Rating: 
Summary: Pondering icebergs, elephants, the stars, diets and coyotes.
Review: The twenty-nine essays he has collected here demonstrate that, when it comes to science and natural science, Cambridge evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, is not afraid to confront a good controversy. In his Introduction, Dawkins writes, "science is the systematic method in which we apprehend what is true about the real world in which we live. If you want consolation or an ethical guide to the good life, you can look elsewhere (and you may be disappointed). But if you want to know what is true about reality, science is the only way" (pp. xiv-xv). In his Introduction, he considers the fact that 45 percent of the U. S. population does not believe in evolution to be "something of a national education disgrace" (p. xvii).In addition to questioning whether we are alone in the universe, why our government is attempting to spend billions of dollars on a missile defense system that won't work, whether archeological discoveries support the Old Testament account of history in the Near East, and whether, from a statistical perspective, our response to September 11th has been out of proportion to the number of deaths involved, Dawkins' fascinating collection of essays also examines "wacky" planets and the "star people" who watch them, elephant seismic communication, advances in human DNA and embryo studies, icebergs, the world living beneath a single leaf, coyote persecution in Maine, the joys of of driving a Honda Civic hybrid, and "the big, fat lie" of the low-fat diet. This is a provocative collection of essays that will many prompt readers to rethink their perceptions of the wonders of universe. G. Merritt
Rating: 
Summary: solid collection
Review: There's little I can add to the reviews that the other reviewers haven't already said, and said well. I'll just chime in with my opinion: it's a solid collection of essays and I'd recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as 2002, but still very good
Review: This is a great series. This year the selection seemed to have more of an anti-religious and political tone, but most of the selections are still well-written, educational and thoughtful.
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