By Design or by Chance?: The Growing Controversy on the Origins of Life in the Universe

This book came out in 2004. It's one of the best books I've ever read. It's like they fed all the data in the design and accidental origins bin through this smart woman to digest, and at the end of the day she submitted this astounding book to the publisher. She comes across as an unbiased observer, surveying the landscape and rendering a fair and just analysis. She is very careful to give all sides of the controversy equal space. That's what makes this such an interesting read and a very important book. Consider the force of resistance in the universities against all the evidence that supports design. The quotes are in this book. From the first page after the contents. "The most important question for any society to ask is the one that is forbidden." Richard Halvorson. Read this book and get educated. Marvelous!

This is a well done entry point into the question of origins of life in the universe. O'Leary as journalist provides welcome toned down insights into the many camps which slug this issue out in the public: the young earth creationists, the old earth creationists, the ID, the evolutionists, the Christian evolutionists, etc. I like these words from her beginning: "We peer into space, fire off spacecraft in every direction, land on the moon and on Mars, always looking for signs of life. We peer thkrough electron microscopes, below the wavelength of visible light, trying to understand life. Life ... what is it? How does it come about? What does it mean? Where did the universe come from?" These were supposedly answered (and continue to be answered with constant shifting modification by some) by Darwinism. This is now being challenged by scientists of all religious positions (including atheism, which is a religious position) by Intelligent Design among other models of origins. O'Leary explores this increasingly debated topic with great clarity and charity. Especially useful are her sidebar discussions which include helpful definitions and background examples of the points expressed. What this reviewer found has best of this work were the two chapters respectively on "Is ID Good Science? Is ID Good Theology?" The former I think is yes, while the latter is debatable. Clearly, ID can be thought of as an apologetic to begin the dialogue with those who are opposed in everyway to any discussion with theology over science. However, the stated opposition to ID by some creationists are withstanding in their merit. Theology correctly done proclaims that God has given conclusive, judicial type evidence to every human that He alone is the Creator by evidence of His creation, even though it too has been corrupted by the fall into sin. This natural knowledge of God however does not deliver the answers to where this creation is going, nor what this Creator God thinks of us. To that, He has given supernatural revelation in His Word. What impresses this reviewer is the lack of integrity by many of the Darwinist persuasion who continue to resist their persistent spewing forth of the five evolutionist proofs exposed by such as Jonathan Wells in his Icons of Evolution materials. Scientists need to be more open and honest. This permits many who have not heard the sides and wish to, or to have a nice compendium summary to use and recommend to others. Most worthwhile volume. Some will want to check out Henry Schaefer III's salient essay "Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence" in the book "Reading God's World: The Scientific Vocation" and Alister McGrath's fine volume "Nature".

Ever since man first roamed the planet he's asked the question: "From whence did I come?" One might think the suppositions would be endless, but after centuries of investigation, we're really left with only two possibilities: we're either here by chance, or by design. The subject of origins is one of the most hotly debated issues of all time. For those in one camp or the other, the answer is settled. Darwinists assure us we're here strictly by chance. Creationists use the same information to support a completely different conclusion. Even with all science and history at our disposal, there is still no definitive answer to the question of how we got here. And so the debate goes on. Science writer, Denyse O'Leary, in her carefully researched, well-documented, and expertly crafted book, "By Design or By Chance," traces the history of man's thinking. Using her gift for making the inordinately complex seem simple, Denyse takes the reader inside the minds of some of the most renowned men of science to try and understand their motivations and the predispositions that lead them to engender certain conclusions. Though replete with examples of solid scientific evidence, the purpose of this book is not to explain the data supporting one side or the other; rather, it is a comprehensive look at where various ideas originate, and the psychology behind current streams of thought. It is the perfect book for anyone who wants to form an enlightened opinion, or gain better understanding of the issue, which otherwise might be difficult in a society where the educational system emphasizes only one side, to the exclusion all others. Quoting Richard Halvorson, Harvard Crimson, 2003, Denyse declares, "The most important question for any society to ask is the one that is forbidden."

I estimate that about 3 to 4 books about the creation-evolution controversy are published each week. Many are by non-scientists in favor of creationism of some type, and most repeat the same information. Many are not worth reading. This is a very different book on this topic.This book does not argue for one side, as most books on this topic do, but objectively discusses all sides of the controversy. For this reason all sides of the controversy, from young earth to old earth creationists, to theistic evolutionists to Intelligent Design theorists, to atheist evolutionists, will find this book very useful. It is written by an award winning journalist and has much new material of interest to all sides of this never ending controversy. In many ways it is an update of Ron Numbers classic book titled The Creationists. Numbers focused on the history from 1920 to about 1980 and this book covers 1980 to date, although some background before 1980 is covered. It covers the science issues but much of the focus is on the history and non science area. As such, it stands alone in the field and has no competition. If you want a book that covers the whole controversy, this book is for you. If you want a book that defends one side or the other side I would look elsewhere.

In the introduction of her exceptionally researched book, Denyse O'Leary asks this bold question about the fate of Darwin's legacy (see review title). Though the presumption might seem unlikely given that Darwinism is the established theory in both mainstream science and the public school system, she reminds the reader that Darwinism would not be the first casuality of changing paradigms in history (Newton --> Einstein). Given the reaction from the Darwinist camp, I'm not so sure this is going to happen any time soon, but the fierce reactions they have given are perhaps an indication that things aren't so solid in evolutionary theory as most of us were taught!<p>The journalistic style that Denyse uses is appropriate and useful. I found the numerous side-bars extremely relevant, and the notes at the back of the book contain a wealth of information for additional research. Denyse has no problem laying out the controversy from various points of view - clearly demonstrating the implications of Darwinism, Creationism, and Intelligent Design. The book is both historical and contemporary in nature, which makes it a good introduction for those who want a well-balanced introduction. However, it's clearly thoroughly researched and plenty thought-provoking for those who are already familiar with the concepts.<p>I was personally a bit confused on the ultimate difference between the "post-Darwinist" and the "theistic evolutionist" positions. Surely in this debate, we have to fully clarify our terms. To me, a theistic evolutionist is someone who believes God set evolution in motion and since then, it has happened naturally. This seems to reduce God's role to that of a "first cause", but no longer active in the universe after the creation event. Denyse seems to call herself a "post-Darwinist", which apparently is someone who believes evolution has occurred, but does not believe Darwinism (natural selection) has explained it. However, she does not elaborate on exactly what alternative would explain it then? Even the Intelligent Design camp seems to have varying viewpoints on what the implication of design really means? Some believe that if there's design, there must be a Designer. Others perhaps believe that design may be more like a law or force which seems to be to be about the same as natural selection? After reading several books on Intelligent Design, I thought I understood the debate fairly well, but after reading this book, I admit I'm a bit muddy on certain viewpoints.<p>At any rate, I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in Darwinism, Creationism, or Intelligent Design. It will give you a decent history on the issues as well as some contemporary thought on where it is all going...