Evolution News & Views Presents The 2010 Intelligent Design Christmas List

It’s the time of year to take stock… and figure out what books and DVDs are missing from your library so you can ask for them for Christmas! This year our list is handily organized by category: Science, Faith & Worldview and History, Culture and Philosophy.
Science

  • In the Beginning: And Other Essays on Intelligent Design by Granville Sewell. This collection of essays explains why evolution is a fundamentally different and much more difficult problem than others solved by science and why increasing numbers of scientists are now recognizing what has long been obvious to the layman: there is no explanation possible without design. Highly recommended for those who want mathematical proof that Darwin’s theory doesn’t add up. (You can get it for $11.21 here.)
  • Programming of Life by Donald E. Johnson. This book is Dr. Johnson’s second, and as we noted earlier, “full of helpful introductions to topics like statistics and information theory, chock-full with citations to the mainstream scientific literature. In particular, he cites to a growing body of technical literature of scientists who are skeptical of materialism.” It “focuses on elucidating the computer-like workings of the cell and their implications for materialism-based theories about life’s origins.” This is a great book for those following the debate and curious about the leading edge of the research. (You can get it for $12.45 here).
  • Intelligent Design Uncensored: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the Controversy by William Dembski and Jonathan Witt. This book is a must for anyone wanting to understand the science of intelligent design explained to the layperson. It summarizes the case for design while also contributing to ID thinking with verve and style that isn’t just accessible, but pleasurable for the reader. (You can get it for $10.20 here.)
  • Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer. The book that continues to stir up controversy far and wide is available in paperback. It’s a tour de force that made the Times Literary Supplement‘s “Books of the Year” last year and absolutely required reading for anyone interested in intelligent design. Unless, of course, you’re Francisco Ayala. (You can get it for $12.43 here.)
  • The Deniable Darwin and Other Essays by David Berlinski. This collection is a treasure trove of classic Berlisnki wit and perception, featuring more than 30 essays written over the last 15 years. The consummate skeptic, Dr. Berlinski dispels the modern superstition of scientism and clears the way for real science to be conducted. Recommended for skeptics, doubters, and anyone who


Faith and Worldview

  • God and Evolution, edited by Jay Richards. This volume addresses the issue of whether one can maintain orthodox theistic belief and still hold to robust Darwinism. A necessary explanation of the matter at hand, this book featured essays by Catholics, Protestants and Jews who bring clarity and nuance to the debate, answering the new “theistic evolutionists” like Francis Collins and Karl Giberson. God and Evolution is ideal for use in small groups and adult Sunday School classes, and each chapter comes with discussion questions and downloadable video clips to facilitate educational use. Visit the website for these resources here, where a free discussion/study guide is also available for download. (You can buy the book for $16.47 here.)
  • Does God Exist? Kit: Building the Scientific Case (TrueU), featuring Stephen Meyer. While not technically a book, this apologetics curriculum presenting the scientific case for the existence of God is aimed at training high school students for the rigorous challenges to their faith that will come on the college campus, particularly in the biology classroom. Recommended for high school and college students, and for anyone who ever wanted to have Dr. Meyer as their professor. (Available for $27.57 here.)
  • Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning by Nancy Pearcey. This book is just out from Center Fellow Nancy Pearcey, who effectively demonstrates how and why history matters, tracing the corrosive effects in our culture and the arts from a secular worldview. Great reading for those who want to understand the intellectual movements behind the culture wars. (Availabe here for $17.81.)
  • Against All Gods: What’s Right and Wrong About the New Atheism by Philip Johnson and John Mark Reynolds. Johnson, of course, is the father of intelligent design, and here he joins with CSC Fellow John Mark Reynolds to explain where the new atheists are actually right in making belief an issue worth debating again — and where they’re very, very wrong. Recommended for those interested in an answer to Ditchkins. (Available here for $10.20.)
  • The Case for a Creator, featuring Lee Strobel. Again, it’s a DVD, but worth including on this list as a compelling film adaptation of Strobel’s bestseller, with interviews with Stephen Meyer, Jay Richards, Jonathan Wells, and more. Thought-provoking, informative and scientific, this DVD is recommended for church groups, teens, and anyone who wants to understand the basic scientific evidence for creation. (Available here for $19.95.)

History, Culture and Philosophy

  • What Hath Darwin Wrought? featuring John West, Richard Weikart and David Berlinski. This DVD investigates the shocking history of “social Darwinism” in America and Europe, including the eugenics crusade against the “unfit,” the euthanasia movement, Nazi genocide, and current efforts to devalue the lives of the handicapped. This is a chapter of history that we need to know to better understand the dangers scientism poses in our own. Highly recommended for study groups (free discussion guide at this site!) and those with an interest in bioethics, as well as history buffs. (Available here for $18.)
  • 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor by Benjamin Wiker. Wiker follows up his excellent 10 Books That Screwed Up the Worlds with this guide to some of the important works of our time in an easy and approachable way. By turning to the literature that may save civilization. Wiker lays out the hope of conservatism and what it must combat, including the role of materialism in our politics. Highly recommended for anyone who wants have thoughtful, thoroughly intellectual underpinnings to their conservatism. (Available here for $18.45.)
  • A Rat Is a Pig Is a Dog Is a Boy: The Human Cost of the Animal Rights Movement by Wesley J. Smith. Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Smith spells out the ethical implications of blurring the human-animal distinction, showing the need for human exceptionalism and why “animal rights” (not to be confused with animal welfare, which is humane and good) pose a threat to human rights everywhere. Highly recommended for anyone interested in bioethics and controversies in science. (Available here for $18.94.)
  • The Waning of Materialism edited by CSC Fellow Robert Koons. In this volume, twenty-three philosophers make the case against materialism rom conscious experience, from the unity and identity of the person, from intentionality, mental causation, and knowledge. The contributors include leaders in the fields of philosophy of mind, metaphysics, ontology, and epistemology, who respond ably to the most recent versions and defenses of materialism. Recommended for philosophers. (Available here for $40.)