading off to the Adirondacks to sit in a tent in the rain all weekend, reading Phillip Johnson's The Wedge of Truth, with a red pen at hand to make marginal notes, underline sentences, etc. So, no defense of my good friend Will Provine's propensity to take people as people, rather than as exemplars of a particular point of view (his bad, I guess).
Anyway, it would be interesting (nay, very interesting) to get into a discussion of Menuge's Agents Under Fire. "Agency" is a hot topic, and not just in ID; it's central to discussions of the evolution of the capacity for religious experience (read Pascal Boyer's Religion Explained. How about a thoughtful analysis of Menuge, with analyses from both sides? Full disclosure: I'm planning to write a review of it, as per Michael Ruse's request, and think I can do a better job of it with perspectives from both sides. Anybody game?
Comment by Allen_MacNeill — July 21, 2006 @ 9:56 am
July 21st, 2006 at 10:47 am
"Books or papers that have been most important to you."
An un-exhaustive list, posted for whatever, soon-to-be-departing reason:
The Lord of the Rings "“ J.R. Tolkien
Orthodoxy "“ G.K. Chesterton
Understanding Media "“ Marshall McLuhan
The Prophet "“ Khalil Gibran
"The Wager" "“ Anton Chekhov (http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.240/ - or for a better English translation, http://www.hutch.demon.co.uk/p...)
Atlas Shrugged "“ Ayn Rand (Alice Rosenbaum)
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism "“ Max Weber
The Souls of Black Folk "“ W.E.B. Dubois
The Confessions "“ St. Augustine
"The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" "“ Fyodor Dostoevsky (http://www.kiosek.com/dostoevsky/library/ridiculousman.txt)
The Way of the Pilgrim "“ Unknown (Dennis Billy)
The Consolation of Philosophy "“ Boethius
*Nothing from an ID author, and only a single born-in-America author (though tempted to include the Selected Poems of T.S. Eliot)
p.s. where is Mike Gene's list??
p.p.s. it would be helpful if people who gave a list would be willing to summarize, or perhaps to quote from a text or two on their list, that which contributes to their approach to creation, evolution and ID or Telic Thoughts"¦perhaps another thread
Comment by g arago — July 21, 2006 @ 10:47 am
July 21st, 2006 at 1:21 pm
Hi, Greg. Interesting list. You say summaries would be welcome, so here's mine:
The Sweet Patootie Doll is about a poor girl who makes a doll out of a sweet potato and loves it better than any fancy store-bought doll. This book was awarded to my brother when he graduated from kindergarten because his best friend was a blind boy. We all (5 of us) loved that book, but my brother never did figure out why in the world he deserved a "prize" just because his best friend was blind. That was a life-lesson for us all right there.
A Chocolate Moose for Dinner was my children's favorite book. It makes great fun of words with double sound-meanings, and illustrates how a child might imagine the scenario when Mom tells Dad they're having chocolate mousse for dinner and such (I always loved the 'undertoe' illustration). Great for synesthetes.
People of the Lie has the subtitle "Toward a Psychology of Evil" and explores a psychiatrist's experience with the personality disorder of Malignant Narcissism - which he has come to understand as simply evil people being evil. Most of whom don't seek help unless forced to by getting caught doing evil, and who can't be cured (but sometimes can be made to behave in socially acceptable ways). Chief giveaway is the web of lies they spin.
The Mystic Vision is a collection of papers submitted to the Eranos Society (Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, et. al.) yearbooks on the subject of Mystic Vision. These are explorations of archetypes in the context of what Huxley called the "perennial philosophy" - the commonalities of human spiritual experience.
Beyond the Post-Modern Mind is a series of lectures Smith has given related to the "perennial philosophy" in the context of post-modernism and its deconstruction of metaphysics. The best message is how damaging this deconstruction has been to human society and collective human endeavors (like education).
The Nature and Destiny of Man is a 2-volume collection of lectures given by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr at Union in the 1930s and 40s. These address the rise of Nazi statism before and during WW-II, and then following the war addresses what lessons should be learned in a Christian context from the horrors the world ignored when the holocaust could have been prevented. Niebuhr is my favorite theologian for his sheer depth and logical abilities.
Everything else on my list are scientific, practical, or psychological subjects of interest to me, these being the ones that taught me the most about the subjects.
Comment by Joy — July 21, 2006 @ 1:21 pm
July 21st, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Hi g arago,
Good idea.
Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Paul Tillich
This is the best example of systematic theology I have found. The first thing that Tillich does is explicity define his method, prominent among which is his "method of correlation" which states that theology should be an "answering" theology relative to the existential questions asked. He also embraces and affirms a dialog with all of human experience including critiques from science, other world religions, culture, etc. He insists on the need for what he calls the "protestant principal" where there is a constant and therapeutic "protest" against current theology. This is how theology should be done.
The Shape of Ancient Thought, Thomas McEvilley
This is a remarkable book that traces both the details of Western and Eastern ancient thought and their influence on each other. McEvilley who was fluent in both ancient Greek and Sanskrit makes a strong case that much in early Greek thought (Thales, Permenides, Anaxamides, Heraclitus, Plato, etc.) can be attributed to the influence of the early Indian philosophies while later in the Hellenistic period the influence flowed the other way to India. If one wants to get a flavor for early thinking in both the East and West and see how it relates to subsequent thought, this is the book.
