Why evolution is true
by Jerry A. Coyne · first published 2009
64% recommend36% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Accessible, well-argued overview of the evidence for evolution, pitched between light reading and technical depth; recommended as a first book for readers new to the subject or as a way to answer creationist questions.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Why evolution is more than just a theory: it is a factIn all the current highly publicized debates about creationism and its descendant "intelligent design," there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned—the evidence, the empirical truth of evolution by natural selection. Even Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould, while extolling the beauty of evolution and examining case studies, have not focused on the evidence itself. Yet the proof is vast, varied, and magnificent, drawn from many different fields of science. Scientists are observing species splitting into two and are fin
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…evolution? It will indeed take a lot of hard work by experienced computer scientists to solve some problems in evolutionary theory. A quite good way to start learning about evolution is to read the book Why Evolution Is True, which talks not only about evidence for evolution but also about implications of the theory. Then read the book's website[1] frequently for the latest news. Other good things to read are the books by…
on “Evolution’s Random Paths Lead to One Place” ↗…epistemological success that leads people to accept metaphysical materialism, not an a priori assumption. If you want more detailed summaries of the empirical support for these arguments, I recommend the book Why Evolution Is True by Jerry Coyne.
on “The Majority Illusion in Social Networks” ↗…the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species, has been a banner year for new books on evolutionary biology. Some of my favorites include Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670... The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution...…
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗…organisms, and I can not only recommend two books, but also a free website. The website is 29+ Evidences for Macroevolution,[1] which I have recommended often to readers here on Hacker News. The books are Why Evolution Is True by Jerry Coyne[2] and The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins.[3] Both books are very readable and interesting and well deserve your attention. There are other good recent books about evolution…
on “Misconceptions about Evolution” ↗…claim were created out of thin air) as if they had common ancestors? Both physiologically as well as genetically? To quote Dobzhansky: Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution. Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne might help you resolving that last part of the puzzle.
on “Did the chicken come first or is it turtles all the way down?” ↗…denying reality, and being forced to participate in some individuals' theatrics and self-image or else you'll be labeled a -phobic or -ist. --- On a different note, give Coyne's books (Faith vs Fact and Why Evolution Is True) a read. Highly recommended.
on “A once respected biology journal indicts evolutionary biology for ableism” ↗…humankind, the earth, and the universe. Creationism simply has no leg to stand on scientifically. I don't require my homeschooled children to believe in creationism, but rather read aloud to them books like Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne and The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins, so that they are more familiar with scientific evidence than most of their neighbors who attend the local public schools.)
on “Why Finland’s schools are great (by doing what we don’t).” ↗Also interesting is Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne
on “Mosaicism: The genome varies from cell to cell” ↗Why evolution is true. Coyne.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗…solid education, nor much exposure to actual scientists. If you want to become educated, perhaps you should read this book, written by a scientist and endorsed by Dawkins, another scientist. It's called "Why Evolution is True": http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/a-nod-fro... Or if you want a quicker education, watch this three minute video, where Richard Dawkins says these sage words: "What science is about…
on “Is Scientific Truth Always Beautiful?” ↗> Evolution is not sentient, and doesn't 'design' or 'plan' or 'program'. Literally true but the effect is "as though" it designs or plans. See eg "Why evolution is true" or any evolution text book eg "Evolution" by Douglas Futuyma. As for war versus hunting, the levels of violence in hunter-gatherer societies were astronomical with death rates from violence typically…
on “Teacher spends two days as a student and is shocked at what she learns” ↗…without being intelligently designed in some manner. Would you describe a dolphin as a complex structure? It wasn't designed, it evolved through natural selection. I suggest reading a short book titled "Why evolution is true", or "The blind watchmaker".
on “Why do Americans claim to be more religious than they are?” ↗In addition to the first book of the Bible, I would suggest checking out the first chapter of Why Evolution is True. I found it to be an extremely elightening introduction to evolution. It hit that sweet spot of having just enough technical information while still being a "page turner." I ended up reading the thing…
on “Intelligent design think tank’s “institute” is a Shutterstock image” ↗…substantiating that HIV causes AIDS and discovered, 'There is no such document.' " > This provoked a widespread supposition that Margulis had been an "AIDS denialist." Notably Jerry Coyne reacted on his Why Evolution is True blog against his interpretation that Margulis believed "that AIDS is really syphilis, not viral in origin at all."[50] Seth Kalichman, a social psychologist who studies behavioral and social aspects of…
on “Mitochondria may hold keys to anxiety and mental health” ↗Explanation, please, with more detail? I've just been reading Jerry Coyne's book Why Evolution Is True, and that doesn't sound like a mechanism of natural selection I've seen proposed in any writing by a professional evolutionary scientist. But maybe I'll have a better understanding of what you are saying…
on “Beautiful Minds: Relations between genius, creativeness and mental illness” ↗