Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds

by Phillip E. Johnson

Unlike many books that seek to prove Darwinism false, this thin volume focuses less on the evidence and more on developing good thinking habits. While Johnson does spend some time discussing Intelligent Design, it is not the focus of this book. Instead, this book focuses more on logic and philosophy.

One of his main premises is that the media turns every science/religion debate or discussion into a reenactment of the Scopes trial, especially as dramatized in the movie Inherit the Wind. It seems that half of his objective is to try to get people to stop looking at these discussions from that frame of reference. The other half focuses on developing and tuning up your “baloney detector”—a good grasp of logical reasoning and investigative procedure—pointing out several lines of reasoning that should immediately make it go off (ad hominem and straw man arguments, begging the question, lack of testability, etc.).

According to Defeating Darwinism, it is written for high-school students and undergraduate collegiates, as well as parents of those. The reality it is a worthwhile read for anyone who is looking to better understand some of the logical pitfalls of the Darwinian position—even if it might be a little basic for the advanced reader.