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|  | Author: Stephen C. Meyer
Publisher: HarperOne
List Price: $28.99
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Rating:  85 reviews
Sales Rank: 1894
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 624
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.3 x 2
ISBN: 0061472786
Dewey Decimal Number: 113.8
EAN: 9780061472787
ASIN: 0061472786
Publication Date: June 23, 2009
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Showing reviews 21-25 of 85
 A Thorough Examination October 9, 2009
Mark Bloomer (Maine, USA)
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
"Signature in the Cell" is a powerful case in support of the hypothesis that an intelligence was behind the origin of life and the DNA code. Dr. Meyer's book includes a thorough and scholarly account of our attempts to determine how the intricate molecular structure and function of living cells came into being. The author reviews each approach in detail, and describes why it fails to offer an adequate explanation of how life could have arisen from only natural forces. Dr. Meyer does not appeal to intelligent design merely because we are unable to explain how the cell and the DNA code came into being naturally. Rather, he specifically goes to great lengths to elucidate the nature of information, and elaborate why information cannot arise from natural processes alone. The science is detailed and the logic is rigorous, yet the case is delivered in a very clear way that the lay person can understand. "Signature in the Cell" is a fascinating read leading to a profound conclusion, and well recommended for anyone looking for strong scientific support in favor of intelligent design.
 Meyer Hears a Who! October 8, 2009
John H. Terrell (Fallbrook, CA USA)
8 out of 24 found this review helpful
Meyer posits that DNA contains information that could be provided only by an intelligent designer. That's interesting but not particularly informative from a scientific point of view. The crucial question is: "HOW was this information conveyed from the designer to the DNA?" Meyer doesn't even hazard a guess at an explanation. In the absence of such an explanation, Meyer has contributed nothing to advance a viable theory of abiogenesis. This review could end right here, but I have some nits to pick with Meyer: Here are just two:
First, Meyer preaches the Creationist gospel according to Phillip Johnson, that evolution by mutation and natural selection is an undirected process (i.e., chance) and thus could not possibly have been responsible for the diversity of life on earth as we know it. Nothing could be further from the truth: such evolution is highly directed - not to the future, but to the immediate environmental requirements. Also, only a creation science advocate would include the Grand Canyon as an example of an event (p. 29).
Meyer uses Dembski's improbable probabilities to support the thesis that evolution equates to pure chance. Drs. Kenneth Miller and Ian Musgrave have shown the fallacious basis of Dembski's calculations. Musgrave also points out the crucial gaps in Meyer's and Spetner's knowledge of protein processes. (See Spetner's "Not by Chance" and Musgrave rebuttal: http://home.mira.net/~reynella/debate/spetner.htm )
Second, Meyer plays fast and loose with the truth in his remarks about the Dover Trial (Chapter 18). He opines that Judge Jones reasoned that since expert witnesses Robert Pennock and Barbara Forrest argued that the theory of Intelligent Design is not scientific by definition, then it must be religious. Meyer neglects to mention that Forrest also provided incontrovertible proof that "Of Pandas and People" was originally a creation science (religion-based) text that was transformed into a "science" text by simply replacing "Creation Science" with "Intelligent Design". (See www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/id/ )
Additionally, Meyer uses Behe's concept of "Irreducible Complexity"(IC) to support his Intelligent Designer argument, but Behe's contention of IC was thoroughly demolished at the trial. Behe's last day of testimony (19 October 2005) was so embarrassing that the Discovery Institute still hasn't posted it on their website: www.discovery.org/a/2879#Testimony . It can be seen, however, on the ACLU's website: www.aclupa.org/legal/legaldocket/intelligentdesigncase/dovertrialtranscripts.htm .
A Breath of Fresh Air October 7, 2009
William Brookfield (Enderby, Canada)
13 out of 19 found this review helpful
This is very possibly the best ID book in existence. I cannot say for certain however because I have not read them all. There are a number of reasons why this is such a good book...
#1.It is respectfully argued. This is important to those (like me) who value respect for others (and one's critics) as foundational to a healthy society and healthy scholarly debate.
