arensb reviewed Faith versus fact by Jerry Coyne
Review of 'Faith versus fact' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
With a title like "Faith Versus Fact", it's easy to guess which side Coyne comes down on. And he does come down rather heavily on the side of fact, and in favor of abandoning faith.
Some, no doubt, will call him shrill or militant, but that's because we're used to seeing religion as a good thing, something worthy of respect. Coyne is forthright, and when an idea doesn't stand up under scrutiny, be it homeopathy or the trinity, he says so.
On one hand, there's not a whole lot that's new in this book. Indeed, one of its assets is that it tackles arguments that keep coming up over and over ("but science has given us eugenics and nuclear weapons!", "you can't prove that God doesn't exist!", "only the Christian worldview supports the sort of orderly universe that makes science possible") and answers them clearly and thoroughly. On a personal …
With a title like "Faith Versus Fact", it's easy to guess which side Coyne comes down on. And he does come down rather heavily on the side of fact, and in favor of abandoning faith.
Some, no doubt, will call him shrill or militant, but that's because we're used to seeing religion as a good thing, something worthy of respect. Coyne is forthright, and when an idea doesn't stand up under scrutiny, be it homeopathy or the trinity, he says so.
On one hand, there's not a whole lot that's new in this book. Indeed, one of its assets is that it tackles arguments that keep coming up over and over ("but science has given us eugenics and nuclear weapons!", "you can't prove that God doesn't exist!", "only the Christian worldview supports the sort of orderly universe that makes science possible") and answers them clearly and thoroughly. On a personal note, I particularly liked Vaal's answer to the question, "can you prove love?"
You don't have to agree with Coyne to read this book. But if you've ever wondered why anyone might say that faith is a bad thing, you won't find a clearer explanation.
