BOOK REVIEW: Emma Townshend's 'Darwin's Dogs'

Darwin's Dogs by Emma Townshend

Darwin’s Dogs: How Darwin’s pets helped form a world-changing theory of evolution. By Emma Townshend. London: Francis Lincoln Limited, 2009. 144 pp. Preface, illustrations, index, acknowledgements. $14.95 (paper).

In the Darwin anniversary year, more books were published about him than probably in all the years of my life preceding 2009. More biographies, and more treatments of his work. Some books seemed to jump on the Darwin wave by connecting a topic to Darwin because, that year, it just might sell. Surely there is Darwin fatigue in publishing. In a review of new additions of Darwin’s work that appeared in 2009, historian of science Jim Endersby asked whether there can be too much of a good thing, referring to the myriad of scholarly work on Darwin, sometimes called the Darwin Industry (1). It is a reasonable question, as one can easily think that since so much has been written about a historical figure, what can possibly be written about Darwin that is new? Or what refreshing approach can be taken in looking at his life and work?

While many books seem to reiterate the standard Darwin story, what I enjoy are those that consider an unexplored or neglected topic. Such is Darwin’s Dogs, a short exposition as to the influence that the many dogs in Darwin’s life, and the group of animals dogs in general, had on Darwin’s thinking. This short book – less than 150 pages – is very readable, and provides a concise overview of Darwin and his ideas while offering a fresh perspective on the story – that “Darwin’s dogs brought evolutionary theory right to the hearth rug of the Victorian home” (9), meaning that using dogs in his writings brought something familiar to his readers.

Essentially, Darwin’s proximity to various dogs – “some of the most important characters in the story of his thinking” (9) – throughout his life taught him several things:

1. That humanity should not feel insulted by its relationship to animal ancestors,

2. That animals have emotions, morals, self-consciousness, and language, too (that human distinctiveness is a myth),

3. About variation, inheritance, and artificial selection through the practice of dog breeding (Darwin’s reliance on “practical men”),

4. The proper treatment of animals (Darwin was an antivivisectionist),

5. The similarities in behavior between dogs and humans (The Descent of Man says a lot about dogs, Townshend notes).

While the book is fun and enjoyable, and made me think differently, I feel that the way the book is presented is a bit misleading. In the Preface, Townshend invites the reader “to a rather different account of the life of Darwin, this one told from the canine point of view” (11). The description on the back of the book states “from a uniquely canine perspective.” These statements reiterate one of the purposes of Darwin’s Dogs: the consideration of other actors, even non-humans, in the history of science. I immediately thought of Bruno Latour’s microbes in The Pasteurization of France, Michael Pollan’s plants in The Botany of Desire, and the various organisms in Endersby’s A Guinea Pig’s History of Biology (one reviewer wrote “Science is a collaborative process and by looking at the roles played by unwilling collaborators, from guinea pigs to zebrafish, Endersby provides a new perspective on the history of genetics” [2]). All these works suggest that non-human actors have agency, agendas of their own. It is not simply humans that drive history.

So, reading “from the canine point of view” and “from a uniquely canine perspective,” I expected an approach (especially since Endersby is acknowledged in the book) that was lacking in Darwin’s Dogs. The book remains a story about Darwin, from his perspective in how he used dogs in his thinking. It is not told through the eyes, minds, or lives of dogs. Their actions – how they fit into the story as useful – is dependent on what Darwin is doing. Darwin’s Dogs is indeed “a rather different account of the life of Darwin,” but it is not from the “point of view” of dogs.

Furthermore, given this book is written by someone in the history of science, I was disappointed in the lack of citations (no footnotes, no endnotes) except those for the quotes that open each of the five chapters, and the lack of a bibliography or sources section. Throughout the book Townshend utilizes direct quotes from Darwin’s letters, notebooks, and publications. Yet no citations for any of them. Why? Maybe because the publisher did not want it. If I were the author of a book about history, and a publisher said they did not want citations and sources, I would find another publisher. For someone like me, familiar with Darwin’s work, I know where to find the sources (Townshend thanks the Darwin Correspondence Project and John van Wyhe/Darwin Online for “their invaluable help and resources,” [144] but no URLs are given). For a reader unfamiliar with how to track down the sources, not having those materials provided misses the opportunity to explore further than the text of the book.

