What is the book The Greatest Hoax on Earth about?

Answer 1

The full title of this book ''The Greatest Hoax on Earth:Refuting Dawkins on Evolution'' is another rebuttal by creation scientist Dr. Jonathan Sarfati. It attempts to answer Richard Dawkins recent work ''The Greatest Show on Earth.''

Dawkins outlined in his book what he regards as the best evolutionary evidences -something he realised he had not done in a number of his previous works. Dr. Sarfati refutes each alleged evidence point by point.

Among a number of things which Dawkins states is his often-repeated assertion that the eye is badly designed, due to the backwards-facing retina. Sarfati says this is questionable, since Dawkins' design would put the opaque choroid layer of blood vessels at the front of the eye -which would be like having a continuous black eye his other suggestion would make it impossible for regeneration after exposure to bright light and so it would take months for us to be able to see again each time we looked outside on a bright day. Sarfati quotes opthalmologist Dr. Goerge Marshall who stated "The idea that the eye is wired backward comes from a lack of knowledge of eye function and anatomy."

Sarfati also states that Dawkins continues to use straw-man arguments -pointing out things which creationists do not believe, in order to make his case. Sarfati suggests that Dawkins use of straw-men is inexcusable -that Dawkins should find out and address and refute what creationists actually say.

Answer

In reference to the bad design Dawkins alleges for the human eye (and Sarfati's refutation):

Sarfati states (in response to Dawkins comments about the alleged 'backward wiriing') "Once more, Dawkins shows no understanding of the need to regenerate the photocells, which necessitates this 'backward wiring'. (Greatest Hoax, p 273) Earlier Sarfati explains why Dawkins' allegedly superior design is nothing of the sort as it "would require either - the choroid in front of the retina-but the choroid is opaque....so this would be as useless as an eye with a hemorrhage! - Photoreceptors not in contact with the RPE or choroid at all- but without a rich blood supply to regenerate, then it would probably take months before we could see properly after we were photographed with a flashbulb or we glanced at some bright object." (Greatest Hoax p 271-272) Thus Sarfati shows that Dawkins' alleged better design is not better at all.

Sarfati's overall thrust is to demonstrate the ignorance of Dawkins in relation to the overall structure of the human eye, which does what it does very well, just as the octopus eye serves the octopus very well, in its particular environment. He also points out that the octopus does not see colour as humans can, nor is their vision particularly sharp. Sarfati also refers to a statement by ophthalmologist Dr George Marshall who said "The idea that the eye is wired backward comes from a lack of knowledge of eye function and anaotomy." (Greatest Hoax p 271). He also refers to the work of ophthalmologist Peter Gurney who also has written a thorough refutation of the idea that the human eye is badly designed (op. cit. p 274).

At the end of this section Sarfati also makes the point that alleging bad design does not in any way demonstrate how evolution created the eye in the first place.

Sarfati acknowledges in his epilogue that this subject is a big one. A listing of the chapter headings certainly reveals this to be so:

1. Bait-and-switch.

2. Species and Kinds.

3. Natural Selection.

4. Evolution before our very eyes?

5. Embryos and self-assembly.

6. Common ancestry or common design?

7. Where are the transitional fossils?

8. The links are still missing.

9. Ape-men?

10. Geographical distribution.

11. Is the earth ancient?

12. Young world evidence.

13. Origin of Life.

14. Lost structures:evolution or devolution?

15. 'Bad design':evidence for evolution?

16. "Nature red in tooth and claw"

17. Evolution, science,history and religion.

The above list shows that he has met Dawkins on a wide field of alleged evolutionary evidence. Acknowledging the limitations of such a work and the greatness of the topic he points to the 7000+ articles available on one creationist website alone (Creation Ministries International). He highlights the repeated misrepresentation of the creationist position by Dawkins and suggests it is better to read what creationists actually say and believe than the version presented by Dawkins (examples scattered throughout the book).

Answer 2

The Greatest Hoax on Earth was written to refute Richard Dawkins on Evolution. One of Dawkins' claims was that the human eye, as with the eyes of all other mammals is badly designed, leading to the famous 'blind spot'. Dawkins said that if the nerves to the retina came in from behind, rather than from the front, then there would be no blind spot. Sarfati's claim is that Dawkins has displayed scientific ignorance by making this claim, but fails to realise that Dawkins has demonstrated that this is just how the eyes of octopuses work. It seems that Jonathan Sarfati was a little too eager to refute Dawkins.