Evolution and Belief

Confessions of a Religious Paleontologist

Robert J. Asher (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

324 Seiten

2012
Cambridge University Press (Verlag)
978-0-521-19383-2 (ISBN)

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Addressing key questions at the intersection of religion and science, this book summarizes some of the latest, compelling evidence that Darwinian natural selection explains how biodiversity has evolved. Asher draws on his own experiences as both paleontologist and religious believer, arguing that modern science does not rule out religious belief.

Can a scientist believe in God? Does the ongoing debate between some evolutionists and evangelicals show that the two sides are irreconcilable? As a paleontologist and a religious believer, Robert Asher constantly confronts the perceived conflict between his occupation and his faith. In the course of his scientific work, he has found that no other theory comes close to Darwin's as an explanation for our world's incredible biodiversity. Recounting discoveries in molecular biology, paleontology and development, Asher reveals the remarkable evidence in favor of Darwinian evolution. In outlining the scope of Darwin's idea, Asher shows how evolution describes the cause of biodiversity, rather than the agency behind it. He draws a line between superstition and religion, recognizing that atheism is not the inevitable conclusion of evolutionary theory. By liberating evolution from its misappropriated religious implications, Asher promotes a balanced awareness that contributes to our understanding of biology and Earth history.

Robert J. Asher is a vertebrate paleontologist, specializing in mammals, and since 2006 has been the Curator of Vertebrates in the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. Over the past two decades, his work in paleobiology has taken him to Argentina, Britain, Canada, Kenya, Madagascar, Mongolia, South Africa, Spain, western USA and Venezuela.

Acknowledgments; Prologue; 1. Science and religion; 2. Evolution as a science; 3. Characters and common descent; 4. The fossil record; 5. The roots of mammals; 6. A brief history of elephants; 7. Whales are no fluke; 8. Creationism: the fossils still say no!; 9. DNA and the Tree of Life; 10. DNA and information 'creation'; 11. Biology and probability; 12. Evolution, education, and conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

Erscheint lt. Verlag	23.2.2012
Zusatzinfo	3 Tables, black and white; 26 Halftones, unspecified; 5 Line drawings, unspecified
Verlagsort	Cambridge
Sprache	englisch
Maße	157 x 234 mm
Gewicht	660 g
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Evolution
ISBN-10	0-521-19383-4 / 0521193834
ISBN-13	978-0-521-19383-2 / 9780521193832
Zustand	Neuware