Anarchy Evolution
Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without God
Published on 20. November 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-06-182851-5 (ISBN)
Description
Most people know Greg Graffin as the lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, but few know that he also received a Ph.D. from Cornell University and teaches evolution at the University of California at Los Angeles. In "Anarchy Evolution", Graffin argues that art and science have a deep connection. As an adolescent growing up when drugs, sex, and trouble could be had on any given night, Graffin discovered that the study of evolution provided a framework through which he could make sense of the world. In this provocative and personal book, he describes his own coming of age as an artist and the formation of his naturalist worldview on questions involving God, science, and human existence. While the battle between religion and science is often displayed in the starkest of terms, "Anarchy Evolution" provides fresh and nuanced insights into the long-standing debate about atheism and the human condition. It is a book for anyone who has ever wondered if God really exists.
Reviews / Votes
"Take one man who rejects authority and religion, and leads a punk band. Take another man who wonders whether vertebrates arose in rivers or in the ocean, is fascinated by evolution, creativity, and Ice Age animals. Put them together, what do you get? Greg Graffin, and this uniquely fascinating book." -- Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse "A worldview eloquently expressed." -- Chicago Tribune "[Graffin] explains how evolution can be a guide to life." -- Scientific American "Humble, challenging, and inspiring... For Graffin, the appeal of both worlds was that, at their best, they challenged authority, dogma and given truths and opened up space for the anarchic process of creativity." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Graffin is one of those rare people who seem to have combined two lives into one. He's one of a small but growing number of atheists in the United States willing to talk about the damage they believe religion can do." -- Paste "Bucking authority and the religious views of his family, Graffin explains how he has developed a personal philosophy that celebrates the power of nature." -- Nature "Anarchy Evolution sets out to draw connections between evolution, naturalist thought and punk, an undertaking that might sound rife with the potential to be reachy-or preachy. But Graffin and Olson manage to weave the seemingly disparate concepts together into a satisfying narrative." -- LA Weekly "Whether you're a believer, an atheist, an agnostic, or anything in between, this is a necessary book." -- PopMattersMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
385 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-182851-5 (9780061828515)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2010
1st Edition
HarperCollins
€9.99
Available for download
Persons
Greg Graffin is the lead vocalist and songwriter of Bad Religion. He obtained his PhD in zoology at Cornell University, and has served as a lecturer in life sciences and paleontology at UCLA. He splits his time between Ithaca, New York, and Los Angeles. Steve Olson is an award-winning science writer, a consultant for the National Academy of Sciences, and the author of Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins, a National Book Award finalist.