Those problems aside, Darwin’s Dogs is a surprisingly rewarding little book that would be a good introduction to Darwin’s ideas. If you like dogs, all the better. The many anecdotes are informative, while the book is seeded with canine artwork. Townshend has a website for the book, Darwin’s Dogs, where you can see a little animation included within the book’s pages:

Notes:

1. Jim Endersby, “Origins: Selected Letters of Charles Darwin, 1822–1859 (Anniversary edition), edited by F. Burkhardt, and other works by Charles Darwin” [essay review], History of Science 47 (Dec. 2009): 475-84.

2. Nick Rennison, Sunday Times (from the publisher’s webpage for the book).

[Via http://thedispersalofdarwin.wordpress.com]

The Iron Tracks, by Aharon Appelfeld

The Iron Tracks, by Aharon Appelfeld is a difficult book to write about.

It is a slow-moving read, yet an intense one. It moves along the tracks of time, taking the reader through Erwin Siegelbaum’s emotional conflicts. He and his parents were laborers in a Nazi camp, and that is where his parents were killed.

The story is told in the first person. It is forty years later, and we see that Erwin’s life has been riding the trains, back and forth, each year, making the same journey, circling the same route. He has become well known during that time, as he travels through cities, small villages, stopping at the same towns and cities, where he has made acquaintances, and where he feels a sense of tranquility, often in the small rooms that have the bathtubs that he likes to soak in for hours.

As we begin The Iron Tracks, time and place have moved forward four decades. As he travels closer to specific cities and towns on the train, he reflects on his life, remembering past years in those specific places. Time stands still, momentarily as he remembers the women he lusted with, the men he made small talk with, and those who he finds a sense of frienship with.

He admits that rail travel is his life, and that he feels a strange comfort within a train car, and in the buffets at the stations he gets off at. He is able to travel so frequently because he is a merchant of sorts, buying Judaic antiquities in the cities and towns he travels through. He then sells them to collectors. He has become adept at locating the antiquities, Jewish treasures, from menorahs to kiddish cups, to illuminated manuscripts and scrolls. The money received from the sales affords him the ability to travel.

The one thing that keeps him going during his travels is his search for Nachtigel, the man who killed his parents. He is impassioned with finding him and killing him. Does he manage to do so? You will have to read the book to find the answer.

I found it bizarre that he treats the treasures he finds with loving care, yet he is determined to commit an act of murder. He handles the Judaic findings with love and awe, and is dedicated to preserving the items, making sure they go to collectors who will appreciate them. He is not a practicing Jew, but is determined to preserve what little remains of the Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.
Appelfeld manages with brilliance to capture the emotion that Erwin stifles within himself. He is consumed by nightmares, has difficulty sleeping. He is also filled with melancholy, stemming from not only the loss of his parents, but also his lifestyle. His travels manage to find him speaking to individuals who condone the Holocaust and murder of Jews. This has an extreme impact on his psyche and his mindset. He is cognizant of the fact he is depressed, and realizes his mode of living has enhanced his melancholy, yet he is focused on finding Nachtigel.

Within that focus are concerns he has regarding the moment he finds him. Appelfeld is astute, having been a Holocaust survivor, himself. He knows and understands the wave of emotions that weave a roller coaster ride with the mind and the heart. His insightful prose is not only beautiful, but also bleak, as the story unfolds.

Questions arise in the reader, such as justice, and whether it is okay, to murder someone for deeds they have done four decades earlier. Is the revenge going to be sweet. Will the end fit the means, and will he be satisfied. Erwin, himself, has no answers to those questions, yet is still intent on finding Nachtigel and killing him.

Appelfeld uses Erwin’s relationships, ones that last at most for a couple of days, as metaphors for his lack of emotional attachment with women. Erwin is stifled, unable to form a lasting and romantic involvement. He admits that is not what he wants out of a woman. His passions lie elsewhere, such as his finding Nachtigel, and finding and preserving Judaic treasures.

