Stephen Jay Gould's Full House

[Me Died Blue]

I debated putting this in the Library forum, but didn't want to discourage the discussing of Gould, his thought and similar work beyond simply this book.

Gould was one of the leading paleontologists to help develop and further the evolutionary theory of punctuated equilibrium, which is, simplistically put, the concept of so-called "evolution" happening in random, sudden, unexpected and possibly radical "spurts" if you will, rather than a gradual, predictable trend.

Full House is essentially a presentation and treatment of that on a popular level, and I actually first read it in sixth grade in an advanced science class. Somehow, in a witty and fascinating manner, he certainly manages to make the book and many of its surrounding and tangent themes very interesting and in fact educating, even if one completely rejects all evolutionary theory with regard to creation (like myself). I mean, who else could intelligently relate baseball phenomena to those things?

Is anyone else familiar with Gould in general? Has anyone else read this or any of his work, or even that of his colleages?

 

[Scott]

I first encountered Gould in college. I was a non-Christian taking a class on the Evolution and Creation Controversy. At the time I did not even know it was a controversy - I just took the class b/c I needed the credit and it was at a good time! I entered the class as an avowed evolutionist (in fact, I was also a social Darwinist) and the class was taught by an evolutionist paleontologist. I came out thinking special creation had the better answers.

What struck me was how different Gould's puncutated equilibrium was to the Darwinian gradualism I learned in high school. The vast number of changes of a vast number of species at the same time really (the so-called Cambrian Explosion) contradicted Darwiniam gradualism. It left me thinking that it was a rationalization more than anything else. And I favored evolution, as it was part of the foundation of my secular moral philosophy (social Darwinism).

I have not read the book, but would be interested in a review if you care to write one.

Scott

[Edited on 3-8-2006 by Scott]

 

[py3ak]

Scott Adams, of Dilbert fame, puts forward a similar idea in his free e-book (available at dilbert.com), called "God's Debris". I read it the other day, and rather enjoyed it. It is not as profound as he thinks it is, but I suppose if it is the only book you've ever read I can understand the people who wrote to him and said: "This is the best book I've ever read". Or if it was the only book you'd ever read apart from the Babysitter's Club.