How can you not love a band that dedicated an entire album to getting George W. Bush out of office?  You can’t.  Just try.

You really gotta love a guy who not only heads up a punk band, but who writes about his anarchist views regarding religion and science.  It’s quite a combo:  punk-rocker meets evolutionary biologist.  Graffin’s book, Anarchy Evolution, is a mix of science, philosophy, punk rock, and romanticized childhood. The tone ranges from sentimental (when talking about his childhood) to academic (when explaining Darwin and evolution).

It’s a nice mix, really.  There is a worldview that comes through very clear, and is mixed with song lyrics from Bad Religion– songs which are mostly about social issues.  Graffin identifies himself as a ‘naturalist’ and is eager to show the relationship between punk music and evolution.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  He never bashes other religions, but makes it clear that he bases his views on empirical evidence, only what he can see & know.

My only real concern in this book was Graffin’s position that nihilists (which he does not consider himself) are misguided and possibly mentally ill. This is dismissive, at best:  nihilism is a philosophical doctrine stating that there is no intrinsic meaning to life.  Those who suffer from various forms of depression may have a nihilist view of their own lives, but this doesn’t mean that all nihilists are depressed.  To dismiss an entire form of philosophy as misguided or mental is misguided in and of itself.

 

I plan to give this as an xmas gift to someone who loves evolution and is a bit cynical towards religion.  I think it’ll be a perfect fit.

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