About.com Rating



The importance of evolution to the biological sciences, and thus also to science generally, can?t be overestimated. Yet despite its importance, there is also widespread ignorance about what evolution is, what it says about life, what it predicts, and how it should be used. Some of this ignorance is due to deliberate misinformation campaigns from religious opponents; some of it is due to the sorry state of science education in America.

Summary

Title: Evolution: A Beginner's Guide
Author: Burton S. Guttman
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
ISBN: 1851683712

Pro:
•  Covers a great deal in a relatively short book
•  Explains common misconceptions and misunderstandings about evolution

Con:
•  Detail in biology may be more than appropriate for an introductory text for lay readers

Description:
•  Introductory text to evolution and evolutionary biology
•  Covers basics in geology and science education
•  Argues that creationism in all its forms is a threat to science

 

Book Review

Regardless of the actual reason behind Americans? ignorance of science generally and evolution specifically, it?s something that needs to be remedied. Ideally we would improve education in the schools, but that will take time; even worse, it will encounter serious resistance from powerful religious interests. An additional tactic which might help is to educate adults who are interested in learning more. That?s the purpose behind Burton S. Guttman?s Evolution: A Beginner?s Guide, a part of Oneworld Publication?s very good ?Beginner?s Guide? series.

Guttman, professor emeritus of Biology at The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, knows what he is talking about when it comes to biology and evolution and has long experience in educating college students. That?s good experience to have for a book such as this, but I wonder if perhaps it also has drawbacks. Ideally, a book such as this would be aimed at intelligent lay people who don?t need everything hand-fed to them, but who also don?t necessarily have a lot of background in science or biology. This book, however, may not quite meet that need.

Quite a lot of the book reads and looks a bit too much like an introductory biology text for college classes, at least to my eyes. More than once I had to go back and read over material again more carefully, and I read quite a few books on science and evolution. I have to wonder how well others with less experience will fare. Some will do better, I?m sure, but others won?t and that undermines the point of a book like this.

Fortunately, many other sections of the book are quite good. Guttman?s explanations about geology, misconceptions people have about evolution, macroevolution, human evolution, and the problems with creationism are all very good. There?s a lot in this book that is worth reading and that will help beginners; there?s also a lot that might be better suited for a more intermediate level of reader. Intermediate readers may find the beginning material redundant; beginners may find the intermediate material to be a bit too difficult in places.

There are many people who may find this book to be useful and informative, though some may have to skim over or skip past portions for one reason or another. I can see this book being used in biology courses as a supplementary text, but I hope that educated lay readers will derive some benefit from it as well.