Rating: 
Summary: Common sense can be beautiful.
Review: There are certain books which everyone in a country that considers itself "enlightened" should be required to read, at least before (s)he's out of school. The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan comes to mind immediately, as does this book by the brilliant Richard Dawkins, a man who thankfully continues to turn people away from superstition and ignorance and assists them in focusing on WHAT IS, rather than WHAT SOME PEOPLE WISH COULD BE (to further their own agendas).Common sense, beautiful prose, striking contrasts between science and other so-called belief systems, and sterling examples of weighty evidence favoring clear-cut science and critical thinking over pseudo-sciences like astrology (as science is the only general school of thought that actually delivers) all serve to make this, like all of Dawkins's other books, brilliant and inspiring from cover to cover. In a culture in which it hasn't been "okay" to be SMART in many decades (this is no coincidence, folks), Dawkins tries to get the reader to remember that (s)he has a brain, and that that brain is more than capable of perceiving hoaxes and ulterior motives. It becomes obvious after reading Dawkins's prose that one's natural sense of wonder can be fulfilled quite well by science
-- better than all other disciplines, in fact -- because scientific discoveries far outweigh any creation myth or new-age con job in regards to having the ability to strike the reader with eye-popping awe (and make one feel "special" as a living being on this planet). BUY THIS BOOK. Buy one for your best friend. It's quite necessary, in this world of ever-shrinking sensibilities. It's a good thing we still have a few good guys left. Dawkins is one of them. Let's hope he inspires enough people to champion the individual brain over the mass hallucination -- before there ARE no good guys left.
Rating:
Summary: What Evidence Is There for That?
Review: There are popularized TV shows that attempt to explain away hoaxes that have been played on the public. Unfortunately there are more that want to explain things in terms of some kind of mystical world of UFOs, Atlantis, or whatever.
In this book, Dr. Dawkins is attempting the first. This is a collection of essays written (and most of the times published) over a period of twenty five years that collectively make up an enthusiastid declaration, a testament to the power of rigorous scientific examination to reveal the wonders of the world.
Each little essay is a pearl of wisdom. Those where he talks about crationism over evolution seem to attract his best efforts. He sometimes reminds me of the old adage, 'don't confuse me with facts, my mind is made up.'
His writing is beautiful. I can't summarize the book any better than the closing of the last essay, an open letter to his then ten-year-old daughter, it ends, "And, next time somebody tells you that something is true, why not say to them: 'What kind of evidence is there for that?' And if they can't give you a good answer, I hope you'll think very carefully before you believe a word they say."
Rating: 
Summary: better than any chaplain!
Review: This book I felt was more of a tribute to Richard Dawkins himself than his other books that speak so movingly on Darwinism and evolution and natural selection. This one contains more moving and intelligent discussions on those topics but the seven sections that make it up are much more eclectic. The first section is definately a wonderful starting line! The first article, the namesake of the book, is some of the most inspirational and beautiful words on the topic of an educated, rational, scientific view of life I have ever read. It brought me close to tears and I think is an important thing for anybody that shares Richard's zest for an inquisitive, skeptical view of life to read. The second section is mostly Richard's continued admiration of Charles Darwin and his work. The first two articles are titled "Light Will Be Thrown" and "Darwin Triumphant" and I think the titles speak for themselves. My only bone to pick is that in this section Richard devotes under a page and a half to subject of homosexuality and genetics. As a gay man I have always been interested in Richard's thoughts on the subject and the short, curt, dare I say brush off of the topic I felt was cheating the readers of his signature wit and incredible logic and crystal clear communication of ideas. Section three was a collection of some of Richard's passionate, bold words on the subject of religion. In a culture (especially in America) where religion is untouchable and immune from scrutiny I applaud Richard's bravery in taking on the subject with his incredible talents of logic. The last essay in the section, "Time To Stand Up", is infused with post-911 urgency and are truly inspiring words from an atheist's point of view. Section 4 is a collection of eulogies and such for late friends of Richard's. A beautiful assortment of words that make the reader feel as if they knew the honored personally. Section 5 documents the debates and agreements between Richard and Stephen Jay Gould. A wonderful chapter that showcases some stellar educated skirmishes between two great minds. Section 6 is perhaps the most personal section. With the connecting theme of Africa Richard shares personal stories from his involvement with the continent through being born there and his acquaintances with important people doing important work there. The last section is just a "prayer" for his daughter Juliet. An inspiring argument for reason and science as opposed to the trickery of tradition, authority, and revelation, I feel like the letter could of been written to Richard's readers as well as an admonishon to continue searching for the cold hard truth of fact and evidence. Altogether a wonderful book by a wonderful man!
