Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

Responses to Criticisms of Icons of Evolution

In 2000, Discovery Institute biologist Jonathan Wells published his book Icons of Evolution, which documented widespread inaccuracies and junk science in the treatment of evolution in many biology textbooks. This pathbreaking book resulted in significant corrections to many textbooks, although many of the “icons” described by Wells are still used in some textbooks. Here you can read about the continuing debate provoked by this now classic work.

Casey Luskin, “Answering Massimo Pigliucci’s Critique of Icons of Evolution (July 28, 2014)

Jonathan Wells, “Revenge of the Peppered Moths?” (Feb. 12, 2012)

Casey Luskin, “(Not) Making the Grade: An Evaluation of Recent Biology Textbooks and Their Selected Icons of Evolution” (Nov. 21, 2011)

Jonathan Wells, “Anatomical Homology and Circular Definitions” (Feb. 23, 2009)

Jonathan Wells, “Haeckel, Darwin, and Textbooks” (Feb. 23, 2009)

Jonathan Wells, “Fact and Fiction about the Peppered Moth” (Feb. 23, 2009)

Jonathan Wells, “Misrepresenting the Galapagos Finches” (Feb. 23, 2009)

Jonathan Wells, “Exhuming the Peppered Mummy” (August 30, 2007)

Jonathan Wells, “Flock of Dodos, or Pack of Lies?” (Feb. 9, 2007)

John G. West and Casey Luskin, “Hoax of Dodos: Flock of Dodos Filmmaker Claims Haeckel’s Embryo Diagrams Weren’t in Modern Textbooks—But He Knows Better” (Feb. 7, 2007)

Jonathan Wells, “Alan Gishlick and the NCSE: Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing New about Icons of Evolution: (Dec. 13, 2002)

Jonathan Wells, “Desperately Defending the Peppered Myth: A Response to Bruce Grant” (October 2, 2002)

Jonathan Wells, “Critics Rave Over Icons of Evolution: A Response to Published Reviews” (June 12, 2002)

Casey Luskin, “Icons Still Standing, a defense of Icons of Evolution (March 2, 2002)

Jonathan Wells, “Inherit the Spin: Darwinists Answer ‘Ten Questions’ with Evasions and Falsehoods” (January 15, 2002)

Jonathan Wells, “Response to Jerry Coyne’s Review of Icons of Evolution” (April 26, 2001)

John G. West

Senior Fellow, Managing Director, and Vice President of Discovery Institute
Dr. John G. West is Vice President of the Seattle-based Discovery Institute and Managing Director of the Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. Formerly the Chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography at Seattle Pacific University, West is an award-winning author and documentary filmmaker who has written or edited 12 books, including Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science, The Magician’s Twin: C. S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society, and Walt Disney and Live Action: The Disney Studio’s Live-Action Features of the 1950s and 60s. His documentary films include Fire-Maker, Revolutionary, The War on Humans, and (most recently) Human Zoos. West holds a PhD in Government from Claremont Graduate University, and he has been interviewed by media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Time magazine, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post.