Secular Pinoy

As I was scanning through my favorite bookshop (science section of course), I was shocked when I saw that familiar cover of a man back-to-back with a chimp. Creationism has finally arrived in mainstream bookstores!

The only Creationist book I have is the JW book Creation Vs. Evolution. I read it once a while to better understand creationist arguments, their logic and what they count as evidence. So my first thought when I saw DBB was I should get it, so I can read one of the most well-known books in the IDC movement.

But then I hesitated. If I buy DBB, the management might think that there is a market for Creationism and get more copies of DBB, and others. They already have a meager science section, with a few new titles each week. Their Christianity section has probably 10x as much books (although this includes a fine collection of Historical Jesus books), and I don't want their books to encroach into science.

So should I buy DBB?

pz

No. Not only is it encouraging your bookstore to waste shelf space on it, but it puts money in the pocket of the undeserving. It's also bad science. Buy a real molecular biology text instead, and you'll learn much, much more.

Principia

I'd say, buy it if you're at all interested in IDiotic arguments about how Ken Miller is representing Behe or criticizing exegeses of what Behe really meant in this holy tome of ID. I'd already repackaged mine for a Creationist colleague in my office as a holiday present. His loss.

theyeti

I concur.

However, if you find it at a used book store, on ebay, or any other place where you're buying it second-hand, go ahead and snatch it up. The author and publisher do not get any royalties from such a sale. You can also think of it as "removing" a copy from circulation.

theyeti

Dr.GH

I only buy creato books used, or remaindered. Don't give the bastards a nickel!

Albion

Between the second-hand Marketplace sellers at Amazon and the Half.com site, I've found all the creationist books I've wanted to buy. I refuse to pay full price or to contribute to the royalties those people get. I've bought science books new and theology books new, but not creationist ones.

Edited to say - I suggest you ask the bookstore to also carry Kenneth Miller's "Finding Darwin's God" if they're going to put Behe's propaganda in the Science section.

Nic Tamzek

FWIW I think you should buy it, it's far better to be an informed skeptic than an uninformed boycotter.

Just make sure to read

http://www.talkdesign.org
http://www.talkorigins.org

...as well.

RBH

http://www.talkreason.org/

RBH

Secular Pinoy

Informed skeptic, yes that's what I want to be. And I keep hearing skeptics of IDC praising DBB cause it's arguments, while misleading and wrong, is of a higher level of quality than the average creationist book. Maybe I can ask the bookshop to stock up Intelligent Design Creationism and it's Critics by Pennock. It's supposed to have articles by pro- and anti- IDC. And the shop did have Ken Miller's book (which I have), though it's probably sold out at the moment.

Bad idea buying new creationist/apologetic books eh? My mistake. The JW book is free of course. I have bought brand new books by apologists though, like Josh Mcdowell. I didn't think that I would be supporting their cause by buying the books brand new. Thanks for the tip.

Actually the bookshop did have two other creationist books before, though it's in the Christianity section. Lee Spetner's Not by Chance and Richard Milton's book. They're no longer in stock.

BTW, I did a naughty thing. I went back to the bookshop, took DBB off the science section, and deposited it in the Eastern Mysticism section, where it probably belongs. I left the shop with a smile...

KC

Secular writes:

I do the same thing with Jonathan Wells's Icons of Evolution. Every time I see a copy in my bookstore's science section, it ends up in the "Religious Fiction" section before I leave.

Cheers,

KC