Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?: Philosophical Essays on Darwins Theory (Prometheus Prize)

Is evolution 'just a theory? The answer to these questions is, of course, no. The scientific evidence is now in, and it's conclusive, on these and many other issues fundamental to our knowledge and well-being. But you'd never know this if you believed everything you read or heard in the popular media. The author uses logic, evidence and plenty of snark to debunk a number of conspiracy theories and the credulous, sensationalistic way these ideas are covered in the media. Wacky and ridiculous belief systems abound.

Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72 heavenly virgins.

Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?: Philosophical Essays on Darwin's Theory

And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire universe is just 6, years old. Of course it's not only cults and religions that promote bizarre beliefs. Significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the pyramids, that the Holocaust never happened, and that the World Trade Center was brought down by the US government. How do such ridiculous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, college-educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap?

How, in particular, do the true believers manage to convince themselves that they are the rational, reasonable ones and that everyone else is deluded? Believing Bullshit identifies eight key mechanisms that can transform a set of ideas into a psychological flytrap. Philosopher Stephen Law suggests that, like the black holes of outer space, from which nothing, not even light, can escape, our contemporary cultural landscape contains numerous intellectual black-holes -- belief systems constructed in such a way that unwary passers-by can similarly find themselves drawn in.

While such self-sealing bubbles of belief will most easily trap the gullible or poorly educated, even the most intelligent and educated of us are potentially vulnerable. Some of the world's greatest thinkers have fallen in, never to escape. Law's witty, insightful critique will help immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, promoters of flaky alternative medicines, and various other nutcases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and maintained.

I am soooo tempted to send this book to my recent selections for the Nobel Prizes in Quackpottery. Gustaf Mannerheim was one of the greatest figures of the 20th century. As a young Finnish officer he witnessed the coronation of the last Tsar and was decorated for bravery in the Russo-Japanese War. He spent two years undercover in Asia as an agent of the 'Great Game'.

Crossing China on horseback, he stopped en route to teach the 13th Dalai Lama how to shoot a pistol; he also spied on the Japanese navy. Having escaped the Bolsheviks by the skin of his teeth in , he commanded the anti-Russian forces in the local revolt and civil war and later, during Finland's darkest hour, he lead the defence of his country against the impossible odds of the Winter War. In this, the first major biography of Mannerheim for a decade, Jonathan Clements brings new material to light on Mannerheim's time in Manchuria and Japan.

A fascinating appraisal of an adventurer and explorer who would go on to forge a new nation. There are biographies out there that are informative but make for dry and listless reading.

• New Books Party: books received this week.
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• Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?: Philosophical Essays on Darwin's Theory by Elliott Sober.

However, that said, this is not one of those. A quick skim of this book shows the author has combined the knowledge of a historian with the accessibility of a novelist. I hadn't heard much about Finland's Gustaf Mannerheim before, but I am certainly intrigued enough to read this biography about his fascinating life. Warm Bread and Honey Cake: Containing a mix of familiar family favorites and unusual, exotic delicacies, this comprehensive collection of recipes for breads, cakes, biscuits and pastries is also a well-researched exploration of home-baking techniques and global ethnic history.

Inspired by her multicultural background the author has drawn inspiration from all over the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. All the recipes are simple to follow and beautifully photographed, with any unusual techniques illustrated step-by-step for ease.

Try your hand at Azorean honey cake or Jamaican hard dough bread. Let your family's taste buds thrill to Azerbaijani cream cheese baklava or Dutch brown sugar coils. The combination of delicious recipes and fascinating historical and anecdotal text make this book a fantastic read -- a must for any home cook looking to truly broaden their repertoire or with an interest in the culture of food. Looking at the photographs makes me hungry, but this award-winning cookbook has recipes for so many delightful items that I couldn't resist purchasing it. I include a tiny list of the recipes it has for many wonderful ethnic treats that I am planning to make: This book is going to keep me happy and busy for years!

Now all I need to do is find a bunch of people to eat all this stuff my main interest is in creating these foods.

Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?

A fascinating collection of true stories about cricket's oddest matches -- ranging from the bizarre to the downright hilarious. From eccentric Victorians to unpopular umpires, this hilarious book contains many remarkable matches. It includes the match that was played on ice, another that took place on a ship, and even a match played in the middle of the Solent -- the strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England. Unusual contests include authors against actors, smokers against non-smokers, and even 50 farmers against Yatton CC.

Drawn from the lengthy annals of the game's history, this is a must for all cricket enthusiasts and for anyone interested in the history of the sport. Motor Racing's Strangest Races: A new hardback edition with more than 80 bizarre and extraordinary-but-true stories for car enthusiasts, motorheads, and racing-aholics. In , when the motley assortment of steam and petrol-powered vehicles lined up at the start of the trial from Paris to Rouen, motor racing's colorful history was launched.

