Product Description
Science, especially naturalistic science, has come under fire of late. No longer does it command the near universal respect it once held. From the right has come a fresh attack on Darwinism and arguments for intelligent design. From the left postmodern theorists have attacked the very notion of objective truth claims, scientific or otherwise. Into the fray Del Ratzsch breathes a breath of calm. He asks, What is science? What can it tell us?What can't it tell us? What challenges does it offer to Christian faith? How should a Christian respond?Originally published under the title Philosophy of Science, this revised volume surveys how views of science have developed and changed over time, especially since the Kuhnian revolution of the 1960s. Now updated to reflect current discussions of intelligent design and postmodern views of science, Science & Its Limits offers readers a thoughtful perspective on contemporary trends and useful advice on how to approach faith and science issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

philosophy of science 101, for anyone, from a christian view
I came across the book as a deliberate study of the problems involved in the debate over creation evolution in the conservative christian community. It lived up to its expectations as an introductory study of the philosophy of science from a christian prespective. Del Ratzsch is a very competent philosopher, book is well written and strives for a balance not often seen it this field, i am sad to discover. He ends the books with the idea of "speak the truth in love", remarkably there are several reviews here on amazon concerning this book that apparently don't think this a principle to follow. again sadly.

as an example of a balanced passage: page 124
"the second reservation is that different parts of science operate in different ways, on different levels and must answer to different demands. consider the principle of the uniformity of nature. historically the underpinning of that principle is philosophical. it is not empirically testable-indeed, what test results might mean it itself determined in part in a context already defined by that very principle"

it certainly deserves a place in any thinking christian's bookshelf. it is not very doctrinaire and would be an asset to anyone interested in the topic of the philo of science, especially anyone who wants view conditioned by a particular perspective deeply involved in western culture.

Problems reconciling Del's conclusions with the Bible
Unfortunately, Mr. Ratzsch's interpretations raise far more problems than they attempt to solve (as will be documented below).

I do not believe that those who adhere to some form of theistic evolution (God used evolution to create everything) or progressive creation (God intervened at various points in the process of evolution) fully realize that their position violates clear concepts revealed in the Bible--indeed much that is foundational to the very Gospel itself.

For instance..

Concept violated: the goodness of God

The Bible says 'God is good' and in Genesis 1:31 God described his just finished creation as 'very good'. How do you understand the goodness of God if He used evolution, 'nature red in tooth and claw', to 'create' everything?

Concept violated: Adam's sin brought death and decay, the basis of the Gospel

According to the evolutionist's (and progressive creationist's) understanding, fossils (which show death, disease and bloodshed) were formed before people appeared on earth. Doesn't that mean that you can't believe the Bible when it says that everything is in 'bondage to decay' because of Adam's sin (Romans 8)? In the evolutionary view, hasn't the 'bondage to decay' always been there? And if death and suffering did not arise with Adam's sin and the resulting curse, how can Jesus' suffering and physical death pay the penalty for sin and give us eternal life, as the Bible clearly says (e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:22, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive")?

Concept violated: the divine inspiration of the whole Bible

If the Genesis accounts of Creation, the Fall, the origin of nations, the Flood and the Tower of Babel - the first 11 chapters - are not historical, although they are written as historical narrative and understood by Jesus to be so, what other unfashionable parts of the Bible do you discard? The biblical account of creation in Genesis seems very specific with six days of creative activity, each having an evening and a morning. According to the evolutionary sequence, the biblical order of creation is all wrong. Do you think God should have inspired an account more in keeping with the evolutionary order, the truth as you see it, if indeed He did use evolution or followed the evolutionary pattern in creating everything?

Concept violated: the straightforward understanding of the Word of God

If the Genesis account does not mean what it plainly says, but must be 'interpreted' to fit an evolutionary world, how are we to understand the rest of the Bible? How are we to know that the historical accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection should not also be 'reinterpreted'? Indeed, can we know anything for sure if the Bible can be so flexible?

Concept violated: the creation is supposed to show the hand of God clearly

Dr Niles Eldredge, well-known evolutionist, said:

'Darwin . . . taught us that we can understand life's history in purely naturalistic terms, without recourse to the supernatural or divine.' [Niles Eldredge, "Time Frames - the Rethinking of Darwinian Evolution and the Theory of Punctuated Equilibrium", 1986, Heinemann, London, p. 13.]

Is it not philosophically inconsistent to marry God (theism) with evolution (naturalism)? If God 'created' using evolution which makes Him unnecessary, how can God's 'eternal power and divine nature' be 'clearly seen' in creation, as Romans 1:20 says? Evolution has no purpose, no direction, no goal. The God of the Bible is all about purpose. How do you reconcile the purposelessness of evolution with the purposes of God? What does God have to do in an evolutionary world? Is not God an 'unnecessary hypothesis'?

