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99 internautes sur 119 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
Dawkins Lays Out the Case for Atheism, Oct. 7 2006
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.
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62 internautes sur 75 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
Great book - unless you have a vested interest., Mars 14 2007
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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35 internautes sur 43 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
4.0étoiles sur 5
Dawkins book beautifully written, but monolithic, Juil 9 2007
Richard Dawkin's book has rightly generated much controversy, since the topic of religion and science has become a headline item for a variety of reasons (Bush administration, 'terrorism', our shrinking world in the face of narrow world views, etc.). He is a fabulous writer, even if some of the material may take a couple of times. It deserves to be read, particularly by those who are religious but have a open or inquisitive mind about how things work and why. I would hope that being religious, intelligent, and open minded are not as rare---or as mutually exclusive--as Dawkins would have us believe.
I was most impressed by his 'atheism' arguments, and the way he brought Darwinian principles to bear as an explanation for the evidence. His later applications of Darwinism, to the rise of religion for instance, struck me as less compelling. There are 'better' theories dealing with some of the later topics (i.e., morality, religion, and society), such as those by Nietzsche and Freud (and others). In short, his explanations could delve into the psychological realm more thoroughly; rather, we are offered a Darwin monolith of sorts, one that proposes to explain all those things people rely on religion for. Delete "religion" insert "Darwinism"--an oversimplification for sure, but one not altogether unwarranted.
Tricky thing about Darwinian theory: while it definitely offers powerful explanations, you're never completely sure you have exactly the right one. Yes, having or doing "X" would have had some evolutionary advantage; but back-filling in that space from the standpoint of the present with just the right explanation and set of circumstances is far from assured. Changes in our models of dinosaurs, for instance, proves that.
If you're an atheist, or close to it, then he's going to be "preaching to the choir" (if I may use such an ironic metaphor) much of the time. If you're part of the other 90+ percentage of the population, then I would very much recommend reading Dawkins and seriously considering his arguments. You don't have to buy the *exact* explanations he offers---the real question is whether *some kind* of Darwinian/naturalistic explanation is ultimately at the root of our "miraculous" existence (something both sides must agree on).
Therein lies the real value of his book, and read in those terms this is an outstanding (5 star) text. I feel the first (and maybe most important) point should focus not so much on what you believe, just that you think.
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