New Books in Secularism25 Nov 2017

Abby Hafer, “The Not-So-Intelligent Designer: Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not” (Cascade Books, 2015)

Have you ever asked yourself why humans have an appendix that will sometimes explode and kill us? Why do men’s testicles hang outside the body where theyre arguably awkward and vulnerable? And if there is an Intelligent Designer, who does it like better anyway—us or squid? These and other related questions are addressed in the book The Not-So-Intelligent Designer: Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not (Cascade Books, 2015), in which Abby Hafer argues that the human body has many faulty design features that would never have been the choice of an intelligent creator. She also points out that there are other animals that got better body parts, which makes the Designer look a bit strange. She discusses the history and politics of Intelligent Design and creationism; reveals animals that shouldn’t exist according to Intelligent Design; and disposes of the idea of irreducible complexity. If you have a chance to get a copy of her book, you’ll find that her points are illustrated with pictures, wit, and erudition.

Hafer has a doctorate in zoology from Oxford University, and teaches human anatomy and physiology at Curry College. She’s also a member of the Humanist Society and a contributor to the Humanist Magazine and the American Humanist Association. Her work debunking Intelligent Design/Creationism includes frequent humorous public lectures and she has been interviewed on NPR, WBAI and other radio outlets and television shows. You can see more of her on YouTube discussing Animals that Shouldn’t Exist, According to Intelligent Design, UnIntelligent Design, and more.

Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Universite Laval in Quebec City.

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Will Gervais, "Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species" (Prometheus Books, 2024)

Does God exist? This straightforward question has spawned endless debate, ranging from apologists’ supposed proofs of God’s existence to New Atheist manifestos declaring belief in God a harmful delusi...

13 Sep 1h 28min

An Honest Death: Life's End and Humanist Funerals with Matthew Engelke

A fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at non-religious funerals in contemporary London, An Honest Death: Life's End and Humanist Funerals (Princeton UP, 2026) is an intimate and moving ethnographic ac...

28 Aug 54min

Steven K. Green, "American Infidelity: The Gilded Age Battle Over Freethought, Free Love, and Feminism" (Oxford UP, 2026)

Today I'm speaking with Steven K. Green, Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of History and Religious Studies at Willamette University. We are discussing his book, American Infide...

29 Juli 57min

Steven Nadler, "Spinoza, Atheist" (Princeton UP, 2026)

In 1656, a young Amsterdam merchant was excommunicated by his Portuguese-Jewish community in the harshest terms it had ever used. Baruch Spinoza was accused of unspecified “horrifying heresies,” but ...

2 Juni 37min

Drew M. Dalton, "The Matter of Evil: From Speculative Realism to Ethical Pessimism" (Northwestern UP, 2024)

Most of us today would assume that morality and ethics, being value propositions, are questions for inspired leaders, religious creeds, poets—in other words, for the humanities. But what if I told you...

17 Maj 1h 10min

Elliot B. Hanowski, "Towards a Godless Dominion: Unbelief in Interwar Canada" (McGill-Queen’s UP, 2023)

In recent surveys, one in four Canadians say they have no religion. A century ago, Canada was widely considered to be a Christian nation, and the vast majority of Canadians claimed they were devoutly ...

9 Mars 1h 9min

Zalman Newfield, "Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism" (Temple UP, 2026)

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religiou...

23 Feb 1h 14min

Todd H. Weir and Lieke Wijnia, eds., "The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Heritage in Contemporary Europe" (Bloomsbury, 2025)

The open access Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Heritage in Contemporary Europe (Bloomsbury, 2025) offers readers a state-of-the-art guide to the public debates and scholarship on religious herita...

23 Feb 1h 25min