Critique of Intelligent Design: Materialism versus Creationism from Antiquity to the Present | 
| Authors: John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark, Richard York
Publisher: Monthly Review Press
Category: Book
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Pages: 240
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Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 1583671730
Dewey Decimal Number: 146.3
EAN: 9781583671733
ASIN: 1583671730
Publication Date: November 1, 2008
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Product Description
pIs the Teaching of Evolution to Be Banned in U.S. Public Schools? Is Science Once More to be Burned on the Cross? Will Creationism Win the 2,500 Year War with Materialism and Reason?/ppA critique of religious dogma historically provides the basis for rational inquiry into the physical and social world. bCritique of Intelligent Design/b is a key to understanding the forces of irrationalism challenging the teaching of evolution in U.S. public schools and seeking to undermine the natural and social sciences. It illuminates the 2,500 year evolution of the materialist critique#151;the explanation of the world in terms of itself#151; from antiquity to the present through engaging the work of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Lucretius, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, David Hume, William Paley, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Stephen Jay Gould, and numerous others (including contemporary advocates of intelligent design)./ppProponents of intelligent design#151;creationism in a more subtle guise#151;have recently reignited the age-old war between materialism and creationism, in which they claim to elevate their doctrine to empirical truth and thus incorporate it into science curricula. They attack modern science, advancing a pseudo-scientific view and a reactionary political culture in line with their theology and what they perceive as a knowable moral order. They single out for criticism the greatest modern representatives of materialist-scientific thought: Darwin, Marx, and Freud./ppbCritique of Intelligent Design/b is a direct reply to the criticisms of intelligent design proponents and a compelling account of the long debate between materialism and religion in the West. It provides an overview of the contemporary fight concerning nature, science, history, morality, and knowledge. Separate chapters are devoted to the design debate in antiquity, the Enlightenment and natural theology, Marx, Darwin, and Freud, and to current scientific debates over evolution and design. It offers empowering tools to understand and defend critical and scientific reasoning in both the natural and social sciences and society as a whole./p
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Perfect timing to read this book! November 23, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
What a perfect time to read this book. Critique of Intelligent Design: Materialism versus Creationism From Antiquity to the Present, by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York provides the informative guide needed to understand the latest attacks on reason and human freedom. The past few months of US political wrangling have left many of us bewildered -- candidates claiming divine intervention on behalf of their campaign, preachers taking the spotlight in political discourse, a rhetoric of faith surpassing real initiatives for change. What's going on? br /br /At first glance it may seem that we have entered a new era of cultural confrontation in the political realm. To truly understand where these arguments are coming from, however, we must move beyond the focus on personal religious beliefs and recognize the historical context in which the debate between creationism and materialism arose. Critique of Intelligent Design provides this essential analysis needed for informed discussion and potential social action. br /br /The authors' collaborative work demonstrates an impressive breadth and depth of analysis. Their examination moves from the philosophical roots of materialism to its application among Enlightenment thinkers. They conclude with contemporary developments in the natural and social sciences that refute the arguments used to buttress intelligent design. Throughout the book, the authors demonstrate how intelligent design is simply old wine in a new bottle. Although the labels may change, the contents will still leave a disenfranchised public drunk in deception that some outside force controls our destiny and that of the natural world upon which we depend. In an attempt to reclaim human freedom and the beauty of an unpredictable and contingent world, the authors remind us that "just as we make our own history - as Marx claimed - nature makes her own history as well (p 180)." br /br /There couldn't be a better time to understand the critique of intelligent design or the defense of human freedom. Read this book, and share its insights with all of those around you.
