Jerry Coyne's new book: Faith Versus Fact

[Mudhammam]

Jerry Coyne, author of the excellent Why Evolution Is True, just came out today with his (second?) book, Faith Versus Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible.

http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Versus-Fact-...0670026530

I wasn't sure if I would pick it up since I can't imagine what he could say that I haven't heard before, but the description and reviews make it sound pretty good. Anyone else going to get this one? I would love your thoughts if you read it since I'll probably wait a few weeks to get through some other stuff before I order a copy.

[Exian]

Awesome! I loved his first(?) book. Thanks for the heads up. I'll probably pick it up in a week when I'm not bogged down with training at work.

[Cato]

Just got a copy from the library. I'll chime in when I'm finished. I have the same concerns as you do assuming that I'm not part of the target audience, particularly since I follow Coyne via twitter where I can link to his blog articles if interested. 

[Alex K]

Awesome! I loved his first(?) book. Thanks for the heads up. I'll probably pick it up in a week when I'm not bogged down with training at work.

Weit was his first popular book. He is also well known (so I'm told) for his older textbook "Speciation", on which he's an expert.

[Minimalist]

[Mudhammam]

@Cato

Sounds good! Thanks! 

@Alex

"Why Evolution Is True"

[Faith No More]

So, I read a little bit of the sample from Kindle, and I think that warrants further reading.  

I'll take a longer look when I'm done with Touching A Nerve by Patricia Churchland.

[Mudhammam]

Apologies in advance for the necro post, but did anyone get around to finishing this? Cato? Faith No More?

[Spooky]

Thanks for the book suggestion. I'll have to pick it up.

Book suggestions = Reps

[Mudhammam]

I just completed this book today after having spent the last 2 days ramming through it. I was pleasantly surprised by the clarity and focus of his thesis, which is that science and religion are not compatible in the same manner that reason and superstition are not, and I think he did a superb job of making that case. The strengths of this book include its abundance of stats and quotes, used either to affirm a point or to set up the opposing view which he then sets out to refute, inoculating himself from the charge of not really dealing with the beliefs of "true" or "sophisticated" believers. Still, there were times when, like most New Atheist writers, I felt he only gave a superficial treatment of subjects that have acquired literally volumes of thoughtful analysis. Some, for example, are the resurrection of Jesus, the meaning of morality, and other metaphysical issues in general, most of which is, in all fairness, beyond the scope or intentions of this book. Other problems which I think he failed to enumerate properly are his position that human actions are wholly determined by physical regularities, his belief that morality is subjective, and his aim to demonstrate that religion is harmful or counterproductive to progress --- all of which together seem to mish-mash into an incoherent view that a) we ought to ascribe to a conduct of life that maximizes benefits for all (including strict adherence to scientific principles, namely those of reason, observation, and experiment), b) though the correctness of this "ought" judgment is no more or less equivalent to individual preference, c) and is itself a preference determined for us by extenuating circumstances (evolution and education) that lie beyond our control. Of course, this didn't really detract from his main argument, though I feel he should have pressed deeper seeing as how they came up and are inextricably related to the need some feel in invoking the supernatural. On the other hand, Coyne's praise and frequent usage of philosophers was an unexpected welcome, unexpected because certain popular scientists of the present generation seem to have a misguided knack for denigrating philosophy as a useless or worn-out tool for discovery and making sense of phenomena. Overall, I'd give it 4/5 stars.