 This is a book of daring adventure between two emotionally charged spheres of thought. All who profess a love of knowledge and seek scientific and logical clarity will find Dr. Wysong's treatment worthy of more than the usual attention. "The man is going against the stream. But he seems to be big enough to do it and he appears to have done his homework. In the ...read more |  |
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Specifications
471 Pages 22 Chapters ≈138 Graphics Scientifically referenced Indexed Categories:
Creation-Evolution
Controversy Religion |
This is a book of daring adventure between two emotionally charged spheres of thought. All who profess a love of knowledge and seek scientific and logical clarity will find Dr. Wysong's treatment worthy of more than the usual attention.
"The man is going against the stream. But he seems to be big enough to do it and he appears to have done his homework. In these times of shaking institutions and falling idols, maybe this is a book whose time has come...a mountain of a job." M. Cole, author "A work well documented and presented in the spirit of the search for truth which has been one of man's noblest pursuits down through the ages." E. Uhlan, Exposition Press "The book contains some very carefully documented and closely reasoned arguments and reaches some genuinely intriguing conclusions." N. Waxman, Harper and Row "A performance of unusual merit and scope.11 R. Morse, Philosophical Library "We are fascinated by the very thorough and meticulous job." W. Cannon, Thomas Nelson, Inc. "The work is a highly informative and well supported examination of all the aspects... The writing style is interesting, relaxed, and in spite of the subject matter, fairly free from heavy technical terminology and without pedanticism." D. Warmouth, editor Creation by a supernatural being, which is considered mythology in scientific circles, and evolution, which is considered blasphemy in many religious circles, have never been compared in this way before. And never has a method for resolving the issue in a rational manner be n so clearly outlined. Dr. Wysong's probings into disciplines from chemistry to philosophy to geology, and the fascinating array of 138 illustrations, make this book a reservoir of information that will not draw dust on your bookshelf. |
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The resolution of this controversy is vital to the formulation of a life-philosophy and, consequently, affects life itself. But, interestingly, there is probably no subject of greater interest or impact that wallows in so much public ignorance. True, dogmatic assertions are made by proponents of each side, but the topic of origins is rarely treated rationally. Teachers are increasingly becoming afraid even to mention the topic, for fear of retaliation by parents taking opposing views. On the other hand, most parents are incapable of competently dealing with the question of origins and simply assume one side or the other, guessing that someone, somewhere,has the necessary supporting proofs all worked out. Thu in the end, the controversy is not resolved, but dismissed, ignored, forgotten, avoided--it is dissolved. There are, although one has to do no little hunting to find them, many fine writings that treat both sides of the subject cur rently in print. Thus, some of what I discuss here will be a review and restating, hopefully from a fresh viewpoint, for those versed in evolution-creation argumentation. I humbly recognize the work done by so many others and express my indebtedness to those who have expended so much effort and time. My objective is to present some new information and approach the controversy in a way that I believe will allow one to see the questions, issues, implications and evidence in a rational perspec tive. Resolving this issue is intimately tied with honest, unprejudiced thinking, for which hopefully this book will be an aid. In making this attempt, however, I realize I will not appear to come off entirely clean. Surely my biases will filter through here and there. For this I apologize in advance. Optimistically, my failures will not cause alienation, prejudgments or a reactionary sharpening of reader biases. The presentation will assume the reader has a working knowledge of common creation-evolution arguments, especially the widely disseminated evolutionary proofs. To give balance, I will concen trate on evidence and reasonings--many that are creationistic in slant--which are not popularly known. Our goal is to resolve the controversy. Therefore, the opening chapters basically deal with why we should and how we can accomplish this goal. The importance of the subject is emphasized by showing the effect each of the two alternatives can have upon society and the individual. Then the propriety of laymen attempting to resolve the controversy and the method by which it can rationally be accomplished is pursued. With this preliminary and essential groundwork laid, the positions are defined and the data examined. Finally, you are invited to reach a conclusion within the methodological context prescribed. I must confess that in addressing this topic I have found myself wandering into several diverse disciplines, many for which I can claim no special expertise. However, the more qualified readers of certain sections will find the material heavily documented and specifically referenced for their more exacting questions and research. For others, however, the treatment here may prove to be somewhat of a strain on their academic knowhow. However, I must make clear at the outset, due to the specific nature and quantity of the scientific data accumulated over the past generation, the subject of origins cannot be adequately treated in a cursory "lay" fashion. If it were, the serious attention of most modern educated inquirers would be dulled. So the book is designed for the serious student of origins, the searcher, the prober looking for an indepth treatment, the investigator wanting to understand and make the material his own and not just be dogmatically told; the book is not meant for a simple light reading. Therefore, trying not to compromise techr.i ca.l credibility, I have attempted simplicity with a view toward making comprehension accessible to the modern-day average highschool educated person. The book is structured so the logic and argumentation flows sequentially. Even though each chapter is somewhat self-contained, a front to back reading is encouraged if one desires to reach an informed conclusion consistent with the definitional and methodological frameworks outlined in the early chapters. 1. THE CONTROVERSY'S IMPORTANCE Who among thinking people has not asked: "From where did man come?" "From where did the plants and animals come?" "What is the source of the stars, the earth and the universe?" To some, the answer to these questions is that they are unanswerable. Perhaps their own reasoning or that of another convinced them that questions about origins can't be resolved and, furthermore, that such questions are only academic and unimportant. It may be that they have convinced themselves such issues belong to the scientist, philosopher and theologian--not the layman. |