Concept violated: the need of restoration for the creation

If God created over millions of years involving death, the existing earth is not ruined by sin, but is as it always has been - as God supposedly intended it to be. So why then should He want to destroy it and create a new heavens and earth (2 Peter 3 and other places)?

Starting to get the picture of where Mr. Ratzsch's compromising theology leads?

See the Answers in Genesis website for volumnes of eye-opening information.

Books I would strongly encourage one to read instead: "Icons of Evolution" by Jonathan Wells, "Bones of Contention" by Marvin Lubenow, "Evolution: The Fossils Still Say No!" by Duane Gish, "In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation" by John F. Aston, "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis" by Michael Denton, "Astronomy and the Bible" by Donald B. DeYoung, "Refuting Evolution" by Jonathan Sarfati, "The Answers Book" by Ham/Snelling/Wieland, and "The Young Earth" by John Morris.

You thought you knew what science is?
Think twice. Excellent primer on epistemology by a Christian philosopher. In a field (science and faith) where carricatures, misunderstandings, and insults are too frequent, Del Ratzsch brings a welcome sound of nuance,respect and depth. In a clear and accessible way, the author first reviewsthe various theories that have been developed over time to describe therelationship between science and reality. In a very interesting section, hethen outlines the present work in progress of philosophers of sciencefraying their way between positivism and post-modern relativism. He pointsthere to several questions that we can ask ourselves about ourinterpretation of scientific observations. In a section that could havebeen more developed, Del Ratzsch then discusses several options thatChristians can choose to link biblical and scientific interpretations intheir quest for a coherent understanding of our world. In a welcomed lastchapter, he reminds them that unloving and simplistic Bible slamming andaccusations are not among these options. A must read. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed primarily for the non-Food Science major, thistextbook presents principles of food science for the nutrition,dietetics, hospitality, and culinary arts student enrolled in anintroductory food science course. As in the first edition the book iseasily readable. Chapters follow the order of the USDA's Food GuidePyramid, beginning with foods appearing at the base of the Pyramid -the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta foods, and continuing with foodsthrough the top of the Pyramid - the fatty, oils, and sweets. Achapter on baked products covers batters and doughs, and builds uponinformation in earlier chapters. The last chapters cover aspects offood production and government regulation. For this second edition the authors have expanded the conceptsrelating to material in all chapters, including quality, gums, organicfood, irradiation, biotechnology, sugar substitutes, fat replacers,packaging, health claims, and dietary guidelines. There is also a newchapter dedicated to a discussion on emulsification and foams. Inaddition, the index has been revamped. As nutrition and food safety continue to be important issues, whereapplicable, individual chapters contain sections on nutritive valueand safety concerns regarding the foods discussed. Additionally, eachchapter contains a glossary and helpful references useful for furtherstudy. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Essentials of Food Science,Second Edition combines food chemistry, food technology, andfood preparation into one single source of information. ... Read more

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A very good book for introduction of food science
Although this book introduced itself as a book for non food science majors (e.g. nutrition or nursing), I have a M.S. degree in Food Science and still find it useful. It has a very broad coverage of each area in Food Science, and give you some explanations of food chemistry. If you want to know more about the chemistry, you can then refer to books of CHO chem, protein Chem or lipid Chem.

Very good book, easy to understand, enjoyable to read.

Technical hand book for understanding food
I purchased this book to accompany McGee "on Food and Cooking" and although it was interesting and thorough, the book should be considerd by advanced users.The book touches on chemical composition as opposed to functionality as it applies to cooking. ... Read more

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Vegan Perspective
Description:The book is based on a series of lectures given by Sir John Polkinghorne at Princeton Theological in 2003.Topics include natural theology, the theology of nature, evolution, Big Bang theory, the relationship between science and faith, how we should approach Scripture, the problem of evil, eschatology, end-time resurrection, and other key theological topics.The book is profound, but written in fairly simple language - considering the subjects being discussed. Some familiarity with theological and scientific terms would be helpful; otherwise, you will need a good dictionary at hand.If you know a little about science and theology, these 180 pages read quickly.

For me, as a vegan and animal advocate, some parts (like page 152)are deeply disturbing.Here Sir John questions those who think God might want to preserve all the animals for eternity.Here I would like to quote the author:

"I believe that every human that has ever lived will again live beyond their deaths, but should I also believe this to be true of every dinosaur?Even more problematically, what about every bacterium that has ever lived?" (page 152)

I won't even comment on the fallacy of this comparison.

Polkinghorne goes on to say that he thinks that representatives of each species will be preserved, but ...

