Looking for a source.

[Adsos Letter]

Hello Science Group

My background in any of the sciences is pretty much limited to junior high and high school biology classes, and a general requirement course at Sonoma State which was listed under Geology but was commonly referred to as The Dinosaur Class (because it was taught by a paleontologist who focused the course primarily on dinosaurs).

I'm looking for some sources, either online or in print (preferably both) that address the arguments of the creationists in terms of the science involved.

I'm hoping for something that is comprehensible without enormous amounts of specialized study. I suppose that means something written for the more general reading public, but I may want to read more deeply over time.

My degrees are in History; with some emphasis on various forms of Christian apocalyptic eschatology, especially as it has influenced US history. So, I have some familiarity with the historical context of the emergence of Christian Fundamentalism (The Creationists by Ron Numbers is a great study in this regard).

Anyway... I've become pretty embarrassed by my lack of familiarity with the science involved (it's been a long time since college, and even longer since high school) and I'm sure it covers many fields of study. I'm looking for something general, anticipating that some aspect of it will interest me enough to read more broadly in that area.

I'm certain there is a lot of material out there to choose from, and I'm hoping you guys have enough familiarity with it to point me in the right direction.

In the meantime: I just started Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

[JHB]

1. As some direction pointers...

http://www.skepdic.com/creation.html
Scroll down to the books in the "further reading" section

http://www.talkorigins.org/
http://www.pandasthumb.org

I found Abusing Science: the Case Against Creationism by Philip Kitcher good about what you're looking for, or at least I remember it that way from back when I read it in the 80s (which, given the subject, doesn't automatically make it out of date). More recent would be Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction by Eugenie C. Scott. Both are on the list on the Skepdic page mentioned above, as are more recent books.

[Adsos Letter]

2. Thank you, JHB, that is exactly the kind of direction I was hoping for.

Lots and lots to read and ponder.

Thank you for taking the time to organize a very helpful post.