Review: Anarchy Evolution by Greg Graffin & Steve Olson

Product Summary

Most people know Greg Graffin as the lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, but few know that he also received a PhD from Cornell University and teaches evolution at the University of California at Los Angeles. In Anarchy Evolution, Graffin argues that art and science have a deep connection. As an adolescent growing up when “Drugs, sex, and trouble could be had on any given night,” Graffin discovered that the study of evolution provided a framework through which he could make sense of the world.

In this provocative and personal book, he describes his own coming of an age as an artist and the formation of his naturalist worldview on questions involving God, science, and human existence. While the battle between religion and science is often displayed in the starkest of terms, Anarchy Evolution provides fresh and nuanced insights into the long-standing debate about atheism and the human condition. It is a book for anyone who has ever wondered if God really exists.

First Impressions

Co-authored by Greg Graffin—professor of biology and evolution, vocalist for punk-rock band Bad Religion (which formed in 1980 and is still going strong) and recipient of Harvard's Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism—and Steve Olson—2002 National Book Award finalist and consultant writer for the National Academy of Sciences—Anarchy Evolution is a unique blend of memoir, punk history and advocacy piece for naturalism, written by a man living "life at the intersection of art and science – or, more specifically, at the intersection of evolutionary biology and punk rock."

You have to stand in awe at Greg Graffin's determination, creative output and thirst for knowledge. One statement in particular blew my mind:

During the three years that I was earning a master's degree at UCLA, I completed three years of summer fieldwork in the mountains of Colorado; wrote a thesis on the earliest vertebrate environment; taught nine classes on comparative anatomy, evolution, and paleontology; recorded three albums; and toured with the band throughout the United States and in Europe.

Longtime fans of Bad Religion will be satiated with a lot of fascinating stories from Greg's youth, the band's early history, and his take on the punk-rock movement of the 70s and 80s. To those unfamiliar with the band, let this serve as a crash course about punk-rock in "The Valley".

I especially enjoyed details about Graffin's first expedition to Northern Bolivia as a curator's assistant, which saw him and several scientists trekking through the dangerous and uncharted terrain, making their way up a prominent river that leads into the Amazon. His stories (of both the exciting and the mundane) provide the reader with an interesting look into an environment that few have ever ventured. Did I mention that they had to cut the expedition short because of a coup d'état, the result of which made their scientific research illegal overnight? 

What may come as a surprise to some is that Graffin's abhorrence of dogma is not strictly religious. Indeed, he attacks dogma of all stripes, including atheistic dogma. In one convincing passage he explains that he rejects the term "atheist" because: i) it's pointless to make a negative statement (he likens "atheism" to calling himself an "a-instrumentalist", instead of the more apt title of "singer") and ii) atheism reveals nothing vital about a person or their beliefs. Greg prefers the term "naturalist", which he defines and expands upon with solid reasoning and logic.

Thankfully, Anarchy Evolution is not a memoir of personal accomplishments and tall tales. Graffin goes to great lengths in admitting that many of the personal setbacks he has endured were preventable, especially that of his failed marriage, which deteriorated due to the extensive amount of time he spent focusing on his research, field work and band. His honesty is heartfelt and genuine, and many readers may find themselves questioning their own priorities in life as a result. 

Lastly, I must also say that I found Graffin's advocacy for naturalism refreshing. He devotes many pages to explaining the importance of raising children who are conscientious of their impact on the natural world, as well as stressing the benefits our culture would gain if we would simply learn a decent foundation in the fields of biology and evolution, which Graffin posits would help to solidify people's love of the natural world and, as a byproduct, cause us to act more responsibly towards it.

Final Thoughts

By abandoning the idea that an intelligent designer created us, we can wake with each dawn and say, "What's done is done. Now how can I make the best of the here and now?" Life is never static. Despite catastrophic tragedies, life has persisted in evolving new varieties of unimaginable forms. I find comfort in the narrative of evolutionary history. When I create, I feel that I am a participant in the grand pageant of life, a part of the ongoing creative engine of the universe. I don't know if that feeling is enough to replace the solace of religion in the lives of most people, but it is for me.

I couldn't have put it any better myself, Greg.