“This is an infuriating little book,” writes reviewer Jeffrey Shallit, complaining of its poor writing, its failure to cite relevant literature, and its author’s tendency for self-promotion and exaggeration. “Nevertheless, despite all these flaws … the book is written in an engaging and enthusiastic style, and does contain one rather interesting idea.” Shallit concludes, “So contrary to the title of his book, Chaitin has not proved Darwin mathematically.

Jere H. Lipps writes, in his review-essay of Life Ascending, "Nick Lane’s book is terrific, a different presentation of evolution than we have generally had in the past. Lane, a biochemist, has chosen ten 'Great Inventions of Evolution' to write about and to convey 'some of my own thrill in the chase'. And thrilling each chase is.

Reviewer Richard F. Firenze writes that Wilson “is suggesting that by reading the directions, written in the language of evolution, and working with what’s on the table, a species honed for survival and reproduction on the African savanna by what he calls the ‘hammer blows of natural selection’ ... can create not just a better city …

“Arguing for Evolution is the latest addition to an increasing number of books written to provide a view of contemporary evolutionary biology for the educated layperson … organized around chapters covering the scientific status of evolution, the age of the earth, fossils, biogeography, molecular and anatomical evidence of evolution, behavior, coevolution, and human evolution,” explains reviewer Erik Scully.