The God Delusion [Hardcover]

 

 

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Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary theorist and holds the Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He is also a best seller author of science books, and quite easy to read.

In this book, Dawkins tackles the problem of religion -- and he does see it as a problem. Dawkins begins by pointing out that there is no evidence whatsoever of god. True, he cannot prove that god does not exist, but the same is true of all possible gods, including Zeus and Wotan. The fact that something cannot be proven false is no evidence whatsoever that is true.

Dawkins further points out how religion (or, more precisely, faith) is so damaging. Faith is, quite simply, the enemy of reason. If one believes something on faith then, by definition, it does not matter what the evidence shows, one will still believe. It is a matter of faith. No matter how strong the evidence of evolution, for example, many faithful simply refuse to believe. With faith, there is no argument, no evidence good enough. With reason, one will still make mistakes, but at least one is trying to get it right.

Dawkins believes very strongly in what he says, but that does not make him just another fundamentalist. Dawkins came to his beliefs by looking at evidence, considering all arguments and applying reason. If, tomorrow, one presented him with evidence that he was wrong, he would change his mind.

This book will offend many readers, but that is not what Dawkins intends and it only proves his point: readers who are offended have been so blinded by religion that they are unable to consider that they might be wrong without suffering pain.

For an explanation of how evolution works, read Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker. For a small sample of the evidence behind the theory (and a brief history of life on earth), read The Ancestor's Tale. These books are written in a less strident manner, and would only offend the those who take the Bible completely literally, and cannot tolerate the thought that they are mistaken.

Richard Dawkins does an excellent job of building a strong case for atheism by using logic and science in "The God Delusion". He shows the logical fallacies of the so-called proofs of Gods existence. He debunks the myth about religion being the source of morality and ethics, debunks other myths about the immorality of non-believers. He exposes some of the logical inconstancies and errors within the religions themselves. All in all, he does an outstanding job of explaining why atheism is on much firmer ground than any of the major religions.

There are some problems with the book as well, but before I go into those it is important to note that this is definitely a good book for religious people as well as atheists and agnostics to read. It gives a good explanation of why atheists don't believe in a god or gods, and probably deserves an overall rating of around 3.75 stars. So while I will go into some more detail about what I thought was not so good about the book that is merely because it is necessary to be more detailed about the problems than it is to be about the parts which are well done.

The weaknesses of the book all stem from one source, and that is that Dawkins, like everyone, is too close to the subject. It is probably impossible for anyone to take a completely dispassionate look at this subject, as we all have had to deal with various religions throughout our lives. On several occasions, Dawkins ventures out from his base of logic and science to make assumptions which are based only on his thoughts and not facts. For example, in Chapter 10, "A Much Needed Gap" he implies that religious people should be happy when a loved one is about to die, and goes on to imply that because they aren't it is somehow significant in the argument. However, people grieve for a variety of reasons, and not necessarily because they don't truly believe in heaven. As an atheist, I grieve for the absence in my life of a loved one, and there is no reason to believe that religious people don't feel the same sense of loss, regardless of whether they believe that person is going to heaven.

Another example is in Chapter 5 on "Why There Almost Certainly Is No God" where he correctly states that "since we are alive, eukaryotic and conscious, our planet has to be one of the intensely rare planets that has bridged all three gaps", or in short that it doesn't matter how improbable our existence is, because we exist we must have beaten those odds. What he fails to do though, is accept that same argument for the improbability of the existence of God. One could just as easily say that if God exists, that it doesn't matter how improbable its existence is. Of course, we don't have proof of God's existence, but the point is that if we are here because of the existence of a God, then its probability becomes irrelevant. The argument works in both cases, and while it is fair to say that the case for evolution is more probable, that doesn't prove that God doesn't exist.

Probably the worst chapter is Chapter 9 on "Childhood, Abuse and Religion". In this chapter, Dawkins argues that bringing up a child in a specific religion is a form of abuse. However, he really offers no way of solving this supposed problem. Would he have the State take children away and raise them? Would he require that people be at least 18 before they are allowed to attend services? And if so, how would he monitor what the parents tell the children at home? He ignores the fact that everything that parents do in raising their children can be for good or ill. They might spoil them with gifts or be too strict. They might teach them bad eating habits which will lead to health problems. The entire argument is based on emotionalism and is irrational, and it offers no answers. The vast majority of parents do a very good job of raising their children, whether they raise them in a specific faith or not.

Now that I have beat up on the book a little, let me finish by saying once again that despite its flaws, this is a very good book and enjoyable to read. The vast majority of the material is presented in a rational way. Dawkins really grabs the reader's attention, and I am sure that religious people would enjoy debating in their minds the points Dawkins makes just as much as I did. This book is a much better look at atheism and the problems with religion than Harris' "The End of Faith". It is not perfect, but I have no problem rounding "The God Delusion" up to four stars.

I won't waste your time telling you what a good book this is ... get it and read it! Notice that all the bad reviews will quote scripture or otherwise reveal their not-so-hidden agendas for criticizing it.

I'm not sure I read too much that I didn't already know, but this is a great book for recommending to others who need a good overview/primer of the atheist position.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Rush Order
I ordered this book from Amazon about a week before Christmas on expedited service. I was unsure of whether I would receive it in time. Read more

Published 23 days ago by Chris from Toronto

5.0 out of 5 stars Great condition
Like new, shipped in less than the estimated time given, overall very satisfied with my first experience buying a second hand book online.

Published 3 months ago by Lindskitten

4.0 out of 5 stars The God Delusion
A great approach to a great question. Unsolved by classic religions, science give us a fresh answer, one without the pain and restrictions that old paradigms unbodied on religion... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Joseso

1.0 out of 5 stars How could this ever have found a printer?
Simply put, one of the dumbest books of modern history. This poor buffoon thinks he has refuted Aquinas' proof for the existence of God. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Tom M

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This is a MUST read for everybody. This book should be studied in ALL classrooms from grades 1 to 12.

If you haven't bought this book HURRY out NOW and buy it.

Published 9 months ago by OppressedAtheist

2.0 out of 5 stars Dawkin's Delusions
The book is well written and reads easily. Science, Dawkins' element, is naturally taking center-stage and is presented in a format understandable to non-science readers, which is... Read more

Published 12 months ago by sedgewick

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book, but perhaps not relevant for a life-long Atheist
I am not normally interested in books about religion, but I was given this one as a gift so I thought I'd give it a try. Read more

Published 15 months ago by kipper

1.0 out of 5 stars too arrogant to be digestible
I'm not sure this is a true review, for I had to put this book down after reading only the two prefaces, Chapter 1 and part of Chapter 2. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Inglerean

5.0 out of 5 stars The God Delusion
The book is precisely what I expected it to be. It has concise, clear and intelligent arguments that rely on reason and not on emotional preconceived notions. Read more

Published 16 months ago by JPL

4.0 out of 5 stars An important book (although not one of Dawkins' best.)
Since reading this book, I have read a few others by Mr Dawkins. Two in particular, Blind Watchmaker and The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, were excellent and... Read more

Published 17 months ago by C. J. Thompson

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