"On the other hand, I think it is unlikely that they will all be there.There is a human intuition ... that animals are indeed to be valued, but more in type than in token ... it is morally permissible, in circumstances of limited forage, to cull a herd of deer, preserving the group at the cost of the humane killing of some of its members.Such a policy could not be coutenanced in relation to a human population. I think it likely, therefore, that there will be horses in the world to come, but not every horse that has ever lived." An intriguing special case is presented by animals who are greatly loved pets.Have they acquired sufficient idiosyncratic significance to require this to be continued beyond death?"(page 152)


These are loaded comments.Polkinghorne may be a universalist, but his remarks are so guarded that it is difficult to say for certain.Polkinghorne may have this all backwards, however.I think he could be over-estimating the number of human earthlings who will be saved and under-estimating the number of non-human earthlings who will see the new creation.Christopher Southgate, in his book, The Groaning of Creation, asserts that there may be universal salvation for the animals.This actually makes better sense- if humans have a more profoud understanding of the Moral Law, but freely choose to violate it.On the other hand, Polkinghorne often speaks as if there is limited space for resurrected creatures to live in.How odd! Two points can be made here: 1) The physical laws may be more different in the new cosmos than Polkinghorne realizes, and 2) Even with no change in the basic physics, there is plenty of room in this universe for all the people and animals that ever lived.Sir John thinks only of the earth in this sense.Why couldn't buffalo graze on the moon?

I was also quite intrigued by his comment that hunting would be okay in situations of "limited forage."Well that sounds like conditional vegetarianism.One would think Polkinghorne would come right out and say so if he were an ethical vegetarian.Considering the overall attitude projected here, I would say he is not a member of Vegan Outreach.Again, his remarks are carefully worded as if he were a lawyer.

And, again, in this provocative paragraph, we come across the idea that companion animals are more deserving of respect or salvation than wild or agricultural animals .Let me assure all of you that a dog is not fundamentally different than its cousin, the pig, except, of course, that the pig is probably smarter.We love Spot like a family member, but we eat his more intelligent cousin, Mr. Pig, after torturing him in a factory farm. Please notice too Sir John's precise wording: "animals are indeed to be valued, but more in type than in token."In other words species are important, but not individual animals, which he calls "tokens" as opposed to individuals or persons.

Richard Swinburne makes similar mistakes in his own theodicy. It is time for theologians to accept that there really are no fundamental differences between homosapiens and other earthlings.The only aspect of imago dei that they lack is dominion.Until this is realized, theodicies will lack credibility, and prove to the world that religion is still blind in the 21st century.

Intellectual bridge between science and faith
John Polkinghorne is a fine author; the combination of his faith, his deep understanding of physics and his ability to explain the most complex ideas in terms that are relatively easy to follow (sometimes requiring a second read!) make him uniquely qualified for the challenge of showing how it can be intellectually sound to embrace the Christian faith. His willingness to quote sources with whom he clearly disagrees and to do so with integrity towards the opposing view adds tremendously to the depth of his reasoning.

His comment on page 63 is typical: "The universe has proved to be astonishingly rationally transparent, and the human mind remarkably apt to the comprehension of its structure. We can penetrate the secrets of the subatomic realm of quarks and gluons, and we can make maps of cosmic curved spacetime, both regimes that have no practical impact upon us, and both exhibiting properties that are counterintuitive in relation to our ordinary habits of thought. Our understanding of the workings of the world greatly exceed (sic) anything that could simply be required for human survival."

When I reflect on insights such as this (and the book is full of them) I find them so much more valuable than the confrontational approach of the materialists on one side and the Intelligent Design zealots on the other.

Three and a half stars, dissapointing
Polkinghorne is just not at his best in this volume. It starts out good, but just goes downhill. If he could just stay on the topic of the relationship between science and theology he would be great. No one but Stanley Jaki is as good when it comes to that subject, and that was what I wanted in this book. Unfortunately, Polkinghorne soon leaves this behind to talk about theology (mostly) apart from science, and some of his theological views are just wacko. For example, when discussing God and time, he concluded that God is bound by time (in His temporal pole at least), but of course time is relative, so we have to decide what "time-zone" God is on. Polkinghorne concludes that he is probably on the same time-zone as the cosmic background radiation, since that is the most common time zone! And I assure you he is not joking when he comes to this conclusion, he is quite serious. Also, on the way to this conclusion, he passes through a discussion on the bipolarity of God, sounds dangerously like a process theist. In fact, after reading this book, I am fairly convinced that Polkinghorne is either a process theist or something very close to it, certainly not a traditional Christian theist, and I am certain that he goes far beyond the bounds of even open theism. This was a very dissapointing discovery, but the book is still good in parts. If only he would stay on subject, for he discusses the main subject better than any other but one!

Theology and science
The task of theology and the task of science have many things in common, and many differences.In some sense, both seek the truth (albeit most often different in context and meaning), and while both make an appeal to reason as a methodology, they vary in their application of this.

Author John Polkinghorne has a combined profession of cleric and theoretical physicist.Physics and theology are both often caterogised as 'big picture' enterprises - I recall the time that I got better grades from in a biblical studies course after talking with the professor Marti Steussy; once she realised that I had had science training in physics, and I realised she'd had science training in biochemistry, we understood each other much better with regard to biblical studies (big picture vs. constitutent parts/small things approaches).Polkinghorne also approaches things from a big picture perspective, albeit involving small things (the smallest of things, in fact, that science can discern).

