Reason in the Balance: Philip E. Johnson
Philip E. Johnson masterfully hits the nail squarely on the head this deep but readable analysis of the assumptions which lie underneath scientific empiricism. I found him to be honest revealing early on his faith bias but still honest enough to investigate the issue as a true lawyer would. Rather than refuting arguments for and against the Darwinist model, Johnson attempts to point the finger at the underpinning philosophy which rules the view of evidence.
Despite being written long before the Dover vs. Kitzmiller trial in Pennsylvania this book puts perspective on the ruling against Intelligent Design and how essentially naturalism supports naturalism. It will help the reader understand the attitudes of each side in the every escalating culture wars in the US.
One very useful addition to the book was Johnson’s paper entitled Naturalism, Methodological and otherwise, in the appendix. This brief but revealing essay explores the difference between Methodological Naturalism and Theistic Realism and helps to go some of the way to understanding how each side views the other.
From a personal stand point it was my conversations with staunch supporters of evolution which caused me to try to understand how they think and even how I think and how we view the words that each side uses. I was not content to view the evolutionist as lying to themselves, knowing really that their evidence had no support. Neither was I willing to accept that young earth creationists were deluded nuts who were purely religiously minded, simply because I was one myself but am no longer.
Overall this book provides the reader with useful insight beneath the iceberg of the origin war and the undergirding philosophical assumptions. A must read for anyone interested in more than simply arguing the various interpretations of evidence.
TRF
