Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 98
 Ignore the dismissive phony reviews September 26, 2009
Melanie G (No. Virginia)
29 out of 39 found this review helpful
I heard about this book on the radio, in a discussion with the author, on the way to work. I was intrigued, so I looked at the Amazon reviews and was amazed to see such venomous attacks (by people with terribly arrogant attitudes) rating the book as just 1-star. It was pretty clear they were ideologically-driven reviews, which only made me want to read it more.
Upon reading just part of the book so far, I understand why those people reviewed it so poorly: it is clearly a great threat to them and the shaky ground upon which they stand. As we learn more and more through science, it becomes clear that randomness and chance could not have resulted in the incredible and complex world around us. In nature there is something at every turn that points to a designer (or Designer, if you prefer). This book justs takes it much deeper. I'll be buying another copy of the book to share.
I would agree with the person who said that the 1-star reviews are mostly an attempt at censorship; they try to make anyone who would DARE consider an idea contrary to their own Darwinian Gospel feel "ignorant". I had to add my 2-cents because their condescending, belittling tone is so insulting. They should evolve!
JUST READ THE BOOK AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. It's a good book and will make you think...alot.
The book they don't want you to read... April 13, 2010
P. D. Park (SF Bay Area)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
Many of the negative reviewers of "The Design of Life" appear not to have read the book at all. They seem to think they can convince you not to read it for yourself. Their bottom line: they want to define away the problem by saying that the very question of biological design is unscientific. Occasionally a reviewer will actually deign to offer up a scientific tidbit to convince you that this book isn't scientific. But if it isn't science, how can you offer a scientific argument against it? You can't have it both ways.
I have read almost all of "The Design of Life", and I think it is a fantastic book with lucid, well reasoned scientific arguments for design and the problems with neo-Darwinian orthodoxy. Anyone who says it is just disguised theology hasn't read it and/or is just trying to keep you from reading it. They might also be ignorant of the distinction between the evidence for and the implications of a theory. Not only is the content of this book first rate - it brings all the ID content I've read over the years into one place with up-to-date, cogent responses to the critics of intelligent design - but it is also a very beautiful book that is a joy to read.
If you have any interest in the biological sciences or you want the best introduction to ID theory created for the intelligent, curious layperson, then I highly recommend this book to you. Read it for yourself. Be enlightened.
On the other hand, if you find one sentence book reviews from people who obviously haven't read the book but who are well equipped with an agenda, vitriol, and simplistic dismissals of a sophisticated scientific theory, then this book may not be something you want to subject yourself to.
I firmly believe this book, "The Design of Life," will be read for many years to come for its clarity and insight. It may well be that "The Design of Life" and other books on ID that have been published recently (such as "Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design") will be seen in hindsight not too many years from now to have presaged the beginning of the twilight of the neo-Darwinian synthesis.
Read it - think about it - and decide for yourself.
Exposing Neo-Darwinism as the Swiss cheese of scientific theories February 6, 2008
Vincent Prezioso (United States)
82 out of 132 found this review helpful
The steadfast adherents to Neo-Darwinism cling to it as if it were an ex cathedra decree from on high. Academia fiercely proscribes any alternative, criticism or disapproval. Anyone with as little as a smidgen of skepticism to as much as a bristling challenge is committing an intolerable cardinal sin and will be punished unmercifully.
Since when has it become standard operating procedure in the halls of academia to suppress in the most daunting terms, even a hint of criticism whether untoward or direct. What happened to the bastion of academic freedom that higher education supposedly strives to uphold? Does this sound like 21st century America or Medieval Europe?
This would all be a non-issue if the Neo-Darwinism that is being propounded had been developed on rock solid dogma, however, there's a dirty little secret here, Neo-Darwinism has as many holes in it as a Swiss cheese.
It's not that Intelligent Design has all the answers explaining the complexity of life on earth; or that Intelligent Design theory is flawless.
Although the subtitle of the book is, Discovering Signs of Intelligence in Biological Systems, I have to say the jury is still out as to whether Intelligent Design is a viable alternative. However, The Design of Life, notwithstanding the rhetoric of the naysayers, amply demonstrates that Intelligent Design, albeit heuristically challenged for the time being, should at least be taken seriously. The authors do a good job in stating their case for Intelligent Design, however, they fall a bit short albeit through no fault of their own. I think the movement is on the right track, however, the problem is that the scientific orthodoxy is so fixated and obstinate on pursuing a flawed theory that only limited resources can be devoted to Intelligent Design research.
That being said, I believe no theory expounding the complexity of life on earth is sacrosanct, and to expound on this, The Design of Life takes direct aim at Neo-Darwinism by meticulously going over many aspects of its dogma, soundly dispelling the notion that it is unequivocally well-founded.