This book is derivative of lectures given at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2003.Polkinghorne's intention was to draw together science and religion in a dialogue, letting theological issues provide the framework.He covers different key areas in systematic theology (scripture, sacraments, doctrine of God, eschatology), and does so through an expressly trinitarian paradigm.'I believe that a discussion of this kind has to be undertaken from the standpoint of a particular faith tradition,' Polkinghorne states, and starts with many assumptions of the Christian faith - of course, his audience at Princeton was also primarily Christian, as will be most of the readers of this volume.Polkinghorne admits that this particularist stance is somewhat at odds with the aims of science: 'Scientists love generality, and they are often wary of particularity.'But for theological reasoning, one must be inside the circle, rather than outside; however, the scandal of particularity must be admitted.

This is not an 'in-depth' book in terms of attempting to provide a deep exposition of modern physics (many concepts are assumed to be familiar to the reader, if not completely understood).However, Polkinghorne avoids complex mathematical and technical terminology and constructions for the most part, so that the general non-scientist reader can follow the text readily.Polkinghorne does draw in elements of the history of science and theology and their often-troubled relationship, and shows something of the development of the way theological thinking since the Enlightenment.

This is an interesting book for those who are interested in the ongoing science/religion debate.It does not address the more-hot-button issue of evolution as a primary theme, although it does come up in several of the essays; this is a more general coverage of science and theology, the way they relate to each other.

A bold New Theological Synthesis
This may well be one of Polkinghorne's best.He assumes a knowledge ofrecent discoveries in phyiscs and doesn't really explain them.He does that elsewhere in books like Quarks, Chaos and Christianity, but he does refer to those facts in a determined attempt to develop a theology that is consonant with the physical facts known to scientists. He describes a new theology that sees God as both temporal and atemporal, a God who has created a developing universe in which He is active but which is also independent from Him.His view may not be satisfying to some but it is the grandest attempt I have read by a theologian to answer the questions that physics ask about the nature of the universe.He calls himself a "bottoms=up thinker"-- one who develops theory based on evidence.He does not claim to "prove" the existence of God only to show that it is the most satsifying explanation for the facts shown. His goal here really is not to persuade the unpersuaded to believe in God, rather is is addressed to those who, like him, are believers who nevertheless have many questions that have been undresolved for centuries-- Does God exist only outside of time?Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people.And so on.A great, but as usual, difficult, read for people of faith seeking greater understanding. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (19)

If you want to read lies
then read this book!

I have never ever read something that so twists scripture into saying what they want it to say.I really wanted to like this book, but I have never been so appalled as I was reading this.

Mediocre
A poor attempt to reconcile the author's beliefs with the scientific reality she works with every day. She clings to biblical inerrancy with desperation, despite the realities of the world she professes to study and teach.
Not really worth the read.

Novel and Fruitful Critique of Intelligent Design
Joan Roughgarden, Evolution and Christian Faith (Island Press, 2006).

Joan Roughgarden is an immensely talented and creative Stanford University evolutionary biologist who, like millions of other people, is a practicing Christian. Like many scientists of all faiths, Roughgarden finds God in nature, and rejoices in the diversity, beauty, and charm of the natural world. "We can rejoice as Christians in the ethical meaning behind what evolutionary biologists are increasingly finding. I've be exhilarated by this personal realization, and I hope you will be, too." (p. 5) Roughgarden is most critical of the fundamentalist Christians who see evolution as the enemy of faith, and the "selfish-gene" biologists, who view evolutionary biology as proving the non-existence of God. "I believe scientists need more sympathy and willingness to accommodate people of faith," says Roughgarden, "to offer space for seeing a Christian vision of the world within evolutionary biology and not force people to accept a doctrine of universal selfishness as though established scientific fact." (p. 12)

Roughgarden describes evolution as saying (a) all life belongs to one huge family tree; (b) species change over generations; and (c) animal behavior is more about cooperation helping than competition and conflict. She stresses the harmony of this view with the Christian Bible, noting St. Paul's stress on the sacred significance of the material unity of all life, the absence of anything in the scriptures that denies the mutability of species, and the Christian ethic of community. She closes the book with a passage from Matthew 22: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind... That shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

