Tales of the Rational

Engaging, compelling, witty essays that put in perspective some of the most fascinating scientific and pseudo-scientific claims of the 20th century. Includes discussions of: atheism, straw-man arguments, creationism, debating creationists and theists, evolutionary biology, Christian apologetics, critiques of modern science, the search for extraterrestial life, the search for the origins of life, chaos theory, and much more. If evolutionary biologist Massimo Pigliucci didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him. His *Tales of the Rational* defines an intellectual space as far removed as hardcore religious fundamentalism from mainstream thinking–but it may be coming closer as scientists and skeptics launch more aggressive attacks on pseudoscience and fuzzy thinking. Pigliucci, a rising star on the evolution-creationism debate circuit, pulls out all the stops in his work, not content merely to defend science against its detractors, but eagerly undermining belief in religion and the existence of any gods at all. *–Rob Lightner*