EVOLUTION 2.0 HB

In the ongoing debate about evolution, science and faith face off. But the truth is both sides are right and wrong. In one corner: Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Jerry Coyne. They insist evolution happens by blind random accident. Their devout adherence to Neo-Darwinism omits the latest science, glossing over crucial questions and fascinating details.

In the other corner: Intelligent Design advocates like William Dembski, Stephen Meyer, and Michael Behe. Many defy scientific consensus, maintaining that evolution is a fraud and rejecting common ancestry outright.

There is a third way. Evolution 2.0 proves that, while evolution is not a hoax, neither is it random nor accidental. Changes are targeted, adaptive, and aware. You'll discover: How organisms re-engineer their genetic destiny in real time Amazing systems living things use to re-design themselves Every cell is armed with machinery for editing its own DNA The five amazing tools organisms use to alter their genetics 70 years of scientific discoveries--of which the public has heard virtually nothing!

Perry Marshall approached evolution with skepticism for religious reasons. As an engineer, he rejected the concept of organisms randomly evolving. But an epiphany--that DNA is code, much like data in our digital age--sparked a 10-year journey of in-depth research into more than 70 years of under-reported evolutionary science. This led to a new understanding of evolution--an evolution 2.0 that not only furthers technology and medicine, but fuels our sense of wonder at life itself.

This book will open your eyes and transform your thinking about evolution and God. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for our place in the universe. You'll see the world around you as you've never seen it before. Evolution 2.0 pinpoints the central mystery of biology, offering a multimillion dollar technology prize at naturalcode.org to the first person who can solve it.

N.B. This title would not be recommended as such by GLO- there are some aspects which we would differ with. However, it is a very challenging read, and the author makes some significant ponts of interest to this debate.

Book review by GLO General Director, Dr. Stephen McQuoid 01/06/2017
'Evolution 2.0' was written by Perry Marshall, a communication engineer who set himself the huge task of breaking the deadlock in the argument between Darwinism and design. Marshall’s big idea is that old style Darwinism, as propounded by people such as Richard Dawkins, falls down because it relies on random mutation which, in his opinion, doesn’t come near to answering fundamental questions about the origin of life or how information is built up in DNA. The evidence, he suggests, is that randomness brings destruction not life. However, he also chides the Intelligent Design movement as they seem to deny that the cell has the capacity to adapt and generate new features and new species by engineering its own genetics in real time.

Perry takes the reader through the logic of his argument, always implying that this age old debate between Darwinists (labelled as Evolution 1.0) and Creationists will be solved if only everyone will buy into his theory of Evolution 2.0. Personally I don’t think he has succeeded in this and he makes some assumptions which he does not justify and I suspect cannot be justified. However, the journey he takes us on is an interesting one and it does suggest that neither the evolutionists not the ID advocates have all the answers. His search for a middle ground is therefore useful, if a little inconclusive. I certainly enjoyed the book though I did get a little annoyed with his attempt to square Genesis to Empirical science (p.310-316) for the same reason that I get annoyed with Young Earth Creationist attempts to do the same. That is because while I understand the motives of both, I am troubled when we take an ancient book like Genesis and try to read it like a modern science book. Ultimately I find the evolution debate a bit sterile. I confess to being an old earth creationist, however, whatever a person thinks of the theory of evolution it has no ultimate bearing on the question of God’s existence. If the subject interests you, however, this book is certainly worth consulting.

Hardcover: 300 pages
Publisher: BenBella Books (17 Sept. 2015)