One of Roughgarden's aims in this short book is to develop evolutionary theory in a more detailed way than is usually done by those who address the science vs. faith issue. She identifies the central evolutionary dynamic in the phrase "natural breeding leads to an improvement of the stock" (p. 50) She uses the term "natural breeding" rather than Darwin's term "natural selection," because she wants to stress that the process of transmitting genes from one generation to the next is a product of the care of the parents as much as the competition among offspring. Roughgarden explains Fisher's Fundamental Theorem, which she interprets as expressing the basically progressive nature of evolution, as expressing a natural tendency for the improvement of populations over time. Roughgarden does mention the critiques of Fisher's theorem, which she attributes to "biologists skeptical of the idea that evolution has a direction." (p. 51) I find this attribution of philosophical "ulterior motive" to the critics to be an excess of proselytizing zeal that compromises her commitment to science. I do not know if Moran's classic 1964 paper criticizing Fisher was motivated by skepticism or not, but I am sure that Moran was correct and the subsequent efforts of brilliant population biologists in qualifying Fisher's Theorem and setting it right was not motivated by philosophical concerns surrounding the "progressive" nature of evolutionary dynamics. Roughgarden expresses the belief that the exceptions highlighted by the critics rarely occur in nature. I believe she is incorrect in this assessment because of the ubiquity of non-additive genetic interactions. Nevertheless, I would not deny that there is a progressive thrust to natural selection.

Roughgarden is duly critical of the intelligent design movement, on the grounds that intelligent design and evolution are compatible theories: both could be right, both could be wrong, or either one could be right and the other wrong. Because intelligent design does not present any evidence in favor of its theory, and because even if its critique of evolution were correct this would not increase the probability that intelligent design is correct, Roughgarden rejects intelligent design. I find this a very ingenious and attractive treatment of the intelligent design movement.

Of course, Roughgarden does not believe there is any truth to the intelligent design movement's critique of evolution whatsoever, but she presents her own laundry list of critiques of contemporary evolutionary theory, all of which are interesting and possibly valid. Her general problem (see Chapter 9) is that Darwinian evolution overemphasizes the "individual" and "competition" and underemphasizes the "community" and "cooperation." This critique does not ring true to me. I learned evolutionary theory when I was already a seasoned social scientist, and saw immediately that it provided the tools for understanding both human cooperation and competition. I do not feel that I have ever been misled into a Social Darwinist direction by the careful study of evolutionary biology at all. Of course, my work has been bitterly criticized by the "selfish gene" and "anti-multilevel-selection" school that is the object Roughgarden most serious barbs, but I do not find that evolutionary theory lends any particular support to the position of these critics. I suspect that their criticisms of me, when untrue, are a desperate and almost comical attempt to defend an indefensible biological tradition in which altruism was a dirty word.

Roughgarden also criticizes the standard depiction in evolutionary theory of females as "coy" and highly concerned with the quality of their sexual partners and males as "promiscuous" and concerned only with maximizing their total number of inseminations. Her argument is quite worth reading and she may be correct. But I think she has it mostly wrong.

For most sexually reproducing species in which anisogamy holds (i.e., the female gamete--the egg---is many orders of magnitude larger than the male gamete---the sperm) the cost of gamete production is much lower for males than females, so it is likely that the former will value the number of copulations more than the quality of each mate's gamete contribution. Moreover, in mammals, the extent of female contribution to the offspring is generally much higher than that of the male, so this asymmetry is even more pronounced than in other sexually reproducing classes. Of course, there are several species where the males care for offspring rather than females, but these are almost exclusively in fish, and less often in birds.

As a result of their greater investment in gamete production and offspring care, females look for males with high quality genes, and males attempt to pass themselves off has having high quality genes by hook or by crook. This is an inevitably competitive interaction among males for access tofemales, and involves a conflict of interest between males and females: the female wants the highest quality sperm, and the male (rare cases excepted)is willing to impregnate females independent of the quality of their genes. Roughgarden stresses the cooperative nature of the breeding relationship between male and female once they have mated: they then have a common interest in having their offspring live to reproductive age. However, she undervalues the conflictual character of mate choice. In addition, except is certain species, after impregnation, males do better by abandoning their mates in favor of seeking new mating opportunities rather than participating in raising offspring.

Roughgarden directs her criticism of mating behavior to what is known as "sexual selection" theory, which attempts to account for that fact that males of a species are often highly decorated (Darwin's peacock' tail) by a theory of "runaway selection" of the following form (elaborated upon analytically by Fisher): females come to prefer males with decoration for no fitness-relevant reason, but once this preference exists, it is better to mate with a colorful male because the male offspring will be more colorful and hence have enhanced mating chances, even if the cost of decoration to males is fitness reducing. I have done a fairly thorough study of this phenomenon and as far as I can tell, it does not exist, either in a plausible theory or in empirical observation. Moreover, most population biologists do not believe in runaway sexual selection at all, but rather believe that male decoration is a costly signal of possessing high quality genes. Thus, I do not thing there is much to Roughgarden's critique of sexual selection that we do not already know.

I should add that the general public finds runaway sexual selection extremely attractive, and there are numerous authors who have asserted that humans have this or that characteristic (e.g., musicality and intelligence for males, big breasts and wide hips for females) because of sexual selection. There is little support for such notions in the serious professional literature, and Roughgarden is rightly exasperated with such arguments.

