Signature in the Cell
DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design
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4.1 • 63 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“Signature in the Cell is a defining work in the discussion of life’s origins and the question of whether life is a product of unthinking matter or of an intelligent mind. For those who disagree with ID, the powerful case Meyer presents cannot be ignored in any honest debate. For those who may be sympathetic to ID, on the fence, or merely curious, this book is an engaging, eye-opening, and often eye-popping read” — American Spectator
Named one of the top books of 2009 by the Times Literary Supplement (London), this controversial and compelling book from Dr. Stephen C. Meyer presents a convincing new case for intelligent design (ID), based on revolutionary discoveries in science and the biological information stored in DNA. Tackling the central mystery of the origin of life, Meyer argues that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution as expounded in The Origin of Species did not, in fact, refute ID. If you enjoyed Francis Collins’s The Language of God, you’ll find much to ponder—about evolution, the digital code in DNA, and intelligent design—in Signature in the Cell.
What is the signature in the cell, and what does it reveal about the origin of life?
The DNA Enigma: Delve into the mystery of how the digital information in DNA first arose—the question that materialistic evolutionary theories have been unable to answer.Specified Complexity: Discover the concept of specified information, the unique hallmark of intelligent agency, and see how it appears in the cell’s molecular machinery.Critique of Chemical Evolution: A comprehensive review of the failures of leading scientific theories—from chance to self-organization—to explain the origin of the first life.Evidence for Intelligent Design: Follow the step-by-step argument as Meyer makes a positive, evidence-based case for an intelligent cause as the best explanation for the information at the heart of life.
Customer Reviews
Worth the effort
This book impresses as much for the extent to which the author goes to give coverage and credit to viewpoints he argues against, as it does for the rigor used in making his own case. Regardless of one's conclusions, there is a rich discussion of information theory and scientific reasoning. It would probably have five stars if it had been better edited; the distinction between "summarizing your points" and simply repeating oneself sometimes seems to get lost. Style points aside, it raises fascinating points any thinking person would benefit from evaluating.
Cogent Sanity
Yes this book is a tome. However you will not be disappointed. Signature in the Cell is a profoundly written treatise on the science, history, and philosophy of the intelligent design argument It is also a scathing - but intellectually and scientifically accurate - critique of every known refutation of ID.
Moreover, he adroitly explains and dismantles the reigning scientific theories and ideologically based alternatives to ID, showing that neither math, physics, biology, information theory, common sense, and in most cases the evidence gives any substantive basis for believing that Darwinian evolution is feasible. He doesn't come out and say it, but any intelligent reader will conclude that chance and mutation as viable mechanisms for the whole Darwinian project are not only falsifiable, but clearly erroneous.
You can disagree with Meyer's conclusions but you can't say he is rehashing the same old arguments, trying to smuggle reeling into the discussion, or just a creationist trying to repackage those ideas. If you do you haven't read the book or are being intellectually dishonest.
Signature in a Cell
This book is as good a survey of origin-of-life research as anyone can ask. It covers the ground comprehensively and quotes widely from prominent experts in the field.
I noticed earlier that a number of reviewers attack the author, with no mention of the book's content. A sure sign of an ax to grind.