The vivid imagery is strong, haunting and compelling within the pages of The Iron Tracks, even though it is not a quick read.
Aharon Appelfeld has a story to tell, and he tells it with magnificent prose and imagery. The emotional impact is not light and airy, but one that is depressing and disturbing. It is an intense study in one man’s thought process, emotions (or lack of), inner conflicts/world and passions. I recommend The Iron Tracks to everyone.
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Thursday January 14, 2009 – 28th of Tevet, 5770

[Via http://jewwishes.wordpress.com]

R A Schwaller de Lubicz: Esoterism and Symbol, Inner Traditions, 1985

  In this slim but dense volume, Rene Schwaller discusses symbols, their scope and function, and human proclivity to make use of, invent and interpret symbols.  He calls this ability ‘innate intelligence’, or ‘Reason’, or ‘intelligence-of-the-heart’, and this intelligence is of a different order from the ordinary cerebral intelligence that we value today.

 The use of the word ‘esoterism’, rather than ‘esotericsim’ throughout the text appears to be a particular form of translation of the original French of the title, ‘Esoterisme et Symbole’ (1960), here by Andre and Goldian Vanden Broeck.  Christopher Bamford, in his introduction to Schwaller’s ‘The Study of Numbers’, suggests that one of the reasons for the complexity of Schwaller’s writing is that he thought in German, yet wrote in French (he was from Alsace-Lorraine, on the French/German border), so perhaps there are ‘translation’ issues in his thinking, added to the fact of the complex, organic and dynamic nature of esoteric insights, and that is what makes his writing difficult to grasp.  But it is worth making the effort – he is concerned with important issues such as the nature of being and becoming, the relationship between time and matter, self and cosmos.  And all the while this provides a critique of contemporary exoteric knowledge with its dualism, and its mechanical, material, relative and transient nature.

There are very few notes and no bibliography for this text.

Di’s star rating ****

[Via http://blackbearbookshop.wordpress.com]

Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology - A Book Review

Imagine talking about your Lord and Saviour with a few good friends. Biblical insight, mutual encouragement and the gentle humour of friends. Now imagine your friends are Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Albert Mohler and C.J. Mahaney. What you have is Together For The Gospel. (Abbreviated to T4G)

These four enjoyed a personal friendship that they have sought to allow others to share. Their means of doing so has been the Together For The Gospel conference, which was initially conducted in 2006, then in 2008 with a third scheduled for this year. The conference sounds like a wonderful time. Dever, Duncan, Mohler and Mahaney invite a few other friends along (such as John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, John Piper and Thabiti Anyabwile) join with a few thousand others, give away piles of books, sing songs and hear talks. Bliss.

For those of us who can’t go to the conference various resources are available at the Together For The Gospel website. In addition, the singing from the 2008 conference was released on Live CD and the major addresses have been edited and released in book form. Which brings us to the addresses to the 2008 conference: ‘Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology’. (Crossway, 2009, 221pgs)

Mark Dever serves as editor of the volume and writes a comprehensive introduction. In it he notes that: ‘This volume is prepared with the assumption that there is widespread agreement about the gospel across denominational lines, but also with the conviction that the gospel is widely under attack.’ The tone of the addresses (and the book) is one of contention and defence. It seeks to encourage and equip church leaders to carry out a task to which they are already committed.
Among the eight essays, highlights for me included Ligon Duncan’s essay defending the biblically grounded task of having a sound systematic theology. The attention which has been given to biblical theology in some areas has resulted in the importance (and even the relevance) of systematics being questioned. Duncan identifies and addresses without denigrating the value of biblical theology.
Albert Mohler examines the disdain that is growing among some who would claim to be evangelical for the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement in an article entitled ‘Why They Hate It So’. A tendency toward affirming a breadth of meanings for the word atonement seems to be something of a code for rejecting the concept of penal substitution.
R.C. Sproul’s essay, which immediately precedes Mohler’s, points out that penal substitution is the only understanding which makes sense of the curse motif which runs through the Old Testament. The curses which God pronounces in the Old Covenant fall upon the Lord Jesus at the inauguration of the New Covenant. The reality of God’s just punishment and judgement should compel us to flee to the cross.
C.J. Mahaney’s pastoral exhortation ‘Sustaining The Pastor’s Soul’ reflects on the joy which marked the life of Paul the Apostle. It was a joy that often seems to exist in stark contrast to his circumstances. Mahaney graciously, yet firmly, challenges those who serve as pastors whether our lives are marked with joy. Particularly he confronts us about whether those who know us best (wives, children) would describe us as joyful.

