SOMETHING DELUSION, THE

Description

NIGEL JONES

Can we really believe everything that exists has come from nothing without a designer? It has been said that, because there is a law such as gravity, the universe will create itself from nothing. But we may reasonably ask, ‘Where did this law of gravity come from?’ Prompted by hearing Professor Richard Dawkins say, in a public lecture in 2006, that the universe was made out of ‘nearly nothing’, and then insist there had to be ‘something’ there to start with, The Something Delusion was born. Nigel Jones, a retired surgeon, explains his own journey of understanding of the origins and nature of man and the destiny of all mankind.

This well-written book is a compelling mix of biography and numerous forays into creation apologetics. The book could be considered as a series of fine essays on a wide range of fascinating and helpful topics. During his varied 38-year accomplished surgical career, Nigel Jones worked in Africa and taught medical ethics at a university for 10 years. The book is divided into 36 chapters titles—some of the titles follow to give an idea of the book’s scope:

School biology—introduction to evolution / Human physiology / Anatomy / Biochemistry / Becoming a Christian / Examining the evidence for biblical creation and evolution / Evolution…Fossil evidence, vestigial organs and embryology / Ape-men—fact or fallacy? / Chemical evolution—an impossibility / Professor Dawkins: ‘The universe was made out of nearly nothing’ / Irreducible complexity / Medical ethics—the sanctity of human life / Consciousness and the mind / Pride, prejudice and bias / Altruism, evolution and forgiveness / Miracles and the Laws of nature / The Periodic Table, carbon and water / Theistic evolution / Philosophers: searching for the truth / History—God’s story / Geology—the Geological timescale / Geology—Radiometric dating.

Commendations

“Aptly subtitled, A Surgeon’s Journey, to travel with the author of The Something Delusion is to pass through and contemplate a wide variety of fascinating terrain: the complexities of anatomy and physiology, different views of origins, geological time, miracles, philosophy, chemistry, consciousness, and much more. Along the way, personal anecdotes enliven the discourse. It is difficult to highlight noteworthy ‘sites of interest’ on such an expansive excursion, but I especially appreciated the chapters on medical ethics. The author taught university students for many years after retiring from his clinical practices, and, as he aptly puts it, ‘respect is not enough’. At various stages on the journey, Nigel shows serious shortcomings of the evolutionary worldview, including theistic versions of it. The creation-based worldview is no delusion; rather it is both biblically faithful and intellectually coherent.”
—Philip Bell, CEO, Creation Ministries International (UK/Europe)

“In a series of well thought-through, short chapters, Nigel Jones has produced a very clear set of essays on why Creation, rather than evolution, is the only way to make sense of the scientific facts in a range of subjects… Nigel speaks eloquently with great authority and his writing is full of carefully weighed factual evidence, brilliantly declaring the truth and majesty of Creation.”
—Professor Andy McIntosh, Emeritus Professor of Thermodynamics, University of Leeds