My Science Must-Reads List

For those of you who don't know, I was a student in the Torrey Honors Institute (a Classical great books program) at Biola University. When you are a junior or senior in the program, you have the ability to propose new specialty classes that you and others can take instead of the traditional courses. A couple years ago my friend and I were tossing around the idea of a class on Science and Literature. While we never got far enough to actually propose this "Meta-Torrey", we did have some good conversations on how science and scientists are presented in classic works of fiction. As we were discussing possible books, I came to realize that there are very few pieces of fiction that present a scientist and his endeavors in a positive light. I guess that's because science-gone-wrong is terribly exciting, but I found it a little disturbing nonetheless. This revelation lead to a conversation with my wise mentor Rafe Payne, who gave me quite a few suggestions of good science books, and who also emailed his good pal John Janovy for suggestions. The result of all these interactions is what I call my Science Must-Reads List. It includes many of those infamous works of fiction, as well as works of non-fiction that are more sympathetic to the scientific process. The suggestions from John Janovy and Dr. John Bloom (whom I also asked for suggestions) are just copied and pasted from emails from them, so that's why the formatting is a little strange. I've also included the entire email from Dr. Janovy in case you're interested in his explanations. Once upon a time I was also interested in a Meta-Torrey on the Theology of Nature, so there are some books from Dr. Fred Sanders on that topic at the bottom of the page. I also dredged up the reading assignments for another meta-Torrey (one that actually took place) called Christianity and the Nature of Science, and I've included those books as well. I've been talking with quite a few people about this list lately, so I thought I'd post it up here for the benefit of posterity (because I just know so many book-worm science buffs read this blog). The list is annotated with the dates of any books I've finished, but as you can see I have a long ways to go. Enjoy!

Science Must-Reads List:

From Rafe Payne:

• Yellow Legs by John Janovy
• Darwin’s Autobiography
• Origin of Species (read 1/08, for which I earned a steak dinner from Rafe)
• Log of the Sea of Cortez by Steinbeck (read 1/14/07)
• Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas (read 6/22/07)
• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville (read 7/6/08)
• Lessons of History by Durante (read the chapt. On Lessons of Biology)
• Double Helix by Watson
• The Future of Life by E.O Wilson
• Panda’s Thumb by Stephen Jay Gould (read 6/14/07)
• The Flamingo’s Smile by Stephen Jay Gould
• Rocks of Ages by Stephen Jay Gould
• The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins
• Creator and the Cosmos by Hugh Ross (read Fall 2007)
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
• Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold (read 8/3/07)

Baja Books (if you go, you must read some of these):

• Log from the Sea of Cortez by Steinbeck (read 1/14/07)
• Vermillion Sea by John Janovy (read 12/06)
• Forgotten Peninsula by Krunch
• Almost an Island by Berger
• Baja Highway by Minch and Leslie
• Magnificent Peninsula by Williams

From Dr. Bloom:

• Meaningful World," by Wiker and Witt. (read Fall 2007)
• Bacon would be positive also, as a classic scientifically-oriented author.

From Jeff Conn (my friend with the Meta-Torrey idea):

• That Hideous Strength by Lewis (read 2001)
• Frankenstein (read 7/2/07)
• A Brave New World (read 6/22/07)
• I, Robot (read 7/3/07)
• The Island Of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells (read 6/10/09)

From John Janovy Jr.:

• Peter Matthiessen's "Far Tortuga."
• "The Mind's Eye," a book I believe was edited by Douglas Hofstadter.
• Hofstadter also has another book entitled "Metamagical Themas."
• Richard Adams' "Shardik,"
• Paul Thereaux's "The Mosquito Coast,"

Email from Dr. Janovy to Rafe Payne (forwarded on to me).

In thinking of literature in which nature is an essential character and in which the human characters interact with that nature in a manner almost metaphorically like scientists do, i.e. chasing something (an idea, an ideal, an answer to some problem, a livelihood in a way not too dissimilar to the way we scientists use our curiosity to carry us through a career, etc.), of course "Moby Dick" comes to mind, as does Peter Matthiessen's "Far Tortuga." Melissa might also try a copy of "The Mind's Eye," a book I believe was edited by Douglas Hofstadter. I loaned my copy to a student and I'm not sure it ever returned, or I'd look through it and find the specific references. But in one of those chapters there is reference to a story (fictitious, I believe) in which an individual, perhaps this case an engineer, makes toys that express emotion. He makes these toys because his daughter has had brain surgery and simply does not seem to be the same afterwards. One of the toys is a beetle that screams, cries, and leaks blood when it is abused. So this person is actually using technology to explore a part of nature. Hofstadter also has another book entitled "Metamagical Themas." One time years ago I made a list of several books mentioned in that book and tried to find them in the library (unsuccessfully), but that was before Google and Amazon, so next time I'm up at school I'll try to remember to send you that list (there is no guarantee those books are actually real, given the nature of "Metamagical Themas"). There's also Richard Adams' "Shardik," set in primeval times but nevertheless very much about nature and the decisions we make in our interactions with that nature (again, using nature for something other than food and shelter, something spiritual). I'm also thinking of Paul Thereaux's "The Mosquito Coast," which is stretching the assignment a little bit, maybe quite a bit, but I distinctly remember thinking that the father character was caught up in the idea of this adventure in much the same way that scientists get caught up in the adventure of their explorations (Searcher?), whether those explorations be of the microscopic or the intergalactic.

Dr. Sanders’ suggestions for Theology of Nature:

• Calvin and subsequent discussion: Susan Schreiner's book Theatre of His Glory.
• Barth Vs. Brunner on natural revelation -iffy
• Collingwoods' Idea of Nature
• Alister McGrath's 3-volume scientific theology, the volume entitled Nature
• Colin Gunton - the Triune Creator.
• Bergmann, Creation Set Free, "an ecotheology of liberation"
• Ted Peters on proleptic creation from God the World's Future

Christianity and the Nature of Science Metatorrey Reading List

• Miracles by CS Lewis
• Christianity and the Nature of Science by JP Moreland
• Reason in the Balance: The Case against Naturalism in Science, law and Education by Phillip Johnson
• Physics; On the Heavens; On Genearation and Corruption; On the Generation of Animals, all by Aristotle
• A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology by Andrew D. White
• The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy by Nancy Pearcey and Charles Thaxton
• A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by John Losee
• Science in Europe 1500-1800, by Malcolm Oster
• Christian Ethics by Norman Geisler
• Faith, Reason and Earth History by Leonard Brand
• But is it Science by Michael Ruse
• Intelligent Design: The bridge between Science and Theology by William Dembski
• Darwin on Trial by Phillip E Johnson (Read Fall 2006)
• Faith form and Time by Kurt Wise
• Signs of Intelligence by William Dembski
• Mere Creation: Sceicne, Faith and Intelligent Design by Dembski
• Three Views on Creation and Evolution by Moreland, Reynolds, and Davis