So, in April 2010 I will not be in Louisville with thousands of others hearing the Word, enjoying the fellowship and receiving all the free books. (small sigh) But I look forward to perhaps listening to the talks, and sometime in 2011 purchasing a volume on The Unadjusted Gospel.

In the meantime, I’d love to go to something like this in Australia. It seems that most gatherings need to have some form of purpose to justify them. What a great idea just to get together, hear true and encouraging material from those who walk the path with us, and enjoy each other’s company.

[Via http://mgpcpastor.wordpress.com]

Book Review | The Shack

I have a long list of books that friends and colleagues have helped me to read over this year.The Shack by WM Young is the first and as promised with each of these books I am writing my review.

I actually really liked this book. taking it at face value its a beautifully written story told from a mainly Christian world view, how the protagonist Mack, learns to deal with a tragic loss in his life. Without wishing to spoil the story too much the things that stood out for me most were

a) the simplicity of the way the story is told
b) the way the story turns a number of paradigms, including our concept of God, on its head
c) the principle that we spend so much energy on being independent and chasing things rather than just being
d) God is a Verb. This chapter alone made it for me.

One of the most powerful things about myths and legends are that they are vehicles for truth. Both literal and contextual. What the writer did for me especially in this book was to use this myth as a vehicle for redemption, forgiveness and self awareness. I loved the way the language used in describing not just humans but the external world we live in.

That said I can understand how both those of faith (Christian or non) could take umbrage with this kind of story. Sure you will here challenges of bad theology (questions of Divine gender, Universal Restoration, Purgatory?)but me thinks that those who immediately jump on that band wagon have missed the point. Like say the Chronicles of Narnia there is a deeper story but couched in there is a willingness by the author to imagine God in conversation. I wouldn’t take To Kill A Mocking Bird as the blueprint of race relations in America but a view into another world. I also think the comparisons with Pilgrim’s Progress is a bit of a stretch. Only after finishing it did I realise it was a book surrounded by a lot of hype also, which to be honest is not always a bad thing, but as it was recommended by my good wife.

There are a number of themes I wanted to run through in my head but I didn’t because it was fiction. A chance to see how someone else perceives God and through the eyes of faith what could restore us to a sense of peace. That God loves me beyond measure was a central theme and for that I love this book. I would only recommend it to those who are open minded to the story and the truth it conveys. A nice gentle and restorative read.

[Via http://davespeaks.wordpress.com]

The Masculine Mandate by Richard Phillips

Coming soon from Reformation Trust Publishing:

The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men

By Richard D. Phillips

Reformation Trust Publishing, 2010

If you read Rev. Richard Phillips’s first book, Jesus the Evangelist, you know that instead of developing his own theories, passing on worldly wisdom, or even quoting great theologians, he teaches straight from the Bible. His new book is no exception. There is almost enough Scripture in the Masculine Mandate for it to be called a commentary.

What is the masculine mandate? Author and pastor Richard Phillips says that, “Rather than following the American stereotype of cold, macho masculinity, Christian men should seek to grow in their ability genuinely to bless others.”

Phillips says we can find this mandate in Genesis chapter 2. “Genesis 2 shows that God created man for a purpose. God ordained that Adam would bear His image both in his person and in his work, and God put Adam in the world to work it and keep it—to be a cultivator and a protector.”

Phillips says that men today, like Adam in Genesis chapter 2, are called to “work” and “keep.” “God put Adam in the garden ‘to work it and keep it’ and the only difference between Adam’s calling and ours lies in the details of how we seek to fulfill it.”

