Abby Hafer - The Not-So-Intelligent Designer: Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not

Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not

Abby Hafer

Illustrations by Alexander Winkler

Creating this book has been a long and sometimes meandering process. I had to study the politics and history of the creationism/intelligent design movement as well as the history of denialism in general, learn a whole lot of theology, learn zoology, anatomy, physiology and evolution, do a lot of public speaking, and learn more than I ever knew existed about writing, publishing, photograph hunting and vetting, and biological illustration. Some of these things I started learning long ago, and others have been learned on the fly as I worked on this book. I have been helped in wonderful ways both by friends and by people bestowing kindness upon a stranger. Here is a partial list of those who have helped this book come to fruition. I thank them all for their talent, generosity, and kindness.

The enlighteners: The Reverend Dr. Leslie Muraywho knows nearly everythinghelped with theology and also with his enthusiasm for this project. If Les liked the project, it had to count for something. Dr. Ward Holder improved my understanding of Calvinism. Dr. Allan Hunter gave me good advice about writing and publishing. Dr. Keith Wright helped with information theory. Dr. Doug Muder and my sweet husband Alan MacRobert have helped with endless discussions about lots of things. Dr. Roger Hanlon at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole helped me understand cuttlefish eyes.

The helpers: Nancy Daugherty bravely did the formatting for this book. Curry College gave me some reduced teaching time so I could work on this book. First Parish in Bedford gave me encouragement, and took an interest in my public speaking. The Secular Students Alliance enabled me to speak to lots and lots of terrific students all over the country.

The sou rce for general anatomical reference: Human Anatomy & Physiology , sixth edition by Elaine N. Marieb (Pearson Benjamin Cummings). Unless noted otherwise, this is the source for my information about human anatomy and physiology. It is well and clearly written, which is a great thing in a textbook.

The artists: Oh how I love you. You do wonderful things. Alex Winkler provided all of the drawn illustrations with enthusiasm and skill. He was also very patient, and I thank him for this as well. Gretjen Hargesheimer provided inestimably valuable help in bringing all the photographs to their full potential.

Dr. Gianluca Polgar generously provided me with both photographs and information about mudskippers, which are among my favorite animals. Dr. Alvaro Migotto provided me with a photograph of Turritopsis nutricula (the immortal jellyfish)another of my favorite animals. Dan Norton provided me with a lovely photograph of a pineapple sea cucumber Thelenota ananas , and offered me many other pictures as well.

The Natural Arches and Bridges Society (NABS) posts awe-inspiring photographs of (naturally) natural arches and bridges. They also put me in contact with one of their members, Guilain Debossens, who provided me with the beautiful and haunting photograph of the natural arch with tiny feet in the Algerian Sahara.

I also thank the Twin Falls Public Library in Twin Falls, Idaho for being so nice, for allowing me to use their historic photograph of the balanced rock near Castleford, Idaho, and for lovingly preserving the late Clarence Bisbees wonderful photograph collection.

It has been said that wonder is the basis of worship. It is my hope that through these photographs as well as through my words, people can experience the awe and wonder that is a part of our everyday world, right here, right now.

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