Shermer continues:

This general fear leads to six specific fears about evolution.

1. A general resistance to science.
2. Belief that evolution is a threat to specific religious tenets.
3. Misunderstanding of evolutionary theory.
4. The fear that evolution degrades our humanity.
5. The equation of evolution with ethical nihilism.
6. The fear that evolutionary theory implies we have a fixed human nature.

See the source (and book) for full discussion of why "[a]ll of these fears are baseless."

I've read Shermer's other works and they're remarkably readable and informative for specialists and non-specialists alike. He's one of the leading writers bringing scientific ideas into the popular domain. I'm sure this new book will be well worth reading also.

Without a civil society we will be reduced to living like brute animals

um, have you read the papers lately!!

I don't read the papers...I clip 'em!

Seriously, see how how many ways the syllogistic reasoning on human morality breaks down?

good point Kore! i should go do 50 push-ups for that one

As a side note, I just want to laugh at the whole Inteligent Design idea. Because if there were an Inteligent Designer, he/she would have realized there are several short comings worthy enough for a version upgrade. Humans 2.0?

Not to squelch discussion, but I'd suggest that mocking ID is not in the spirit of Michael Shermer. As a former born-again creationist, he always maintains nothing but the utmost respect for religion, the bible, and its believers...while simultaneously never failing to discuss hard scientific truths.

His previous book "How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God" attempts to answer the question "Why do we (Americans) believe?" in as scientificly valid a way as possible. It's an excellent study with lots of original research.