Good books on evolution that don't discuss theology?

[kelsoanim]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for a good book on evolution to read. I'd like it to be recent so that it has more up to date information. I've heard Richard Dawkin's books are very good, but I'd rather not read book where half the text is wasted on describing why creationism is wrong. I am not religious so I don't need to be convinced. I just want to learn from a book.

I also think that getting preachy and debating is not appropriate for science texts. Science should be solely focused on discovery and evidence. I understand there are issues with our education system regarding evolution that need to be improved, for science education in general too, but I don't think books should let that sully their content with combative, and sometimes hostile, writing.

Anyway, what I mean is I am looking for a book on evolution that is pro-science, not anti-religion. Can anyone recomend some books like this?

You might find any of the late Stephen Jay Gould's books collected from his column's in Natural History magazine, such as Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes, interesting and largely in line with your wishes.

I could also highly recommend Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin

[SensualPoet]

You might actually consider Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene which focusses on biology and is among one of the most popular books in popular science ever published.

[HarryT]

I can't imagine why ANY book on evolution would mention theology, any more than a book on, say, molecular biology would.

Are you after a popular science account or a serious textbook? If the latter, I'd recommend "Evolution: A Biological and Palaeontological Approach" by P. Skelton (Prentice-Hall). It's an excellent introductory text, and is very reasonably priced, too. This was the textbook I used on a distance-learning course and I found it excellent.

[kelsoanim]

Thanks for the recommendations guys! Sounds like "The Selfish Gene" is a good book to start with.

I guess I tend to lean more towards the popular science sorts of books. I am not working in any industry related to science, I just like learning things casually for fun. That is probably the reason I keep seeing books with lots of anti-religion content in them, I'm browsing the popular books written for the masses (ie, me). Popular science books are becoming more and more defensive about creationism and seem to dedicate chapters towards why it is wrong, rather than just focusing on evolution itself. I feel like this is just in response to the continuing news coverage and even political debate about teaching evolution in school and the resistance that some school districts have. There are also still pushes to teaching creationism in schools, which I completely disagree in. I think public schools and church should be separate. This may be localized to America, which seems to be on the short bus when it comes to fully accepting and teaching evolution (or good general science for that matter) in schools when compared to, well, the rest of the world.

[mldavis2]

Unfortunately, authors like Gould and Dawkins, because they write often of evolution in terms for the non-scientist, are consequently bashed by the pure creationists. I've found much of their seemingly anti-creationism writing to be defensive reaction to what they see as illogical alternate-reality, for which one can hardly blame them.

I think the suggestion of an academic text such as listed by @HarryT would be the best bet, as most of these are carefully presented to avoid direct questions of non-scientific theology.

[fantasyfan]

Oxford have put out an interesting series of books on various scientific, academic, and philosophical subjects. One such is Evolution: a Very short Introduction by Brian and Deborah Charlesworth, paperback, illustrated {Oxford, 2003, ISBN 0-19-280251-8}. It is 145 pages long. Here is the chapter list:

1. Introduction
2. The Process of Evolution
3. The evidence for evolution: similarities and differences between organisms
4. The evidence for evolution: patterns in time and space
5. Adaptation and natural selection
6. The formation and divergence of species
7. Some difficult problems
8. Afterword
Further reading
Index

This series is highly recommendable in general.
As to the authors of this book:
Brian Charlesworth is a Royal Society Research Professor and Deborah Charlesworth is a Professorial Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

Of this book Richard Dawkins said:

"If you want a summary of what is known to be true about evolution today, and how we know it, you will find none more agreeably succinct than this vigorous little book."

The price is $9.95 in the US but you might get it cheaper yet on its own through ABE or included as part of a set with other works in the series.

[OtterBooks]

It may not be so much of a guide to evolutionary science, but The Autobiography of Charles Darwin is good, if you are ever so inclined.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

Oxford have put out an interesting series of books on various scientific, academic, and philosophical subjects.

I've got several of the Oxford "Brief Introduction" series and they are very good indeed.

[wallcraft]

I liked Richard Dawkin's own brief introduction to Darwinian evolution: River Out Of Eden: A Darwinian View Of Life (Science Masters Series).

I have read many popular science books on evolution, and my favorite is Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life by Daniel C. Dennett. Dennett is a philosopher and this is a more expansive new of Natural Selection than you get from books on biology alone. It is available in the UK, but not in the US, as an ebook.

[RolandD]

Originally Posted by kelsoanim

I also think that getting preachy and debating is not appropriate for science texts. Science should be solely focused on discovery and evidence. I understand there are issues with our education system regarding evolution that need to be improved, for science education in general too, but I don't think books should let that sully their content with combative, and sometimes hostile, writing.

Anyway, what I mean is I am looking for a book on evolution that is pro-science, not anti-religion. Can anyone recomend some books like this?

Several of Dawkin's more recent books deal with debunking Creationist arguments against evolution. They were written to explain why Intelligent design is not science based and evolution is now accepted as fact. Understanding of this is sorely needed in the current United States.

Start with The Selfish Gene and then try The Ancestor's Tale.

[mldavis2]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

I have read many popular science books on evolution, and my favorite is Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life by Daniel C. Dennett. Dennett is a philosopher and this is a more expansive new of Natural Selection than you get from books on biology alone. It is available in the UK, but not in the US, as an ebook.

I have Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Dennett in paperback (in the U.S.) and I agree it is a good book. It has been a few years since I read it but as I recall, he effectively uses that book to referee a disagreement between Gould and Dawkins regarding the concept of "punctuated" evolutionary theory.

It is ironic that virtually all who criticize Darwin have never read Darwin's seminal work and attack him for his views on the origin of life. Nothing could be farther from the truth as Darwin was a religious man. He also named his work The Origin of Species, not the "Origin of Life" a fact which is completely ignored and adequately demonstrates ignorance of the contents.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by mldavis2

... It is ironic that virtually all who criticize Darwin have never read Darwin's seminal work and attack him for his views on the origin of life. Nothing could be farther from the truth as Darwin was a religious man. ...

Quite true.

IMHO, absolutely no one should undertake a study of evolution without reading Origin of the Spieces cover to cover, preferably the 6th edition. Darwin edited the book many times during his lifetime with the 6th being the last he did personally. These edits were never to change what he meant to say, but merely to correct his wording to address misinterpretations.

[kelsoanim]

Thanks for the good recommendations everyone! I think I'll give "The Selfish Gene" and "Evolution: a Very short Introduction" a read first. I also have "Origin of Species 6th Edition" in epub that I plan on giving a read after the other books.

[FlorenceArt]

I read a couple of Gould's collections from Natural History Magazine, and found them entertaining and very interesting, though there were some annoying references to creationism. The subject covered are varied but I think they are all related to evolution.