Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without God Paperback – November 20, 2011

After purchasing this book based on title and author alone over 5 years ago, I finally opened it up several weeks ago and steadily plowed through it, piece by piece, any free opportunity I had. I have never been so appreciative of an author's efforts as I am with Greg Graffin and Anarchy Evolution.Growing up a punk rock kid in high school, Bad Religion was and remains one of my favorite musical groups. The depth and intelligence of their lyrics, their hauntingly beautiful harmonies, and their stalwart dedication to improvement of their craft and society is a combination rarely found in any musical genre, and I credit their songs with advancing my views of social and environmental justice.The beauty of what Graffin does in this book is difficult to put into words. It offers something for everyone who is a fan of his work, and plenty for those who have never listened to a measure of "Suffer," let alone suffered a broken nose in the pit while stomping around to "Generator." Knowledge of Bad Religion and their songs is not a prerequisite for appreciating this book, but it certainly enhances the experience.I expected this to be a critique of static institutions and the status quo, but it is far more. Graffin seamlessly weaves between autobiographical anecdotes, evolutionary biology, contemporary philosplophy, and creates a manifesto of his naturalist worldview. He is confident in his opinions, yet leaves debate open in those areas where reasoned and rational views could differ. He does not shy away, however, from shutting down those perpectives based on fallacies, fairy tales, or misinformation.Rarely does one come across a book which offers so much in such a small volume. After reading it, I not only know much more about the foundation of one of the greatest bands ever created (had no idea Graffin went to middle school blocks away from where my parents did), but I also gained knowledge and insight on the origins of humans, the rainforests, and the universe itself. His strongest passages, in my mind, relate to how a naturalist perspective can enhance social institutions which are suffering from the negative consequences of religious faith-based reasoning. The concluding paragraphs of his chapter 5 on Tragedy as the Construction of a Worldview are emotional, heart-breaking and heart-mending, while presenting an irrefutable argument for dramatic and revolutionary changes to our justice system and how we apply and develop empathy. To present such cogent viewpoints alongside tales of punk rock mayhem, biological diversity, and ancient pre-history is a remarkable achievement.If you are looking at this page, Buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

Here's how nerdy I am: My introduction to Greg Graffin and Bad Religion came through his doctoral dissertation, which I purchased from Graffin and got autographed. And then I read it. And it wasn't very good. Since then I've read a couple of other things that Graffin has written or co-written (Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity), but nothing prepared me for just how damned GOOD "Anarchy" is.It must be said that the best parts of the book are the parts that only Graffin could have written--the autobiographical sections about his earlier childhood in Wisconsin, his transition to the California punk scene, his approach to music, and so forth. Much of what he write about evolutionary biology will be familiar, at least, to people who have taken some evolution classes or read books such as Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body (Vintage), and Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo. But he does have an interesting take on natural selection. Graffin makes it abundantly clear that his slightly unorthodox view of the importance of natural selection to overall evolutionary theory should give no aid and comfort to creationists (or their better-dressed cousins, Intelligent Design advocates). But he also wishes to show that science, maybe especially evolutionary biology, is still an active, lively field with vivid, animated debates...not about the fact of evolution, but about interesting details related to mechanisms.And Graffin's chapter specifically on atheism was interesting as well, mostly for its biographical elements. I appreciate what he says about preferring a more dialectical approach that encourages questions, versus the more confrontational approach assumed by "New Atheists" in books such as God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, The God Delusion, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, and The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. He makes an interesting and appealing case, but I'm still left thinking there is room for both diplomatic discussion and spirited debate. After all, the New Atheist books listed probably created a much larger space for the more nuanced and sophisticated conversation even to take place in.I see this book finding its most natural audience among Bad Religion fans (and I don't know how intentional this might have been, but it's easy to see some cross-currents betwee Anarchy and Bad Religion's new album release, The Dissent of Man) and younger people--say high school age--interested in science, the arts, and their relationship to each other. Also fans of flipping off authority--a Graffin staple, and a real strength of both his musical and, it would seem, his scientific careers.