Trade Paperback
352 pages
Dec 2006
Alpha

Review  |   Author Bio  |  Read an Excerpt

Review:

A fascinating, useful, scholarly book, Understanding Intelligent Design comes from a well-qualified author. Professor and Episcopal chaplain, Christopher Carlisle has taken an active interest in the hot topic of ID (Intelligent Design). Blending The Complete Idiot’s Guide’s breezy format with his knowledge and teaching abilities, Carlisle skillfully makes this subject interestingly comprehensible to people like you and me.

This book opens with an explanation of ID, and similarities and differences with Creationism. At this point some may want to argue, but it will be worthwhile to keep reading – Understanding Intelligent Design presents information important to understand. The next section looks at the history of ID from the ancients through medieval science into the Age of Reason and on through American history. Physics, chemistry, and biology are then contrasted between the traditional science standpoint and the ID standpoint, two very different positions. Then Darwin comes into the picture, and it becomes apparent that ID does not agree with him. A discussion of outstanding differences on both sides of the debate and any possible resolutions sum up this thesis. The appendices are as absorbing as the main body of this volume, including: a glossary to help you understand things like the anthropic principle or punctuated equilibrium; two interviews, one with a noted proponent of ID, one with a noted opponent; and, a bibliography and listing of pertinent websites.

With cartoons and sidebars to encourage the reader and its interest-holding writing style, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Intelligent Design capably presents this subject, giving much needed information on an important contemporary focus. – Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

Book Jacket:

Intelligent Design is one of the hottest issues facing parents and educators to day, but it can be hard to separate the facts from the heated rhetoric. This expert and objective guide gets to the bottom of the questions: What is Intelligent Design? Should it replace or complement traditional science? What’s all the fuss about?

• Explains the terms, the controversy, and the involvement of the American courts • Indispensable guide for concerned educators and parents • Written by an expert in the field