Rating:
Summary: Read the Second Half First
Review: This collection of essays starts with Dawkins opining on ape rights, excessive school testing, jury trials, and cloning, among others. He knows which side he is on in every subject, and it is the right side. Anyone who doesn't see that is a fool, and he doesn't suffer fools gladly. So it was with decreasing enthusiasm that I approached the second half of the book. There, Dawkins lets down his bluster a bit in pieces on Stephen Jay Gould (his professional rival), Douglas Adams, September 11, and his own daughter. As Dawkins becomes more thoughtful and just a tiny bit less sure of himself, the essays become more powerful.A Devil's Chaplain was, for me, a good introduction to Dawkins, and I'm looking forward to reading more.
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Summary: A buffer to the inevitable backlash of god-fearing wackos
Review: This review is simply meant to be a buffer against the inevitable reviews of fundamentalist wackos that always plague any book with a reference to evolution. How often you see a book with 2.5 stars and look closer, only to find out that there were a few cogent 5-star reviews offset by a few 1-star reviews of frantic spewing. The truth is a hard pill for the hoi poloi to swallow...
Rating:
Summary: Evolution is the art of the developable
Review: This selection of Richard Dawkins' essays is an absolute delight and a clear-cut illustration of the author's strong anti-tradition, anti-authority and anti-revelation opinions.
It deals with very important problems like the real nature of natural selection, its cruelty and blindness to suffering.
The author's life goal is nothing less than a combat with the cosmic progress and its clumsy, blundering waste, and that with one of the products of evolution itself: our brain.
Crucial is his war of words with the late S.J. Gould about the question if evolution is progressive. No, for Gould. Yes, for Dawkins. For the latter, progress cannot be defined in terms of complexity (Gould), but rather by the accumulation of features contributing to adaptation. I believe now that Dawkins is right.
Other very important issues are his battle with the creationists, his lucid pro-opinion on genetically modified food, his brilliant refutation of genetic determinism via the blueprint/recipe distinction or his necessary virulent anti-religious viewpoint (religion is a virus of the mind and the most inflammatory enemy-libelled device in history).
I have only a few remarks.
Richard Dawkins writes that 'Every time we use contraception we demonstrate that brains can thwart Darwinian designs'.
But, ceteris paribus, the outcome here is a certain defeat. The genes of those who use contraception will be overrun by those who don't. Contraception is itself a component of the Darwinian design.
In his essay 'What is true', he misses some important points.
As Tarski said, truth = accordance with the facts or processes.
Popper's importance was mainly the refutation of inductivism and its demand for infinite corroborations. As long as a theory has not been falsified we can continue to work with it. Popper's proposition constitutes a progress and time gain of lightyears for science as a whole. Also testing remains the cornerstone of scientific research.
Presenting Popper as a truth-heckler seems to me a little overdone, when we don't know 90% of the matter in the universe, perhaps 1 % of the existing virusses; when 'I' doesn't exist (V. Ramachandran) or when 'is' is an illusion (L. Smolin). As Popper said, the more we know, the more we see how little we know.
Richard Dawkins' essays are thought-provoking analyses and comments, written by a splendid humanist and a superb free mind.
This book is a must for all those interested in the fate of mankind.
Rating:
Summary: Love Letters to Science and Rationality
Review: Three Cheers!!!