I should also add that the fact that in many species the "coy" female and the "promiscuous" male stereotype is fairly accurate does not mean that it holds for all species. It certainly does not. There has been some attempt to claim that it holds in humans, and to use this difference between human masculinity and femininity to account for the sex differences in human society (especially the fact that women prefer rich and powerful men and men prefer young and nubile women). I do not find this argument at all persuasive. The problem is that there is an equally plausible explanation in terms of patriarchal culture and the remnants thereof. There may of course be differential innate predisposition in men and women concerning nurturance, family values, and the like, but observed difference are most likely do to acculturation and male/female status differences rather than genes. I would not be surprised if it turns out that most male-female behavioral differences in human society are highly attenuated or eliminated in the context of a gender-neutral culture. However, if differences remain, I suspect they will be in conformance with the relative investment in gamete theory which, although of doubtful relevance in today's world, was of prime importance in our evolutionary history.

I think the most valuable aspect of this book is Roughgarden's demonstration, through a sort of low-tech biblical exegesis, that a belief in the teachings of Jesus, as laid out in the New Testament, is not in conflict with evolutionary theory. She throws in for good measure (though limited relevance) that homosexuality, bisexuality, trans/ambiguous gender, and other aspects of modern life that liberate us from gender stereotypes are neither modern, nor prohibited by the Bible, nor absent from the non-human animal world. All that for only $15.00. Pretty hard tobeat.

Gracious, thought provoking, and well worth reading.
Many who don't find their own particular brand of theology or scriptural exegesis reflected as prominently in this book as they would like will rush to criticize it for not being what they would have written.

Nevertheless, this slim, focused book is well worth reading: for anyone with an interest in either Christianity or biological science.

It is a working life-scientist's thoughtful, careful consideration of how the core principles of evolutionary biology and the core truths of Christian faith can not only coexist in the same mind and heart, but actually complement and enrich one another.

It's not to be missed.

A needed presentation
Excellent and honest with plenty of biblical references.

Very well written ... Read more

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Chris Albright and Wayne Winston have brought their hallmark teach-by-example approach to the undergraduate spreadsheet modeling course. Renowned for their other successful texts in operations research/management science, Winston and Albright successfully show how spreadsheets are used in real life to model and analyze real business problems. By modeling problems using spreadsheets from the outset, SPREADSHEET MODELING AND APPLICATIONS prepares future managers for the types of problems they will encounter on the job. Real cases throughout the text further cement this book's status as the most relevant of its kind on the market. This text is also accompanied by Palisade Corporation's professional spreadsheet add-ins, DecisionTools® Suite. ... Read more

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Item was good
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This last summer, when I was on my way back to Vienna from the Appetite- Cure in the mountains, I fell over a cliff in the twilight, and broke some arms and legs and one thing or another, and by good luck was found by some peasants who had lost an ass, and they carried me to the nearest habitation, which was one of those large, low, thatch-roofed farm-houses, with apartments in the garret for the family, and a cunning little porch under the deep gable decorated with boxes of bright colored flowers and cats; on the ground floor a large and light sitting-room, separated from the milch-cattle apartment by a partition; and in the front yard rose stately and fine the wealth and pride of the house, the manure-pile. That sentence is Germanic, and shows that I am acquiring that sort of mastery of the art and spirit of the language which enables a man to travel all day in one sentence without changing cars.



DownloadChristian Science Now! ... Read more

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This is the Activities Manual overprinted with the answers. ... Read more

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Technology is one of the dominant forces shaping the emerging postmodern world. Indeed the very fabric of daily life is dependent upon various information, communication, and transportation technologies. With anticipated advances in biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics, that dependence will increase. Yet this growing dependence is accompanied with a deep ambivalence. For many, technology symbolises the faith of the postmodern world, but it is an ambivalent faith encapsulating both our hopes and fears for the future. This book examines the religious foundations underlying this troubled faith in technology, as well as critically and constructively engaging particular technological developments from a theological perspective. ... Read more

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Explain God's ordered world to students through the study of the moon, light, area and volume, simple machines, digestion, animal defenses, trees, erosion, and simple classification of insects. The Ho ... Read more

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The first full-color volume in the Graphic Classics® series features an all-new comics adaptation of H.G. Wells' ''The War of the Worlds'' by Rich Rainey and Micah Farritor. Also E.M. Forster's dark vision of the future ''The Machine Stops'', illustrated by Ellen Lindner. Plus stories by Jules Verne, Stanley Weinbaum, Lord Dunsany and Arthur Conan Doyle, with art by Brad Teare, George Sellas, Roger Langridge, Johnny Ryan and Hunt Emerson. ... Read more

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"Science Fiction Classics"
In this seventeenth volume of graphic classics one might've expected the series to have stretched beyond its ability to delight and entertain, and yet this volume offers some of the best stories yet, done with some great adaptation and some truly original artwork.

