Synthesized answer
The book *Creation by Evolution* (1928) positions itself within the historical discourse of its time by explicitly reconciling the concept of creation with the scientific theory of evolution. The title itself merges two terms often seen as opposed, and the editor’s preface states that the book seeks “actual evidence of Nature’s method of creation,” finding that “creation is a gradual process of transformation, or evolution” [2]. This directly frames evolution as the mechanism of creation, rather than as a competing explanation. The dedication reinforces this by addressing “those who seek evidence of Nature’s universal method of creation” [1], implying that evolution is that universal method.
The potential tension implied by the phrase “Creation by Evolution” is addressed by presenting evolution as an orderly, natural law-governed process that produces new qualities and forms, not as a random or accidental one. The foreword emphasizes that evolution is “the incessant appearance of new qualities, new characters, new powers, new beauties” [4], and David Starr Jordan defines evolution as “the universal process of orderly change” that is “never random nor accidental” [5]. This framing…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
its evolution manifests itself in a related yet divergent series of forms, constituting the widespreading tree of life. CREATION BY EVOLUTION A CONSENSUS OF PRESENT-DAY KNOWLEDGE AS SET FORTH BY LEADING AUTHORITIES IN NON-TECHNICAL LANGUAGE THAT ALL MAY UNDERSTAND EDITED BY FRANCES MASON ❦ NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPANY MCMXXVIII Copyright , 1928, By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and printed. Published May, 1928. Reprinted June, 1928. SET UP BY BROWN BROTHERS LINOTYPERS PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE CORNWALL PRESS, INC. DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO SEEK EVIDENCE OF NATURE’S…
← Contents Creation by Evolution ( 1928 ) Editor's Preface by Frances Mason Foreword → 4605591 Creation by Evolution — Editor's Preface 1928 Frances Mason Layout 2 EDITOR’S PREFACE This book is the result of a wish to obtain the judgment of leading scientific scholars of the English-speaking world concerning our present knowledge of how living things in Nature come about,—to obtain actual evidence of Nature’s method of creation. Each of the writers gives an independent record of research in his own particular field, striving to do so in language that all may understand and appreciate. All…
← Creation by Evolution ( 1928 ) edited by Frances Mason Editor's Preface → related portals : Biology 4605552 Creation by Evolution 1928 Frances Mason Layout 2 CREATION BY EVOLUTION EDITED BY FRANCES MASON CREATION BY EVOLUTION THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK · BOSTON · CHICAGO · DALLAS ATLANTA · SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN & CO., Limited LONDON · BOMBAY · CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd . TORONTO From “Country Life,” London . The Tree of Life. Evolution does not move in a straight course, symbolized by the links in a chain; the tree is a symbol of nature’s plan of…
← Editor's Preface Creation by Evolution ( 1928 ) Foreword by Henry Fairfield Osborn Introduction → 4605592 Creation by Evolution — Foreword 1928 Henry Fairfield Osborn Layout 2 FOREWORD By Henry Fairfield Osborn In this volume leading biologists of England and America, men distinguished in many special lines of research, are coöperating in a great endeavor to give the full meaning of the word “evolution.” No word in any language at the present time is so comprehensive as this; few words are so misunderstood. The original import of the word “evolution”—to unfold or to unroll, as a flower is…
← Introduction Creation by Evolution ( 1928 ) Evolution—Its Meaning by David Starr Jordan Why We Must Be Evolutionists → 4607445 Creation by Evolution — Evolution—Its Meaning 1928 David Starr Jordan Layout 2 CREATION BY EVOLUTION EVOLUTION—ITS MEANING By David Starr Jordan Chancellor Emeritus, Leland Stanford Junior University Evolution as Orderly Change By evolution, as the word is now used, we mean the universal process of orderly change. It includes cosmic changes in suns and planets and organic changes in living creatures, called organisms because they are made up of coöperating parts,…
More questions about this book
- The text contrasts the "Tree of Life" metaphor with a "chain," emphasizing "no offshoots leading from one branch to another." In simple terms, explain what this specific detail of the tree metaphor conveys about the nature of evolutionary pathways and why it's presented as distinct from a chain.
- The book aims to provide "A CONSENSUS of present-day knowledge...in non-technical language that all may understand." What does this editorial goal reveal about the public's understanding and the scientific community's perceived role in educating the public about evolution in 1928?
- How might the "modifications of species" observed in butterflies and moths, as mentioned by Poulton, serve as specific evidence that supports the "Tree of Life" metaphor's description of related yet divergent forms, rather than a simple linear "chain"?
- Consider the dedication: "TO THOSE WHO SEEK EVIDENCE OF NATURE’S UNIVERSAL METHOD OF CREATION." What does the phrase "Nature's Universal Method of Creation" imply about the authors' view of evolution, and how might this perspective differ from earlier or alternative understandings of "creation"?