Not By Chance!

by Dr. Lee Spetner, Judaica Press, Inc.,
123 Ditmas Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218,
1997-98. 272 pages, $14.95 paperback
(1-800 972-6200, JudaicaPr@aol.com)

Dr. Lee Spetner received a Ph.D. degree in physics from MIT and has worked at Johns Hopkins University in biophysics and the physics of electromagnetic waves. In 1962, he became interested in evolution and its assumptions about information buildup in living things. We have reviewed a number of books over the years which have chal- lenged the assumptions of evolution especially those assumptions that seem to fly in the face of statistics and what is mathematically possible. This is a scholarly approach to that issue.

Spetner begins by carrying on a historical treatment of the devel- opment of Neo-Darwinism. The approach is well done and clearly points out where Neo-Darwinism and the Bible conflict. Chapter 2 is a good review of the modern understanding of how life works and how genethc information is transmitted from one generation to the next. The discussion is a little difficult for non-biologists, but it is brief and well written. Chapter 3 applies statistics to the claims of Neo- Darwinism and points out the mathematical impossibility of the claimed necessary changes in Neo-Darwinistic evolution. This theme is continued in Chapter 4 which is titled "Is the deck stacked?" Specific claims are quoted and debunked in a forceful way. Much of this chapter is on a molecular and cellular level, and one is reminded strongly of Michael Behe's work as far as the approach is concerned.

In Chapter 6, Spetner takes on evolutionist Richard Dawkins and his attack on God in the book The Blind Watchmaker. Those who have wanted to see an understandable explanation and rebuttal of Dawkins' book will find this chapter to be an excellent tool. Chapter 7 shows that variation in a population is not random and strongly points to design as the cause.

Spetner summarizes his book in these words. "The first several chapters have shown that random variations cannot lead to the large- scale evolution claimed by the Neo-Darwinians. The seventh chapter has shown that there is a lot of evidence for non random variation which could produce some large scale evolution." In Chapter 8, he proposes his own fit of the evidence and its connection to the Bible.

Spetner writes well. He uses simple stories to illustrate complex ideas. The book will challenge those trained in the sciences, but a general idea of the theme Spetner is advancing can be understood by non-technical people through a general reading. This is an excellent contribution to the on going struggle between atheistic evolutionists and Bible believers. It will be interesting to see how both sides react to Spetner's work.

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