Faith is believing what you know ain't true November 2, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
We have all heard that the victor writes history. This unfortunately is also true of the history of science. How many people have heard of the philosopher Epicurus, a materialist who dismantled the idea of intelligent design/creation before the birth of the christian jesus? Sure we are all familiar with Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. But, we have also heard that Freud was obsessed with sex, and should be ignored; we have all heard that Marx was a terrorist and worse yet a communist - a man with nothing good to say about anything. We recognize them, but associate their names with caveats. Their predecessors' names have either been forgotten or shunned by the promoters of intelligent design, the historical Wedge Strategists.br /br /The promoters of the Wedge Strategy are theologians masquerading as scientific scholars, men and women whose ultimate goals are to push a moral agenda by removing scientific legitimacy from social and political life. They want to accomplish this by replacing discussions of evolution, a materialist view of the world, with the simple idea that "god did it." Why do humming birds hum? God did it. Why are humans so complex? God did it. Why do some people dig ditches and collect garbage, while others sit in corporate boardrooms? God did it - it's all part of his glorious plan! br /br /The idea of the wedge can best be thought of as the head of an axe, as it drives into an object it splits it apart. The Wedge Strategists begin with an ancient idea, "god did it," gather resources and people and drive the wedge deeper with social and political movements. The image of the axe/wedge is simple and affective, but I propose that we think of it as a Wedgie. The wedge and the wedgie both aim to split something. The difference between the two is malice. The wedge simply creates a clean break, whereas the wedgie is never accomplished without incurring harm and discomfort, and it is done by bullies. Don't let the bullies win; protect yourself, loved ones, and future intellectuals against the wedgie. Don't hesitate, get a copy of Critique of Intelligent Design today, guard against the wedgie and help move history forward. br /
No gods, no masters November 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Critique of Intelligent Design: Materialism versus Creationism from Antiquity to the Present, written by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York, summarizes coherently and forcefully the power of materialism and evolutionary theory for explaining the magnificent complexity of self-organizing nature. The authors trace the history of materialism, its relevance for a scientific understanding of the world, and the radical conception of human freedom that it implies. Most importantly, Critique details the arguments of the present day opponents of materialism: the intelligent design movement, a group of well-funded, conservative fundamentalists with a hierarchical, teleological, and religious agenda for the world.br /br /Up to the challenge, the authors of Critique show us how intelligent design is not the open-minded skepticism that proponents claim it to be, but is instead a wedge strategy intended to displace secularism with theology (indeed, to bring about a cultural theocracy). Particularly chilling is the book's discussion of the Discovery Institute, the main think tank behind the intelligent design movement. Spelling out the religious commitments of the Institute's founders, and exposing the pseudo-science of its philosophical arguments, Critique of Intelligent Design makes it crystal clear that intelligent design is not a scientific theory at all but instead is a return to the creationism and natural theology of earlier days, if only in more sophisticated guise.br /br /For those of you looking for a resource to use in your own discussions on these issues I suggest that you read this book as soon as possible, especially chapters eight and nine, which give a positive alternative to the negative 'design by inference' arguments and attacks on evolutionary theory favored by intelligent design advocates. Drawing on structural biology, historical materialism, and the Epicurean tradition, the authors outline a rigorous and up to date scientific framework for refuting the arguments of these neo-creationists and thereby keeping their theological designs out of science education.br /br /In contrast to the otherworldly speculation of intelligent design, the materialist conception of history and nature gives rise to an empirical curiosity, a desire to relate to the natural world and potentially to each other through an ethic of friendship. This means, as the authors remind us, that a critique of heaven is incomplete without a critique of earth. Overcoming superstition and fear of the gods is but the first step towards transforming the earthly relations that give rise to such alienation. In its revolutionary implications, Critique of Intelligent Design continues in that long-standing tradition of subversion in the service of human freedom that has inspired some of the best scientific minds in history.
To know your history, and save the planet, read this book! October 26, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Critique of Intelligent Design: Materialism versus Creationism from Antiquity to Present by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York, is a long-needed history of the evolution of the intelligent design crusade and its chief obstacles: the material world and the philosophical commitment to understanding that world on its own terms- materialism. With a world ravaged by war, economic insecurity and environmental destruction it is crucial to call out and expose an organized movement that uses issues like the promotion of intelligent design to take the attention of "believers" away from the most disgusting economic, environmental and social policies. The fact that politicians and leaders of the extreme right use intelligent design, along with other, related, 'wedge' issues like abortion and gay rights, to garner support from the very communities they are helping to pillage with economic policies favoring the most wealthy and powerful, means that their ideology on all fronts must be exposed for what it really is, who is being manipulated, and who benefits. Critique of Intelligent Design gives the historical and philosophical information necessary for us to understand the origins and implications of this campaign against reason, materialism, and the material world itself, including the democratic freedoms of the world's people. br /br /This book is not an attack on religion, but a defense of science against those that would try to sneak religion into the classroom masked as science, and along with this, sneak in all the regressive social, economic, and environmental policies that attend these movements at the highest levels of governance in society. As the authors