This isn't merely a collection of essays from an esteemed old friend - it's a comprehensive review of the natural (and scientific) way of experiencing our world..."We already know that our senses are easily deceived...the lessons that conjurors, the honest variety and the imposters, teach us is that an uncritical faith in our own senses is not an infallible guide to truth." Here is the place for evidence, and eventually the scientific method. "Evolution gave us a brain whose size increased to the point where it became capable of understanding its own provenance, of deploring the moral implications and of fighting against them." Here is his advocacy of a system of ethics to deal with our evolved amoral tendencies. Some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read is the letter to his daughter, titled "Good and Bad Reasons For Believing." His take home message - show me the evidence. Elsewhere, he relates an interviewer pushing Carl Sagan for a premature answer. Asked, "But what is your gut feeling," Carl replied, "I try not to think with my gut."
Dawkins visits several old friends. His writings involving S. J. Gould are GREAT fun to read!! Gould was a colorful character and colleague who Dawkins frequently sparred with publicly. Dawkins comments on some semi-resolutions, some non-resolutions, and "this shouldn't have been an issue anyway" items, and is not to be missed.
For the hard-core computer geek, this is a gold mine: "The genetic code is truly digital, in exactly the same way as computer codes. This is not some vague analogy, it is the literal truth. Moreover, unlike computer codes, the genetic code, with a few minor exceptions, is identical in every living creature, from sulfur bacteria to giant redwood trees, from mushrooms to men...the present Luddism (fear of technology) over genetic engineering may die a natural death as the computer-illiterate generation is superseded."
For those who just prefer a light-hearted good time, turn to the chapter on postmodernism. Along with other morsels of gaity, Alan Sokal's hoax on the "cultural studies" area of postmodernism is presented. Sokal wondered if he could write a paper bad enough so that any college physics student would become hysterical with laughter, but good enough so that a leading postmodernist periodical would publish it. Unfortunately for the "Social Text," the answer is yes.
Now...ahem, about religion. Yes, Dawkins takes his patented "no prisoners" approach. "To describe religion as mind viruses is sometimes interpreted as contemptuous or hostile. It is both...as a lover of truth, I am suspicious of strongly held beliefs that are unsupported by evidence: fairies, unicorns, werewolves...the alleged convergence between (science and religion) is a shallow, empty, spin-doctored sham." There are 4 1/2 chapters with nothing but well-thought out comments on religion. Other phrases, lines and paragraphs of like thought are scattered throughout the book. Dawkins is one of the first authors I read who verbalized my own attitudes about religion. Since my early life was Baptist and I am still surrounded by conservative thinkers, these writings are like an oasis in the desert. Whatever one's belief, it seems to me the opposition should know what Dawkin's group is saying and why they're saying it.
I LOVED this book!!!
5 Enthusiastic Stars!!!
Rating:
Summary: Darwin's Dangerous Disciple strikes again!
Review: To some, Richard Dawkins is threatening. His phrases pry open shut minds. His words bend and flex rigid thinking. His ideas trash dearly held dogmas. And, of course, he idolizes The Devil's Chaplain - Charles Darwin [the title is from a letter of Darwin's]. He performs all these feats with a graceful style - one which anyone writing science should study. This collection is comprised of letters, book reviews and even eulogies - an unusual vehicle for espousing the cause of rational thinking. If much of his writing seems intense, it's because he recognizes his role in waging an uphill battle against "established truths", no matter how false they prove. To show the validity of truth over myth requires a direct approach. Dawkins recognizes that people abhor being called animals. The continuity of life, one of the major themes in this collection, remains an indisputable fact, he stresses. This series reinforces Dawkins' attempts to make us aware that we are part of Nature. He is always witty, using his sound scientific basis and rationale to keep us informed. Science, in his view, must not be eroded by baseless tradition nor false dogmas. The goal of living, he argues, is the understanding of life itself. Religion and philosophy have failed abysmally, the realm of science should be given its opportunity. It's a broad view, sustained by an ability to grasp it firmly. Better yet, for us, it's presented here with verve and dedication. Segregated into [lucky!] seven sections, each addressing a general theme. He covers many topics in this anthology - evolution, of course, but medicine, genetically modified foods [many foods are hybrids resulting from genetic manipulation], jury trials, intellectual heresies, and even government policies are included. The arrangement presents no difficulty - in fact, each offering might be chosen at random without losing any impact. Selecting a favourite is an arduous task [although it promotes re-reading] but the review of Sokal and Bricmont's "Fashionable Nonsense" ranks very high. The review demonstrates Dawkins' many talents, from insight to incisiveness. Few essayists provide the imagery he can attain to explain an idea. There are those, particularly adherents of the idea that science lacks morality, who see scientists as cold and distant. Dawkins shows how false this idea is with his laudatory comments on John Diamond, Douglas Adams and William Hamilton. He even extends an olive branch to his academic opponent, the late Stephen J. Gould. As fellow evolutionists, Dawkins and Gould forged a rapport against the rants and duplicities of the Christian creationists. It requires a broad mind to take such steps, and narrowness isn't among Dawkins' blemishes. He's a feeling human being and a tireless campaigner. We would all do well to heed and emulate him. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating:
Summary: Dawkins and Truth
Review: With, "A Devil's Chaplain" Richard Dawkins shows his readers why its so important to make the choice for truth.