Stages of Thought, Michael Horace Barnes
In the Presence of Mystery, Michael Horace Barnes
These two books offer a very insightful exploration of the phenomenon of religion and how its relates to culture and personal search. Barnes correlates religious thinking with the various stages of cultural structure and development. He utilizes Piaget's cognitive categories and examines how cultural stages like preliteracy, literacy, organized agriculture, migration to cities, the formation of hierarchial societies, etc. had their effect on religious sentiment.
The History of Religious Ideas, Mircea Eliade
The three volumes are similar to Barnes' in looking at the phenomenon of religion but deals with the details of individual religious movements dating from early hominids to modern times.
Philosophers speak of God, Charles Hartshorne, William Reese
A great compendium of essays on how philosophers have approached the idea of God. A great starting point for further study.
In Whom We Live and Move and Have our Being, Philip Clayton
A series of essays on the various approaches to panentheism.
The Writings of William James, William James, John J. McDermott
William James is probably one of the most quoted thinkers of all time. This is a good compilation of his works.
The Tacit Mode, Michael Polanyi's Postmodern Philosophy, Jerry Gill
A collection and analysis of Michael Polanyi's philosophy. In my view Polanyi presents a therapeutic balance between modern and postmodern thought. His essays on the tacit mode conceptualization offer a convincing defense of the role of intution in forming concepts and beliefs.
The Courage to Be, Paul Tillich
A profound book on accepting one's limitations both personally and epistemologically while still facing life with courage and faith.
Descartes' Error, Antonio Damasio
This book really changed my view of rationality and the mind. It forces one to affirm our embodiment and personal emotional history to understand how we think and act.
A Different Universe, Robert Laughlin
Laughlin is a Nobel laureate in physics and claims that science must abandon its view that reductionism can provide a complete picture of the world. He sees science (even the physical sciences) as shifting towards explorations of organization (emergence) instead of probing further into fundamental reality. (BTW: He also offers a searing criticism of Darwinism as an antitheory.)
Darwin's Black Box, Michael Behe
We all know about this one.
Comment by Steve Petermann — July 21, 2006 @ 2:19 pm
July 21st, 2006 at 3:02 pm
it would be helpful if people who gave a list would be willing to summarize, or perhaps to quote from a text or two on their list
Okeydokey:
My Family and Other Animals, Durrell
As I mentioned, Gerald Durrell was my childhood hero. The book is a hilarious look at the education of a young naturalist. His devastating descriptions of his eccentric family are also worth the price
Evolutionary Biology Futuyma
Influential in my rejection of Young Earth creationism.
The Lantern Bearers Suttcliff.
This is my favorite of Suttcliff's novels, many of which influenced my interest in ancient and medieval history. The novel is technically a children's book, but it holds up well to re-reading as an adult. As a pimply adolescent, I really didn't understand the relationship between the protagonist, Aquila, and his wife Ness.
Mere Christianity Lewis
Read about the same time as the Futuyma text. Part of my claiming my parent's religion for myself. Everyone knows this one, so it probably doesn't need a link.
The Politics of Jesus, Yoder
Arguing with this book has changed my thinking re: Christian pacifism and the role of the church in society.
Comment by Nick — July 21, 2006 @ 3:02 pm
July 21st, 2006 at 5:33 pm
The Best Things in Life - Peter Kreeft
Really taught me the value of argument and debate, as opposed to fighting, although I do fight at times unfortunately, but hey I'm human. Really there's no winner or loser, there's just more questions to think about and thats always good. Learned things about morality, the greater good, etc. Some good Christian apologetics here as well.
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
He outlines a useful and predictive scientific tool that we can use to learn things about our biotic world.
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle - John D. Barrow, Frank J. Tipler, and John A. Wheeler
Some of these coincidences just blow my mind.
Evolution: A Theory In Crisis - Michael Denton
The thing I always remember about this book is his description of the cell, sounded like a futurist describing new technology.
Darwin's Black Box - Michael Behe
Uhh yeah.
The Silver Surfer comics
Very philosophical series and even romantic at times. That silver bastard contemplated just about everything.
Comment by Guts — July 21, 2006 @ 5:33 pm
July 22nd, 2006 at 10:29 am
I can only think of two at the moment:
Bees and Busstops
The author is a well known bee observer who studies bees from behind the protective screen of the glass wall of various bus stops. I especially liked the way the author came up with names for the various bees and really felt his pain when he wrote about the terrible fate of little Buzzbee.
Intelligent Design and 911
This was a very different book that painted a chilling and disturbing account of how the Wedge Document is linked with the controlled demolition of the Twin Towers. The author makes a convincing case that the reason the terrorists commonly wear masks is because we'd recognize Behe and Johnson if they didn't. The Wedge is much more sinister than people think and I really appreciated the author's stirring call for action at the end. The forward by Richard Dawkins is also very good.
Comment by MikeGene — July 22, 2006 @ 10:29 am
July 22nd, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Mike:
I can only think of two at the moment:
You forgot Burying ID forever:A Consilience of HowTos by Mikey Gene . It's ok to toot your own horn.
Comment by Guts — July 22, 2006 @ 2:17 pm
July 22nd, 2006 at 5:17 pm
that bus stop book looks real good
Comment by Ben Z — July 22, 2006 @