BULLY FOR BRONTOSAURUS: Reflections in Natural History...

BULLY FOR BRONTOSAURUS: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould (Norton: $10.95, illustrated). This latest collection of essays reaffirms Stephen Jay Gould’s position as the foremost popular-science writer in America. Unlike many popularizers, who merely dilute the work of others, the author is a respected scientist who writes a column for Natural History as a hobby. A gifted educator, Gould never patronizes his audience, even when explaining technical material, and manages to find original and frequently offbeat ways of approaching obscure topics. A discussion on the highly sophisticated brain of the echidna includes an account by Captain William Bligh (of Bounty fame) of being served one of these odd animals at a native dinner. Gould uses his reaction to being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer to explain how statistics can be used and abused (happily, he’s completely cured). An eloquent series of essays traces the legal battles over teaching evolution in American public schools, from the celebrated 1925 Scopes Trial to Epperson v Arkansas (1987), in which the U.S. Supreme Court finally struck down the last law requiring teachers to present “Creationism.” Writing with a combination of passion and lucidity, Gould explains what real science is and exposes “Creation Science” as a pseudo-intellectual fraud that offers neither good science nor good theology.