Many of the pioneering events were death-defying, transcontinental marathons, in which the competitors were obliged to negotiate basic dirt tracks, muddy bogs, fast-flowing rivers, over-zealous policemen, and a seemingly endless supply of stray dogs. They include the Frenchman who drove 25 miles in reverse; the Grand Prix where the leading drivers were so far ahead that they stopped for a meal in the pits; the Le Mans hour race won by a car patched up with chewing gum; and the driver who drank six bottles of champagne on the way to winning the Indianapolis What to Do About Everything: Life in the modern household has become much more complicated than it was for previous generations.

Our roles are increasingly multi-layered, our ambitions further reaching and our expectations completely unreasonable. Completely doable, in theory. What to Do about Everything is the ultimate householders' guide to twentyfirst century living. It covers everything from changing a tyre to surviving divorce, and addresses all sorts of households, not just the traditional nuclear family. Applying cast-iron information and empathy to all aspects of domestic life, Barbara Toner has ensured that anyone with a roof over their head can dip into it and find the help they need, whether it's how to darn a sock, hire a plumber, light a fire, leave their husband or decide they're gay after all.

This comprehensive book covers household relationships, time management, household administration, money, where to live, home renovations, chores, clothes care, food, home repairs, transport, childcare and rearing, grooming and healthcare, holidays, home entertainment, socialising etiquette, life changes death, job loss, moving and much more.

Modern life is stressful. Nothing contains stress better than order; nothing relieves it better than knowing what must be done. This is a surprisingly interesting and useful book, filled with many practical suggestions for dealing with all sorts of modern-day challenges, ranging from choosing and dealing with housemates to car maintenance. A delightful, wide-ranging anthology about England and the English over the centuries -- songs, poems, hymns, letters and prose -- this compendium is entertaining, witty, lyrical and heart-warming.

An entertaining, eclectic and serendipitious collection that will delight and surprise in equal measure, England, My England is a real treasure house of pleasing patriotism to savour and share. This is a delightful and amusing collection of poetry, song lyrics and prose that provide depth and colour to the English language and England's history -- a history that I find fascinating.

This book also includes some commentary on the English, which of course, will make any self-respecting Anglophilic American giggle in glee. Novelty books that may keep your fingers busy most of these are gifts for the upcoming holiday season, so shhhh! If you've ever wanted to have a piece of London in your own home, this is the book for you. Includes patterns for the buildings that make up London's famous skyline, such as Big Ben and the London Eye, as well as quirkier items like the red phone box and a London street sign.

This book is a real celebration of what makes London great. Make all the projects and build your own knitted city! This book was too cute to resist, so I purchased it as a gift for the knitter I know. This book offers the unique opportuity to knit yourself a cat. There are 25 different breeds included, from a charming moggy to a sleek Siamese, a precious Persian to a loving long hair.

With Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne's designs you can now knit your precious pet, reproduce your favourite breed or even knit the cat you have always desperately wanted. The cats are surprisingly easy to make. It will only take a few evenings to create a covetable companion for life. Idiosyncratic descriptions of the various breeds accompany beautiful photography, making this book irresistable for both keen knitters and devoted cat-lovers.

There are 25 different breeds included, from a perky Poodle to a burly Bulldog, a delightful Dalmation to a loyal Labrador. With Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne's designs you can now knit your precious pet, reproduce your favourite breed, or even knit the dog you have always desperately wanted. The dogs are surprisingly easy to make.

New Books Party: books received this week | @GrrlScientist | Science | www.newyorkethnicfood.com

Idiosyncratic descriptions of the various breeds accompany beautiful photography, making this book irresistable for both keen knitters and devoted dog-lovers. Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne are back with 25 even more fabulous dog designs. That is, are certain traits favoured only because they benefit the individual or the group? Mainstream biology has it that it's an organism's genes in particular and their competition with other genes that give rise to the diversity of traits.

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Sober disagrees, arguing that there are certain cases where those models don't explain the emergence of certain sorts of group behaviours. If my money were on anything, it would be on the mainstream view, not the group selection view, but what do I know?

Another problem it seems to me that Sober isn't considering is that natural selection is very unlikely to be the only mechanism that would generate the diversity of life and diversity of traits. Others would be genetic mutations, which are freak. Incidentally, a genetic mutation is likely to have given rise to language in humans. There are also other constraints of mathematical, physical, and biological laws. No need to reduce all instances of evolution down to instances of natural selection, whether at the individual level or the group.

Jun 27, Justin rated it really liked it. Not really a book about Darwin, not really a book of Darwin scholarship, but that stuff can be a little dry sometimes. This book gives you answers to basic questions about contemporary evolutionary theory, and uses Darwin and some other bits from the history of biology as a foil. If you're familiar with Sober's work, this will go fast, because he's regurgitating a bit--though by this time he's kind of perfected his own approach to these sorts of questions.

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