Volume 17 kicks off with a bang with the graphic adaptation of H. G. Well's famous War of the Worlds.Writer Rich Rainey must be commended for condensing the novel into just 48 pages, and yet maintaining enough storyline and action to be true to the original book.The artwork from Micah Farritor helps set the scene of the nineteenth century, giving each of the characters a very human look.As for the aliens, Farritor borrows from the classic look of War of the Worlds, but also adds his own style.

A day in the life of a man who looks much like George Jetson is the setting for the next story: Jules Verne's "In the Year 2889."Stories from Stanley G. Weintraub and Arthur Conan Doyle are included, each presenting their own unique art style from a different artist.Graphic Classics Volume 17 is a great addition to the collection, leaving readers looking forward to what's to come next.

Originally written on June 18th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

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Very nice
I bought this one for the short story "The machine Stops" This is a very good commic with a lots of different artists. All in color.

Great collection of science fiction classics
If you've ever wanted to read some of the classics in science fiction, but just can't seem to find the time, Graphic Classics has the solution for you. In these graphic novels, the classics come alive, and each story can be read in a relatively short time.

Stories included:
In a Thousand Years by Hans Christian Andersen
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
In the Year 2889 by Jules Verne
A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
The Disintegration Machine by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Bureau d'Echange de Maux by Lord Dunsany
The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster

I had never read any of these classics, and I enjoyed these tales told through pictures and dialogue between the major characters. Of course some of the original story is lost in these abbreviated versions, but the main point is retained in an easy to read format.

If you're a die-hard literary type, by all means read the originals. But if you enjoy action, good illustrations, and a quick read, these science fiction classics are just what you need to converse intelligently about stories you may never have had the chance to read otherwise.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Volume 17 showcases science fiction stories by Jules Verne, Stanley G. Weinbaum, E. M. Forster, and H. G. Wells
Science fiction has long been a staple of American popular culture from the days of pulp magazine, through motion pictures and television, and most pervasively, through books and comics. The newest addition to the impressive Eureka Production series of graphic novel adaptations of the world's great literature, Volume 17 showcases science fiction stories by Jules Verne, Stanley G. Weinbaum, E. M. Forster, and H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Dunsany, and Hans Christian Anderson. Each featured story is uniquely illustrated by a different artist. The result is a compendium of great graphic novel style adaptions that do full justice to the original authors and their seminal works. Graphic novel enthusiasts, as well as school and community librarians, would be well advised to visit the Eureka Productions website for a complete listing of their Graphic Classics series.

Six excellent classic science fiction stories in graphic form.
Posted 6/27/2009: This is a comic book rendering of six classic stories by top notch authors, including H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. The stories are told with good graphic illustrations by six different artists. It can be read by pre-teens, or anyone older than that, even older adults like me. I was particularly impressed by the art work of Micah Farritor in his rendition of The War of the Worlds. A good stocking stuffer. ... Read more

Product Description
This file includes: Manual of the Mother Church, No and Yes, Poems, Pulpit anc Press, Retrospection and Introspection, Rudimental Divine Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and Unity of GOod. According to Wikipedia: "Mary Baker Eddy (born Mary Morse Baker July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was the founder of the Christian Science movement. Deeply religious, she advocated Christian Science as a spiritual practical solution to health and moral issues. She wrote Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, founded The First Church of Christ, Scientist of Boston in 1879, and several periodicals including The Christian Science Monitor. She took the name Mary Baker Glover from her first marriage and was also known as Mary Baker Glover Eddy or Mary Baker G. Eddy from her third marriage. She did much spiritual teaching, lecturing, and instantaneous healing. Her influence continues to grow through her writings." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Electronic books on Christian Science
This is great.Allows the reader to carry around a Kindle reader device with desired reading and little or no weight.I'm well pleased and the subject matter is priceless to me. ... Read more

Product Description
From Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christian Science, to Deepak Chopra, Americans have struggled with the connection between health and happiness.Barbara Wilson was taught by her Christian Scientist family that there was no sickness or evil, and that by maintaining this belief she would be protected. But such beliefs were challenged when Wilson's own mother died of breast cancer after deciding not to seek medical attention, having been driven mad by the contradiction between her religion and her reality.In this perceptive and textured memoir, Wilson surveys the complex history of Christian Science and the role of women in religion and healing.
Amazon.com Review
Frequently caricatured as the religion that rejects medicaltreatment, Christian Science gets a balanced, nuanced appraisal inthis memoir by a writer who grew up within the faith. Barbara Wilsonappreciates Christian Science's unusual openness to women, who gainedself-respect and status as its practitioners and healers, but shebares its inadequacies in a wrenching account of her mother's battlewith cancer, suicide attempt, and eventual death. Her precise,unsentimental prose delineates a decades-long journey towardself-knowledge and peace with her past: it's a very American saga,sensitively told. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Sorry for those who know not
I am always so sorry for those who blame a religion for what they, the person, does not understand, but who refuse to condemn orthodox medicine for the deaths it actually causes!It is not the religion that has failed, nor is it the religion which has caused the death or discomfort, or unhappiness, or whatever, but of course that is an easier place to put the blame than on one's own mother who actually made the choice...........

blue windows
This story of a Christian Science childhood makes it obvious that Christian Scientists are no better prepared than 'ordinary' folks to recognize mental illness and deal with it. This is especially true of depression in men--the case in this family.It has only recently been discovered that angry men are frequently depressed--they are angry at their depression, and at those around them.This young woman does deal successfully with her problems.