Before I go over what I regard as a devastating flaw in Neo-Darwinism, one that has been elucidated in The Design of Life, I'd like to say from the onset that this text is not about Creationism. In fact, the only time I recall reading the word "Creationism" in The Design of Life was when I saw it listed in the glossary. I know neo-Darwinists like to meld the two theories in order to delegitimatize Intelligent Design.
Neo-Darwinists love to characterize Intelligent Design as a larger than life Supreme Being tinkering with body designs in some fantastical setting, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Science is a process that involves continuously questioning and challenging what we know in order to improve our understanding of the world. It's a shame that the Nazi-like intimidation tactics used by the elite in academia undermine that principle.
Change is slow to come by, but hopefully in the near future the chinks in the armor of Neo-Darwinism will begin to take its toll and the impediments that are standing in the way of facilitating Intelligent Design theory research will just be a bad memory.
Going back to the textbook; according to Neo-Darwinism, the fundamental tenet that explains the complexity of life on earth is two complimentary mechanisms called random mutation and natural selection.
Natural selection takes its cue from random mutation, specifically, molecular changes in DNA. Without those random genetic mutations, natural selection, with respect to macroevolution, can do nothing; it sits on the sidelines, so to speak.
Therefore, the key is mutations, and the authors delve extensively with this subject. Now despite what decades of empirical evidence tells us about how notoriously harmful mutations are, there is one kind of mutation called gene duplication that supposedly circumvents the "deleterious" label. Accordingly, this type of mutation is what the Neo-Darwinists have latched onto as the basis for macroevolutionary change.
However, as the authors point out, among other things, in order for the duplicated gene to serve a different function, it still must undergo additional mutation! In essence, we are back to square one. Try as they might, they simply cannot get around the mostly destructive nature of genetic mutations.
The following quote from the authors regarding mutations is illuminative:
"Most are harmful, while most that are not harmful are merely neutral, neither helping nor hindering the organism. In fact, except for extreme conditions in which harsh environmental insults enormously increase selective pressure (as when bacteria exposed to antibiotics develop antibiotic resistance), no beneficial point mutations are known."
Furthermore, the authors state:
"Such beneficial mutations, however, involve small-scale changes in single protein molecules and provide no evidence for macroevolution. Moreover, when environmental pressure is reduced, the benefit conferred tends to be lost."
(Just as an aside, did everyone notice all the religious connotations that were in the preceding quotes? Geez!)
This is a very damning assessment that drives a stake right through the heart of Neo-Darwinism and because it does, I'm sure I'll receive comments denouncing my critique by those fanatics that have made it their life's ambition to regularly monitor these types of reviews on Amazon. Keep in mind that regardless of how the naysayers try to twist it, whatever retort they use, basically, it amounts to mere speculation. Nothing they say regarding spin is proof positive.
Remember this, the example I used is but a sliver of the many holes the authors discuss involving Neo-Darwinism in The Design of Life. They do it cogently, comprehensively and with conviction. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a fair and open mind who is inclined to look at both sides of a debate, not just having one side give their take on it with no questions allowed. Once one looks at both sides of this argument, then and only then can one decide for themselves whether Neo-Darwinism is truly the Swiss cheese of scientific theories.
Excellent Arguments June 4, 2010
Jason Chamberlain (Cary, NC USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Dembski and Wells provide some food for thought to challenge the conventional wisdom regarding evolution. Perhaps the best chapter is the one dealing with probabilities. No one can prove a negative, so this book hardly proves that evolution is false. However, it does give the reader some compelling food for thought.
The best book of its kind to date. February 9, 2009
John Corina (Miami)
32 out of 56 found this review helpful
Please pay no attention to the 1 star reviews - they are just cheap shots by clueless liars who have obviously not bought or read the book. I wondered why it sold for list price but now that I've read it I feel it's worth every penny and more. This book reduces evolution to a mere footnote of science history. Very high quality book and consolidates all significant material from previous popular books on intelligent design and goes so much further with up to date material. This is the only book on intelligent design that you need to own. Wish you had all the answers for the fanatical Darwin crowd? All the bases are covered very thoroughly here and no stone is left unturned. I can't wait to read it over again. (I haven't reviewed the attached General Notes CD yet so can't comment on it.) I'll be looking for the 2nd edition! I have been blogging and debating Darwinists for years now and am certain that if one developed a working knowledge of the material in this book - you would definitely win the argument for intelligent design every time. (Warning: Be prepared for personal insults as you reduce your opponents to blabbering idiots!)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 98
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