What is it about his words that so clearly pinpoint the nature of Science, and why it is so fundamentally different from everything that has come before, and for that matter, everything else to come from the human mind.
Most of Dawkins readers--I suspect--read for his witty and intelligent debunking of this or that Pseudoscience (Creationism, Spirituality, Talking to the dead). And theres plenty of that here. In fact, that is what the book is about. But, if you get at the heart of his words, if you truly grasp what he is saying, you come away with much more than that.
Dawkins understands the very meaning of science. Not just the proccess, or the way it obtains information. He understands that science is, in essence, everything.
When Creationists are cornered to a wall by informed debaters, they always come back to this question: Why must Science inherently discount the idea of a supernatural cause? (An argument that works on two levels. It serves to confuse unsophisticated or unlearned minds by insinuating that science is only a belief, just like religion, and therefore the two are on equal ground when it comes to revealing our world. It also, --quite correctly I might add--gives the impression that science is biased.) Dawkins gives the answer here emphatically: Yes, Science immediately discounts the supernatural. Because Science is the study of everything, and everything is natural. Nature is the world around us...it's laws and properties. Know them, and you can know everything else.
Don't be fooled, though. We can take it for granted because wev'e lived with it all our lives. But, the simple idea that we call science is so revolutionary, so powerfull, that not only is just about all we know a result of Science, but so to is just about all we think.
History is science...
Archeology is science,
Politics is science, Sociology is science,
Technology is science,
Architecture is science,
Economics is science,
Advertising is science, Even Plumbing is science. To those who say the earth is at the center of the solar system, we can show you your wrong. To those who say the world is six thousand years old, we can prove that you err.
To those that say that all living things don't share a common ancestor, we can show you that they do.
But science can also show you more things about your religion than your religion can about itself. It can dig deep into the past and explain the rise of monotheism, and Christianity. It can tell you why and how they arose, and continue to succeed.
And it always assumes one thing: That everything is natural.
It is precisely this idea that separates science and powers humanity to heights previously unimaginable. Religion does a great job of explaining everything instantly, and Science is attacked by its lesser cousins for not being able to do that. But it is precisely for that reason that science succeeds so gloriously.
Suppose you were to come home one evening to find your front window broken, and footprints leading from it to the kitchen.
You might think one of two things. Either that a housemate forgot his keys and couldn't get inside, or someone illegaly broke into your home. Say you consider the latter option more likely because your roomate is very organized and it wouldn't be like him to forget the keys. So you proceed with the assumption that someone has robbed your house. Walking inside, the first thing you notice, is that the crystal vase you had in your dining room is not there. When you get to your room, your computer is missing, and so is the watch you left on your desk. The back window is also wide open, and the footprints are leading in it's direction. You can now safely rule out the first theory. Why? Well obviously, because all your stuff is missing. Put in a more generic way, "All the facts support the second theory." Now, we can'b be absolutely positive that this explanation is right. There are still others. But as long as you remain capable of collecting facts, and looking at them objectively, you can get to the bottom of this.
That is science, and that's all it is.
And just about everything we have, we owe to it.
It's succes allows us to proclaim that we know the truth. And for the first time, we're right. Because the only truth is discovered through the mechanisms it created, and revealed by the machines it made. Lets hear it for those who make time to making us understand where truth comes from.
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