Evolution in the Courtroom: A Reference Guide - Hardcover

Moore, Randy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 157607420X ISBN 13: 9781576074206

Publisher: Holtzbrinck, 2001

Synopsis

Evolution in the Courtroom: A Reference Guide chronicles the legal history of the evolution/creation debate sparked by Charles Darwin's publication On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. The first seven chapters provide a detailed historical overview of the debate, reviewing all of the major court cases with particular emphasis on the infamous Scopes "Monkey Trial" which pitted fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan against ACLU defense attorney Clarence Darrow, and became the standard to which all subsequent evolution trails have been compared.

Ensuing discussions of the rise and fall of creationism as a science and the failure of "balanced treatment" in public schools culminate in a summary of skirmishes over the last decade. Profiles of scientists, politicians, clergy, and other influential people from Galileo to Frank White, the Arkansas governor who signed the equal time law without ever reading it, reveal fascinating facts and perspectives on both sides of the controversy.

About this title

About the Author

Randy Moore is professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN and the editor of American Biology Teacher.

Reviews

More than 80 years after the Scopes Monkey Trial, advocates of creationism and of evolution by natural selection continue to do battle in U.S. legislatures and courtrooms and on school boards. Moore (biology, Univ. of Minnesota) here focuses on legal conflicts in U.S. state and federal courtrooms regarding this trial. He reviews four main courtroom battles, including Tennessee v. Scopes and Epperson v. Arkansas, carefully analyzing the religious and moral conflicts involved. After the case discussion, Moore provides biographies of key individuals in the evolution/ creationism controversy and a chronology of key events. His overview could be the starting point for further investigation of the legal issues underlying these battles, though it would have been improved by a greater development of the lawsuits' core ideas and their connection. Useful for some public libraries. Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Holtzbrinck
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 157607420X
• ISBN 13: 9781576074206
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 381