What are some of the areas where men are called to be workers and keepers? The author concentrates on five: employment, marriage, children, friends, and the church.

Men have the responsibility to work hard to glorify God through employment. They are to be good husbands, loving their wife “as Christ loved the church.” They are to be Godly fathers who both disciple and discipline their children. They are to be friends to the men whom God has put in their lives. And they are to serve and lead in the church.

Though they are all good and helpful, my favorite chapters are the two that deal with a man’s responsibility toward his children: “To Work: The Discipling of Children,” and, “To Keep: The Discipline of Children.” Notice the difference in discipling and discipline.

A man should, as the leader of his house, disciple his children. The most important matter is to win their hearts. Love, affection, and attention are essential:

“The great issue of parental discipleship is directing the hearts of our children to the Lord. Instead of a mere focus on behavior or bodily presence, wise and loving parents seek to touch and win the hearts of their boys and girls….Our children must gain from us what they most desire: our affection, our approval, our attention, our involvement, and our time.”

Another favorite chapter of mine is the one on friendship. Phillips puts this easily overlooked aspect of faith in its proper perspective:

“One of the best ways for us to serve the Lord, to reflect His glory in the world and fulfill God’s calling on us as men, is to step off the sidelines of life, to offer our time and compassion to friends in need, and to speak words of truth and grace that lead them to (or back to) the Lord. In this way, we will also grow more and more in the likeness of Jesus Christ ourselves.”

The Masculine Mandate has several strengths.

The author is clear about where he stands on issues. He writes with authority. If men want to learn to be leaders, they need strong leaders. Richard Phillips fits that role. And he does so with humility.

It’s clear where Phillip’s gets his authority. Nearly every idea is backed up by and flows directly from Scripture. There are few quotes from other books (only 25 total footnotes), but there are Bible passages on nearly every page (the Scripture index is four pages long). And Phillips has the gift of teaching and applying them.

There are specific applications. The pastor teaches the theology, but he also gives the reader clear, specific ways to apply the teaching. The Masculine Mandate is a practical and helpful book.

The book is realistic. Phillips realizes that men are, after all, men. We have limitations. We aren’t fully sanctified. And he admits that he isn’t, either. But he sets the goal before us.

Another plus: at the end of the book are questions for reflection and discussion from each chapter, making this book ideal for a men’s group study.

Are there weaknesses?

It depends upon how picky the reader is. I occasionally had to re-read a sentence to catch its meaning because of awkward wording. And the story of Nehemiah building the wall, which Phillips uses, is overused in books on leadership. (But it is a great illustration, after all.)

This is a good, needed book. I recommend it to men, young and old. And I plan to read it again. I’ve already identified, through this book, several areas that I need to work on.

In our culture, we have a messed up idea of what it means to be a man. We need books like this to point us back to what’s important:

“…A Christian man should live, work, and play with an eye on the coming glory of Jesus Christ. His return in glory is not a fable, a fantasy, or science fiction. It is certain future history—it is going to happen, and relatively soon. How should we then live? How should we measure things happening in our lives? The answer is that we should live now in the light of the future that is certain to come.”

  

[Via http://whilewesojourn.com]

Review: No Room At The Inn: The Hungry Planet Bible Project

No Room At The Inn is a very interesting documentary about the homeless.  In fact, it helps shatter some misconceptions about the homeless.

It is easy to think of the homeless as hopeless people who don’t want to do any better than they are doing.  It is easy to view them as beyond help.

That is not so.

From one town to another, the Hungry Planet Bible Project has visited with the homeless in various shelters, etc.  There they found people who were being helped to overcome addiction, walk with Christ, and live a normal life.  In short, though homeless, these people had hope because someone cared.

No Room At The Inn gives us the stories of some of these people, thus helping us to be aware of what is around us, and awaken us to the needs of the homeless.

Included is a reading of the Christmas story by various of those who were interviewed.

When all is said and done, I view the homeless in a different light.  My heart now has been softened toward them.

Visit the website of the Hungry Planet Bible Project.

[Via http://pastoralmusings.com]