Darwin on Trial

Darwin's theory of evolution is accepted by most educated Americans as simple fact. This easy acceptance, however, hides from us the many ways in which evolution—as an idea—shapes our thinking about a great many things. What if this idea is wrong? Berkeley law professor Phillip E. Johnson looks at the evidence for Darwinistic evolution the way a lawyer would—with a cold dispassionate eye for logic and proof. His discovery is that scientists have put the cart before the horse. They prematurely accepted Darwin's theory as fact and have been scrambling to find evidence for it. Darwin on Trial is a cogent and stunning tour de force that not only rattles the cages of conventional wisdom, but could provide the basis for a fundamental change in the way educated Americans regard themselves, their origins, and their fate.

About the Author :
Phillip E. Johnson is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Chicago. He was a law clerk for Chief Justice Earl Warren of the United States Supreme Court, and taught law at the University of California at Berkeley. He took up the study of Darwinism because he saw that the books defending the theory were dogmatic and unconvincing. He wrote Darwin on Trial to give Americans the information they need to make up their own minds.

Review :
"Darwin on Trial is unquestionably the best critique of Darwinism I have ever read. Professor Johnson combines a broad knowledge of biology with the incisive logic of a leading legal scholar to deliver a brilliant and devastating attack on the whole edifice of Darwinian belief. There is no doubt that this book will prove a severe embarrassment to the Darwinian establishment." —Michael Denton, Molecular Biologist and author of Evolution: A Theory in Crisis "Darwin on Trial shows just how Darwinian evolution has become an idol of the contemporary tribe, and how deeply philosophical and religious ideas enter into its status as part of the intellectual orthodoxy of our day." —Alvin Plantinga, Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame University "Darwin on Trial is both an excellent and highly readable presentation of some of the difficulties that Darwinians have yet to provide a convincing answer to, and an eye-opening history of some of the recent attempts by Darwinians to control the terms of the debate. I recommend it very highly." —Peter van Inwagen, Professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University "Phillip Johnson has done extremely well in making himself familiar with evolutionary theory and biological ways of reasoning... This book is highly recommended as an introduction to the current controversy on evolution." —Siegfried Scherer, Faculty of Biology at the University of Konstanz, Germany "Darwin on Trial is more than just a brilliant critique of the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution. It is also an insightful analysis of the strong philosophical bias for faith in evolution held by many of the theory's leading advocates." —Walter Bradley, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University "In all the vast literature on Darwinism, evolution, creation, and theism, one will likely not find a treatment so calm, comprehensive, and compellingly persuasive as Phillip Johnson's Darwin on Trial. I recommend it with enthusiasm." —Richard John Neuhaus, Editor, First Things "Darwin's theory of evolution is one of the greatest intellectual superstition of modern times. It does the soul good to see a Berkeley professor attack it." —Tom Bethell, The Hoover Institution