The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions
by David Berlinski
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Book Summary Information
Author: David BerlinskiEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2008-04-01
ISBN: 0307396266
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Crown Forum
Book Reviews of The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions
Book Review: It will offend some, but what doesn't these days?
Summary: 5 Stars
I would say with a modest amount of certainty that the topics of darwinian evolution and creationism/intelligent design are probably the most controversial topics one can discuss or even suggest in this modern society. Couple a controversy of such magnitude with an "empowerment" of sorts for today's atheists in the form of individuals such as Richard Dawkins and his vehement tirades against any thoughts which could be categorized as even remotely "spiritual", and we now see two of the largest populations in the world squaring off against each other. In this corner, ladies and gentlemen, we have the those who stand persistent in their opposition to religion. In the other corner, we have those professing to stand for a greater cause, and always affirming their belief in the almighty God. It is this society in which David Berlinski begins his book, "The Devil's Delusion". What must be understood first is that David Berlinski has no religious agenda. Indeed, he explicitly states that his religious upbringing "didn't take", and he classifies himself as neither Jew nor Christian...or Muslim, or Hindu, or Buddhist. His position is one in which he does not profess to know the answers to the "big questions" such as "is there proof that God exists?", but he does draw conclusions from the information present to us all (both religious and scientific). And it is this which should intrigue individuals tired or the the standard polarized arguments.
Perhaps this alone may be enough to prompt some interest, but be warned, Dr. Berlinski presents a very harsh critique of the modern scientific "idols", with his main focus being the evolutionary theory. The difference between Dr. Berlinski's arguments and those of other, more religious writers is that Dr. Berlinski is not arguing from a religious point of view; he is arguing from a scientific standpoint. Nowhere in this book does he propose a model proving creationism, nor does he state that he can show the calculus necessary to demonstrate the existence of the Almighty. What he does do is point out flaws in scientific theories from a scientist's point of view. He often does so with very sharp and concise comments, frequently utilizing moderately sarcastic humor to keep the mood from getting to grave. As a scientist myself working in the field of molecular biology, I greatly appreciate Dr. Berlinski's work to demonstrate that scientists are not always as correct as they many times proclaim to be. I too have seen the unfortunate mentality that modern scientists seem to have, and that is one of great superiority. This is another point discussed nicely in Dr. Berlinski's book. (As an aside, please understand that I believe there are many humble, well-meaning scientists, but there are also far too many who show a great deal of arrogance).
Dr. Berlinski's second focus in the book is that of atheism and the effects it can have in the scientific community. One of the points is this: Atheists cannot necessarily make excellent scientists since they already have very significant preconceptions about the way reality is, therefore they can be more prone to ignoring or dismissing anything contrary to their current worldview. This is a very rough translation, and I cannot do the book justice here, and I suggest reading it for the sake of reading his words straight from him, as opposed to hearing my paraphrases.
Overall, I believe that Berlinski's work here in "The Devil's Delusion" is highly necessary, as he is an individual who is not from the atheist side nor the religious side. Too often the scientific community merely dismisses anything spoken by a religious individual as being "tainted" by their "blind faith", which is why Berlinski's voice is one which is potent, since he cannot reasonably be called religious. As I mentioned previously, be warned that this book will probably offend your beliefs in some way (whether you are Christian or atheist), but it is an important third voice in an argument which is too often only represented by two rather loud sides.
And my final (rather off-topic) observation, for which I am sure many others reading this retaliate against, is this: I cannot help but notice how most items on amazon which could be controversial (especially those concerning evolution and creationism) are always given tags by users which usually amount to little more than childish name-calling. And this is not just for this book, but also for pro-religion and anti-religion books alike. For example, some of the tags for this book are "absolute crap", "delusional", "dumb as a rock", and "garbage". Is it not rather immature to give this book tags such as this? If this a position which you have, or if this is the way you perceive this book then simply say so in a review of the book where you can thoroughly discuss what you found to be "crap", "delusional", or "garbage", rather than simply attempting to smear the book simply because you disagree with its contents.
Summary of The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions
Militant atheism is on the rise. Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens have dominated bestseller lists with books denigrating religious belief as dangerous foolishness. And these authors are merely the leading edge of a far larger movement–one that now includes much of the scientific community.“The attack on traditional religious thought,” writes David Berlinski in The Devil’s Delusion, “marks the consolidation in our time of science as the single system of belief in which rational men and women might place their faith, and if not their faith, then certainly their devotion.”
A secular Jew, Berlinski nonetheless delivers a biting defense of religious thought. An acclaimed author who has spent his career writing about mathematics and the sciences, he turns the scientific community’s cherished skepticism back on itself, daring to ask and answer some rather embarrassing questions:
Has anyone provided a proof of God’s inexistence?
Not even close.
Has quantum cosmology explained the emergence of the universe or why it is here?
Not even close.
Have the sciences explained why our universe seems to be fine-tuned to allow for the existence of life?
Not even close.
Are physicists and biologists willing to believe in anything so long as it is not religious thought?
Close enough.
Has rationalism in moral thought provided us with an understanding of what is good, what is right, and what is moral?
Not close enough.
Has secularism in the terrible twentieth century been a force for good?
Not even close to being close.
Is there a narrow and oppressive orthodoxy of thought and opinion within the sciences?
Close enough.
Does anything in the sciences or in their philosophy justify the claim that religious belief is irrational?
Not even ballpark.
Is scientific atheism a frivolous exercise in intellectual contempt?
Dead on.
Berlinski does not dismiss the achievements of western science. The great physical theories, he observes, are among the treasures of the human race. But they do nothing to answer the questions that religion asks, and they fail to offer a coherent description of the cosmos or the methods by which it might be investigated.
This brilliant, incisive, and funny book explores the limits of science and the pretensions of those who insist it can be–indeed must be–the ultimate touchstone for understanding our world and ourselves.
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