Anonymous

More so a history and a philosophical defense.

Reviewed: 05-31-19

I bought this because I wanted to learn more about how evolution functioned. I did somewhat, but I learned a great deal more about the history of the modern evolutionary theory synthesis and the various ironies that accompanied it. The author seems to be aware he's lecturing on a touchy subject so he makes a point to make his progressive orthodoxy unmistakable. At the same time, I have to wonder if the choice to place the grisly history of what the theory of evolution has been used to justify after the section on the unmooring philosophical implications of a science based worldview is meant to drive home the gravity of Darwin's intellectual significance, or simply as a way to cover his behind in the event that he is accused of relativism or the ideas he goes on to discuss.

He seems to take great issue with the politicization of science (as do I) but he does a better job of defending the legitimacy of evolution than explaining its operation. I wish he had more confidence in the ability of quality science to stand on its own merits instead of apologizing for any unsavory philosophies that could be extrapolated from a naturalistic worldview. Additionally, the narrator would have probably been well advised not to do some many accents. They sounded a little like cartoon versions of the dialects they were intended to reference.

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