1. Joined
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    29 Jul '13 12:03
    Just wondered if anyone had a strong recommendation on the best single volume work to give a layman like myself a 'all-round' grounding in evolution.

    Just to be clear, I have no background in science, so it cannot be anything approaching a technical work on the subject.

    And yes, I am partly prompted to do this due to gibberings of Mr Hinds. But more importantly, my son's interest in the natural world does not appear to be diminishing, and it would be good to be able to answer some of his questions a bit more intelligently than at present.
  2. Standard memberProper Knob
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    29 Jul '13 12:22
    Originally posted by Rank outsider
    Just wondered if anyone had a strong recommendation on the best single volume work to give a layman like myself a 'all-round' grounding in evolution.

    Just to be clear, I have no background in science, so it cannot be anything approaching a technical work on the subject.

    And yes, I am partly prompted to do this due to gibberings of Mr Hinds. But ...[text shortened]... be good to be able to answer some of his questions a bit more intelligently than at present.
    'Why is Evolution is True' by Jerry Coyne.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0199230854/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375100476&sr=1-1&keywords=why+evolution+is+true
  3. Cape Town
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    29 Jul '13 12:45
    Originally posted by Rank outsider
    Just wondered if anyone had a strong recommendation on the best single volume work to give a layman like myself a 'all-round' grounding in evolution.
    This won't cover everything by any means but I am enjoying it:
    http://oyc.yale.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology

    Its a free yale course. All I am doing is watching the lectures. Actual students would have to do a lot of further reading and writing.
  4. Standard memberDeepThought
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    29 Jul '13 13:31
    If you are short of time, then pocket diary sized and 100 pages long is Bernard Wood's, Human Evolution, A Very Short Introduction, OUP ISBN 0-19-280360-3 which goes into the fossil evidence from the split with chimps onwards. It's nice because it explains some of the Scientific controversies rather than trying to hide them or pretend his version is the truth. For example the field has lumpers and splitters - the lumpers all want to put new fossils into existing species, the splitters want to make each new fossil a new species. I found it accessible without being condescending. They also have a book on Evolution in the Very Short Introduction series, but I haven't read it.
  5. Joined
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    29 Jul '13 14:57
    Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I think I will plump for the Coyne book, and will download tonight.
  6. Standard memberRJHinds
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    02 Aug '13 01:411 edit
    Originally posted by Rank outsider
    Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I think I will plump for the Coyne book, and will download tonight.
    If you are going to read Jerry Coyne’s book, Why Evolution is True, you might also be interested in this review of the book.

    http://scienceagainstevolution.info/v13i8f.htm

    The Instructor
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    02 Aug '13 07:35
    Originally posted by RJHinds
    If you are going to read Jerry Coyne’s book, Why Evolution is True, you might also be interested in this review of the book.

    http://scienceagainstevolution.info/v13i8f.htm

    The Instructor
    unlikely that he would be interested in that: he expressed a genuine interest in understanding evolution, NOT religious dogma.
  8. Standard memberRJHinds
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    02 Aug '13 19:26
    Originally posted by humy
    unlikely that he would be interested in that: he expressed a genuine interest in understanding evolution, NOT religious dogma.
    You mean he wants to be indoctrinated in evolution and not really learn about it. That book is an indoctrination into evolution.

    The Instruct
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    02 Aug '13 20:56
    Originally posted by RJHinds
    You mean he wants to be indoctrinated in evolution and not really learn about it. That book is an indoctrination into evolution.

    The Instruct
    see: Evolution vs Creationism/I.D. consolidation thread.
  10. Standard memberRJHinds
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    03 Aug '13 01:34
    Originally posted by humy
    see: Evolution vs Creationism/I.D. consolidation thread.
    Okay.

    The Instructor
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    03 Aug '13 20:27
    Originally posted by RJHinds
    If you are going to read Jerry Coyne’s book, Why Evolution is True, you might also be interested in this review of the book.

    http://scienceagainstevolution.info/v13i8f.htm

    The Instructor
    Mmmm......

    Do I want to read an eloquently written book by someone who is an acknowledged expert in their field and who supports his arguments with evidence.

    Or a rant by someone with a "degree of Bachelor of Science (with distinction) in Electrical Engineering" who, when not blatantly lying about what Coyne says, simply resorts to 'It ain't so, cos it ain't so.'

    I'll get back to you on that one......

    p.s. I had to chuckle at the 'with distinction' bit. I bet he tells people that at parties as they edge slowly away from him.
  12. Joined
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    03 Aug '13 20:35
    Originally posted by Rank outsider
    Mmmm......

    Do I want to read an eloquently written book by someone who is an acknowledged expert in their field and who supports his arguments with evidence.

    Or a rant by someone with a "degree of Bachelor of Science (with distinction) in Electrical Engineering" who, when not blatantly lying about what Coyne says, simply resorts to 'It ain't so, ...[text shortened]... inction' bit. I bet he tells people that at parties as they edge slowly away from him.
    Sorry, realise now I shouldn't have responded to Hinds. At least not in this forum.

    My bad.
  13. Standard memberRJHinds
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    03 Aug '13 21:15
    Originally posted by Rank outsider
    Mmmm......

    Do I want to read an eloquently written book by someone who is an acknowledged expert in their field and who supports his arguments with evidence.

    Or a rant by someone with a "degree of Bachelor of Science (with distinction) in Electrical Engineering" who, when not blatantly lying about what Coyne says, simply resorts to 'It ain't so, ...[text shortened]... inction' bit. I bet he tells people that at parties as they edge slowly away from him.
    Coyne doesn't seem to have made any progress in proving "evilution" with fruit fly experiments. Humm. An educated fool?

    The Instructor
  14. Germany
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    04 Aug '13 08:33
    Originally posted by Rank outsider
    Mmmm......

    Do I want to read an eloquently written book by someone who is an acknowledged expert in their field and who supports his arguments with evidence.

    Or a rant by someone with a "degree of Bachelor of Science (with distinction) in Electrical Engineering" who, when not blatantly lying about what Coyne says, simply resorts to 'It ain't so, ...[text shortened]... inction' bit. I bet he tells people that at parties as they edge slowly away from him.
    That was before people stopped inviting him to parties.
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