Was the 'Rare Earth' Hypothesis Influenced by a Creationist?

From: Skeptical Inquirer | Date: November 1, 2001| Author: Frazier, Kendrick | Copyright information

The idea that complex life may have evolved only as a result of a series of exceedingly rare events on Earth, and its corollary--that advanced life may well be rare in the universe--gained new credence and respectability with publication last year of the book Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe. The book, by two University of Washington scientists, Peter D. Ward, a paleontologist, and Donald Brownlee, an astronomer, is an extensive argument for the Rare Earth h...

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