Description
What is the Origin of Man ? is a work of mature reflection written with the aim of exposing outmoded antagonisms between science and religion, and showing that far from standing in opposition, the two are perfectly compatible. Whatever the reader's personal beliefs, he will find here many concrete facts that are all too often overlooked when the subject of man's origins is raised. Thus, the reader will be better equipped to take a fresh look at the contribution made by genuine scientific discoveries-free from all ideology and by the new light that has been cast on the Holy Scriptures.
In Maurice Bucaille, we have a rare example of a medical practitioner who has closely studied the Scriptures of the monotheistic religions. At age fifty, he learned Arabic in order thoroughly to understand the original text of the Qur'an. Since the publication of The Bible, the Qur'an and Science in 1976 (now a best-seller in France and the Muslim world), Doctor Bucaille has become a respected commentator on the Holy Scriptures, particularly the Qur'an, to which he brings the benefits of his wide-ranging scientific knowledge. He at present enjoys an impressive reputation that extends from Africa to Indonesia indeed, wherever his book has been translated and published.
For over forty years, the author has gathered information from many different disciplines, devoting special attention to modern genetics and molecular biology. The synthesis that emerges from his study is so detailed and far-reaching, that it alone would have justified publication. Instead, however, Doctor Bucaille has added to these subjects the teachings of the Holy Scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In so doing, his purpose has been to compare Scriptural teachings with scientific facts, and thereafter to match the firmly established data of science with the general ideas that arise from the study of the Scriptures.
The author possesses a positive cast of mind and a pronounced taste for concrete fact. He does not hesitate, therefore, to criticize theories which while appearing to be scientific, in fact betray their ideological purpose. This attitude is again present in his assessment of abstract pronouncements on the Scriptures, when these are devoid of material evidence or dictated by apologetics that are no longer relevant.
