Facts, not Fantasy

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Book Makes Case For Using Evolution In Everyday Life

I have always stated that the theory of evolution is so ingrained in everyday life, that to deny it is incredibly hypocritical, unless you sequester yourself off in a cave somewhere.  Pretty much EVERY advance in modern medicine comes from our understanding of evolution.  In the best of my fantasy worlds, all deniers of evolution would be denied the benefits we have learned from its understanding.

Now, I don't agree 100% with this particular author (I find him too accommodating to creationists and IDiots), but he has a very good point.

Book Makes Case For Using Evolution In Everyday Life

Evolution is not just about human origins, dinosaurs and fossils, says Binghamton University evolutionist David Sloan Wilson. It can also be applied to almost every aspect of human life, as he demonstrates in his first book for a general audience, Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives (Bantam Press 2007).

Using witty, straightforward language and compelling anecdotes, Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution in a way that can be easily understood by non-experts. He then uses the principles to explain phenomena as diverse as why beetles commit infanticide, why dogs have curly tails, and why people laugh and make art.

Wilson, a distinguished professor of biological sciences with a joint appointment in anthropology at Binghamton University, is convinced that evolution can become more widely accepted once its consequences for human welfare are appropriately understood.

"When evolution is presented as unthreatening, explanatory, and useful, it can be easily grasped and appreciated by most people, regardless of their religious or political beliefs and without previous training," says Wilson.

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