uncover, the larger right sees intelligent design, or ID, as the thin edge of a larger wedge with which they hope to reshape the entire social scene. With the abandonment of reason and understanding, and the denial of natural processes and human agency in history at the heart of ID, the frightening nature of the movement is unveiled. br /br /Finally, having grown up in a typical, large evangelical Christian church where the pastor drove a Jaguar and encouraged the poor to get right with god, while encouraging support for those in power that help create conditions of poverty, I have seen first hand the abandonment of reason that is encouraged and even demanded by the leaders of the conservative movement. It is in these realms that war and ecological degradation are seen as inevitable--either completely natural (arising from natural changes in the earth's ecosystem or from human nature itself), or as pre-destined and necessary components of an always near armageddon. These ideas, of which ID is part and parcel, lead to the most horrible inertia, ignorance, and irresponsibility on the part of the church and its members regarding their role in these destructive processes. People are encouraged to see hope only in 'saving' themselves and others, bringing more into their fold. They are completely discouraged from learning to be a part of progressive social movements and organizations, that in history, have been the ONLY source of positive change for average working people in history. In fact, they are taught to view with suspicion and even hatred, the very movements that their grandparents struggled within to win the limited rights working people have in the United States and other places. This history is completely concealed, as explanations for how the world works are confined to religious interpretations. As things get worse for the average family, and more difficult, they are denied the knowledge that would help them transform their social circumstances. Instead, they are fed an individualistic view of their own salvation, where it is up to each family to sink or swim, depending on their religious devotion. The conservative policies-for which support is garnered using issues like Intelligent Design-that have been proven to break up communities, destroy meaningful jobs, create isolation and loneliness, increase mental illness, and damage the natural environments in which we live and recreate, are completely ignored, downplayed and hidden. br /br /It is in this larger social context that the contemporary battle for reason, for a commitment to understanding the world on its own terms, not those handed down by religious and political elites and leaders, is taking place. This book fulfills an important purpose, making clear the case for a commitment to materialism on the part of both scientists and regular people seeking to emancipate their minds from the haze-inducing religious dogma, and emancipate their larger society from the stranglehold of those in power. In doing so, we can commit to learning together what is really necessary to reverse the destructive economic, social and ecological policies put in place by those intent on maintaining the status quo, using Intelligent Design, as one of many means, to do just this.
Very Intelligently Designed - Buy It Now! September 30, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Finally, a much-needed essay by a bunch of godless guys. Thank God! It is very unlikely that Critique of Intelligent Design will attract folks who believe that Jesus wakes up every day in Heaven to ghostwrite the great book of nature down here on Earth. However, those of us who are at least a little skeptical about this notion will find Critique of Intelligent Design by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York most welcome. Posing as reasonable discourse about natural phenomena, the intelligent design hypothesis is not a hypothesis at all but fundamentalist Christian doctrine. The deeper meaning behind this posture by religionists to beat science at its own game is unsparingly exposed by Critique of Intelligent Design.br /br /The authors locate the present battle between Creationists and Evolutionists in its proper historical context. This is the longstanding contest in Western civilization between those who abdicate the challenge and obligation of being human creators in order to enjoy the security and irresponsibility of being creations of God. Perhaps the chief achievement of the book is that it does not attack religious faith or spiritual aspiration as such. Rather, the materialist, secular, humanist outlook is advanced against theological escapism, excuse-making and the bearing of false witness in this world.br /br /Accessible to the average reader - I ought to know, I am one - Critique of Intelligent Design, examines the combat conducted on this front by the classical Greek thinker Epicurus, the natural philosophers of the Enlightenment and especially the influential modern figures so reviled by the believers of intelligent design; Darwin, Marx and Freud. The book also takes seriously - and apart - the leading proponents of intelligent design on the contemporary scene. Supposedly a position pertaining to questions within the natural sciences, the teaching of intelligent design is actually an ideological attack on the implications of certain social sciences; indeed, on any sort of social science in general.br /br /Critique of Intelligent Design confronts this ulterior ideological intent head on. Without grinding any particular political axes of its own, the book vehemently insists on a basic philosophic orientation that in and of itself discredits the authoritarian agenda of the biblically-minded right-wing today. That this conservative campaign is currently pursued in the name of liberal principles about fairness in education, free speech and so on makes the publication of Critique of Intelligent Design that much more necessary now.br /br /It is worth noting that Foster, Clark and York have all published extensively on the environmental crisis the presently confronts our species. While Critique of Intelligent Design does not address ecological politics, one of its unspoken purposes is to clear an adequate intellectual space for the anthropological rationality we need to maintain the biosphere. If we are going to figure out and fight for genuinely sustainable ways of reproducing ourselves on this planet, dogma about God's great plan will not do. Little kids make messes they do not have to wipe up, but eventually they have to grow up - do their duty and clean up their duty. Intelligent design is designed for the unintelligent, the childish among us. It's a cop-out for any grown-up with citizenship on the third rock from the sun. Read Critique of Intelligent Design, confirm your own maturity as well as your solidarity with other adults, and then roll up your sleeves for the work of ecological stewardship that is your calling as a human being.
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