#2.It is entertainingly autobiographical (it is a human story) -- and subsequently keeps one's interest, in spite level of the technical details needed to make this kind of argument. (I found Meyer's stories of his encounters with various famous scientists to be quite entertaining).
#3.The book addresses, not only the science, but also the underlying philosophy of science. It subsequently provides the depth/comprehensiveness necessary for a scientific paradigm shift -- no small feat.
#4.The book answers all of the typical counter-arguments to ID such as "Who designed the designer of the designer?"
#5.The book provides a lucid and comprehensive exposition of origin-of-life research to date.
With regard to the scientific evidence for design it comes here in the form of functional information. For a mathematical formalism of "functional information" see...
[...]
To summarize, there exist numerous information technologies in biology (unknown in Darwin's day) that are tightly integrated, error correcting and holistic in function. In these systems, the operation of the functioning whole depends hyper-critically upon the precise arrangement and timing of the parts. The only thing that we know (at this time), that can produce such tightly coordinated, targeted systems is intelligent agency.
The reason that only conscious entities can do this is that only conscious entities have the necessary foresight, insight and hindsight for this kind of designing work. Conscious entities design things by first developing an informational representation of the whole "system-to-be" (in its environment) within the "mind eye" prior to physical implementation. The conscious "mind's eye" therefore provides an extra research and developmental "space," unavailable to mindless processes.
ID claims that there subsequently exists a physically observable and mathematically quantifiable difference between the output of mindless processes and the output of mindful processes.
ID also claims that there exists a match between the holistic functional systems in nature and the holistic functional capacities of minds. Moreover, ID claims that there exists no such match between the biological information systems in question and mindless material neo-Darwinism. Darwinism is incremental, not holistic.
While there are some who have criticized this book, all these critics (so far) seem to be ridiculists and ideologues but not scientists. "Ridiculists" put ridicule first and use science second (if they use science at all) in perverted fashion as an ideological instrument/weapon of ridicule/belittlement. Consummate scientists and scholars (such as Steven C. Meyer) never use ridicule. While this book is packed with science, logic, philosophy and dignity, it is devoid of ridicule. In a culture consumed by a culture war, this book is a breath of fresh air. Even if one disagrees with Meyer's conclusion (and one is certainly free to do so), civilized scholarship of this caliber is well worth supporting.
Superb Book October 6, 2009
James E. Obrien (Maitland, FL United States)
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
Meyer makes an extremely convincing case that biological information is, in the words of Microsoft's Bill Gates, "like a computer program" - intricately designed with foresight, not generated as an accident of nature. The probability of this program being developed by chance, even over millions of years, "exhausts the probabilistic resources of the universe", according to Meyer. Much of the book is highly technical, difficult reading for a person not trained in the relevant science, but with some effort it is revealing and rewarding.
Meyer says that intelligent design is the best possible explanation for life. Those who might be expecting hundreds of references to God will be surprised, since he doesn't even use the word until about page 442 out of 508 pages of text (not including index and bibliography). He reveals that he believes in God, but his analysis and conclusion is not based on faith alone.
While many insist that belief in intelligent design is based on ignorance, it may well be more factual that those who insist that life suddenly emerged from a soup of inorganic chemistry actually have their heads in the sand, not unlike those who used to think that the sun revolved around the earth, or pre-Newton scientists who were ignorant about gravity.
Take a look at [...]
Meyer pulls the wings off the Flying Spaghetti Monster October 6, 2009
C. Carpenter
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
Meyer goes to great lengths to avoid any specific theistic arguments in this book, and in so doing largely disarms critics who seem to think a smirk and a flying saghetti monster are all that's needed to send ID proponents running in fear.
Meyer pulls back the curtain from a scientific community that finds nothing wrong with highly structured, organized, and guided experiments that attempt to demonstrate that there is no structure, organization, or guidance in the creation of life's building blocks. The irony is at once delicious, but is also embarrassing. We have nothing to fear from these folks. They will likely all end up retreating to a Dawkins-like directed panspermia. Intelligent Design is okay, I guess - as long as it started anywhere else but here.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. Grab some garlic bread and a good wine. The flying spaghetti monster is ready to be eaten.
Showing reviews 21-25 of 85
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