Am I a Monkey?: Six Big Questions about Evolution

by Francisco J. Ayala

Overview

Despite the ongoing cultural controversy in America, evolution remains a cornerstone of science. In this book, Francisco J. Ayala—an evolutionary biologist, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and winner of the National Medal of Science and the Templeton Prize—cuts to the chase in a daring attempt to address, in nontechnical language, six perennial questions about evolution:

• Am I a Monkey?
• Why Is Evolution a Theory?
• What Is DNA?
• Do All Scientists Accept Evolution?
• How Did Life Begin?
• Can One Believe in Evolution and God?

This to-the-point book answers each of these questions with force. Ayala's occasionally biting essays refuse to lend credence to disingenuous ideas and arguments. He lays out the basic science that underlies evolutionary theory, explains how the process works, and soundly makes the case for why evolution is not a threat to religion.

Brief, incisive, topical, authoritative, Am I a Monkey? will take you a day to read and a lifetime to ponder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801897542
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	6.96(w) x 11.32(h) x 0.58(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Francisco J. Ayala is Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology; professor of philosophy; and professor of logic and the philosophy of science at the University of California, Irvine. He is author of Am I A Monkey? Six Big Questions about Evolution, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Am I a Monkey?
2. Why Is Evolution a Theory?
3. What Is DNA?
4. Do All Scientists Accept Evolution?
5. How Did Life Begin?
6. Can One Believe in Evolution and God?
Bibliographic Note

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Professor Ayala has written an important book—a lucid account of evolutionary theory and related topics, which reviews the overwhelming evidence that establishes evolution as an incontrovertible fact, and which then goes on to offer some convincing reasons why people of faith need not regard the theory of evolution as an enemy or an obstacle to their religious beliefs.
—Harry Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit and On Truth

Harry Frankfurt

Professor Ayala has written an important book—a lucid account of evolutionary theory and related topics, which reviews the overwhelming evidence that establishes evolution as an incontrovertible fact, and which then goes on to offer some convincing reasons why people of faith need not regard the theory of evolution as an enemy or an obstacle to their religious beliefs.

— Harry Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit and On Truth

Editorial Reviews

Ayala, past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and winner of the 2010 Templeton Prize, is well positioned to write another book (after Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion) about the relationship between religion and science and the importance of evolution. He's done just that, but in surprisingly abbreviated form. The title's six questions are: am I a monkey?; why is evolution a theory?; what is DNA?; do all scientists accept evolution?; how did life begin?; and can one believe in evolution and God? Another question is, who is this book written for? Presumably for religious believers who reject evolution and are perplexed by Ayala's six questions. But beginning an answer to the title question by saying humans are more closely related to apes than to monkeys won't gain that reader's trust. Ayala also assumes a basic familiarity with biological terms and processes. The large point Ayala makes, repeatedly and clearly, is that science and religion are not contradictory, but rather complementary, as different ways of knowing the world. Ayala's passion is obvious, but it's not clear that evolution heretics will become believers after reading this book. 3 halftones, 5 line drawings. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Am I a Monkey? is a strongly recommended read for science collections with plenty of food for thought.
—Bookwatch

Ayala presents an accessible introduction to Darwin's theory.
—Book News, Inc.

Clear, concise, and written in an engaging style.
—Choice

The book is well-written, accurate, and concise. It is accessible and easy to digest. I suspect that it will, in the long run, play a larger role in promoting the acceptance of evolution.
—Joel W. Martin, Reports of the National Center for Science Education

This book will be widely welcomed and frequently recommended.
—Ian Lancaster, Biology of Reproduction

This book is useful for anyone interested in evolution. It is a handy pocket-sized explanation of a theory, useful for evolutionary scholars to explain the fundamentals and not get lost in their particular areas of interest, useful for college (possibly even high school) teachers to provide a foundation of evolutionary theory, and is topical enough to pull in readers of all disciplines.
—Haley Moss Dillon, Evolutionary Education Outreach

From the Publisher

Ayala presents an accessible introduction to Darwin's theory.

Inc. Book News

This book is useful for anyone interested in evolution. It is a handy pocket-sized explanation of a theory, useful for evolutionary scholars to explain the fundamentals and not get lost in their particular areas of interest, useful for college (possibly even high school) teachers to provide a foundation of evolutionary theory, and is topical enough to pull in readers of all disciplines.

Evolutionary Education Outreach - Haley Moss Dillon

The book is well-written, accurate, and concise. It is accessible and easy to digest. I suspect that it will, in the long run, play a larger role in promoting the acceptance of evolution.

Reports of the National Center for Science Education - Joel W. Martin

This book will be widely welcomed and frequently recommended.

Biology of Reproduction - Ian Lancaster

Clear, concise, and written in an engaging style.

Choice

Am I a Monkey? is a strongly recommended read for science collections with plenty of food for thought.

Bookwatch

This book will be widely welcomed and frequently recommended.

— Ian Lancaster

Biology of Reproduction

The book is well-written, accurate, and concise. It is accessible and easy to digest. I suspect that it will, in the long run, play a larger role in promoting the acceptance of evolution.

— Joel W. Martin

Reports of the National Center for Science Education