Thoughts from a Christian Scientist
As a Christian Scientist I actually think that books like these are important, because they remind us that unless we are alert, a culture of conformity, pretense and stiffness can steal into the church (indeed, into any human institution).This undermines the true spirit of Christian Science, and hinders the spiritual progress of our members.

As a dedicated member of my church I have no hesitation to openly state, with my name signed above, that Christian Science, aflame with love and understanding, is first and foremost _practical_.Why?Because divine Love meets _every_ human need--in fact these very words are stenciled on the wall of almost every Christian Science church in the world.God can give aid through a doctor as well as through a spiritual healer.As stated in our textbook, Science and Health, page 444, line 7:"If Christian Scientists ever fail to receive aid from other Scientists,--their brethren upon whom they may call,--God will still guide them into the right use of temporary and eternal means.Step by step will those who trust Him find that 'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.'"I think the vast majority of Christian Scientists understand this and realize that we are gentle and kind healers, not judgmental martyrs.

I am happy to see that the younger generation of Christian Scientists is more practical, inspired, and open about discussing these issues and practicing pure Christian Science without peer pressure, false pretenses, or condemnation.I am also happy to see many people asking for an alternative to the world of medicine, and I pray to be ready to help.And I also hope that this book will help anyone who felt they were hurt by an erroneous church culture (be it CS or otherwise), and remind us all not to make the same mistakes.That said, it is very good to recognize the difference between Christian Science, and a corrupted, fearful, angry sense of it.

Well worth reading
This book is a fairly good memoir, despite long digressions into overly detailed memories. I skimmed some chapters, especially in the first half. However, as therapy for a recovering Christian Scientist, it was a wonderful experience that I would highly recommend. Particularly in the second half of the book, when Ms. Wilson gets into the meat of her family's troubles, her writing style hits its stride and the insights are especially clear and penetrating.
It may be flogging a dead horse to critique Christian Science these days, as it fades away with the passing of the last generation to grow up without antibiotics. However, those of us who were raised in it need to critique it for our own benefit. The public image of CS has to do with shunning doctors and medicine. There's much more to it. In my family, as in Wilson's, the greatest pain was caused by the avoidance of relationship problems and mental disorders. An untreated infection may kill you quickly, but an abusive parent can affect your quality of life, and those of the rest of your family, over many years.
My father was a third-generation Christian Scientist, First Reader of our church, and served on the board of a CS sanitorium. He went to church twice a week and served on countless church committees. I'm sure he never once tasted alcohol or tobacco, he never went to a doctor, and he always had one of us sitting by the TV (in the days before remote controls) to turn down the volume when ads for medicine came on. He was also an abuser with chronic untreated depression and suicidal impulses.
Nobody could acknowledge that my father's abuse was happening because we had to pretend that life was Perfect. This made us all enablers. Society is full of abusers and people who enable them, but few have a basis for enabling that's as powerful as the belief that the abuse literally doesn't exist. In Christian Science, if you see abuse, this is a problem in your perception--an instance of Error. You need to work on your perception, not on the person who seems to be imperfect. Domestic abuse thrives in such a setting. There are statistics that show Christian Scientists live shorter lives. I don't know of any statistics on how common abuse or mental illness is in CS families. My guess: very common.
Kudos to Barbara Wilson for talking about this in her own life, and helping the rest of us survivors of CS to confront and fix the problems in our families that medicine can't touch.

If you can recite the scientific statement of being...
... then you were raised in Christian Science and may be struggling to make sense of your experience. Read this book. If you love someone who is a lapsed Christian Scientist, read this book. Wilson lends historical perspective and emotional insight as she lovingly and thoughtfully articulates that peculiar childhood. I found her explanations thought-provoking, tremendously helpful and well-written. ... Read more

Product Description
Second-grade students learn to enjoy God's world as they study His plan for creation. Both reading comprehension and a knowledge of scientific concepts are increased as students learn about the human body, animals, plants, matter, energy, earth and space, and conservation from Godís viewpoint. By answering "how" and "why" questions, this text helps to satisfy the natural curiosity of children about the world around them and helps to develop their thinking skills. Hands-on activities to help increase comprehension of basic science concepts are included. ... Read more

Product Description
The Christian Science Journal was founded April 1883 by Mary Baker Eddy, author of The Christian Science Textbook "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures", and is an organ of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Read more