The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
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Book Reviews of The God Delusion
Book Review: God Delusions
Summary: 5 Stars
I realise, that "The God Delusion" by the (in?)famous Richard Dawkins has managed to stir the already not so calm waters of theistic discussion around the globe (or at least in the Western hemisphere), so I will tread carefully in my review.
I, myself an atheist and humanist to the bone, may be part of the choir that Dawkins apparantly is preaching to, but I still think his book is quite decent and informative. Looking at the reviews posted here and elsewhere, I doubt if Dawkins has managed to 'convert' many people to atheism with this volume, which was his intension when writing it. It has cast fuel on the fire though.
"The God Delusion" covers quite a lot of ground and applies a concistent scientific angle to the subject treated. I have always looked at the (non-)existence of God as more of a philosophical question (along the lines of Bertrand Russel etc)and not as much of a scientific one, which made this book very interesting. It certainly gave me something new to ponder. Especially the sections on ethics were of great interest to me personally. It is written with wit and a clear passion for his cause. He makes no excuses for any sort of pseudo-believing and stays right on track throughout. There may be only few new arguments or angles to find here and I think Dawkins comes dangerously close to oversimplifying things with his meme-theory (with which I was not acquainted before reading this volume, but will certainly study more in-depth now), and some of his arguments seem to work only (or at least best) in an ideal world ie like a physics experiment. There are also a few (and only a few) instances where the arguments would do with a balancing counterview or third option, but these instances are, as mentioned, very few.
All in all I honestly think, that "The God Delusion" is a good addition to the discussion of there being a supreme being or not. I also think that it is a shame, that so many people blankly refuse to read or consider the material in this volume. Sadly religion seems to be a thing which can only be seen in black or white.
4,5 Stars. Highly recommendable.
Book Review: The Apple & The Talking Snake
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start off by warding off those closed minded Fundamentalist thinkers, you can't change your mind nor can you fully comprehend what you are reading. These people believe in: Vampires, Werewolves, burning Witches, Ghouls, Ghosts, Incubus, Succubus, Demons, Angels&Devils, Beelzebub, human sacrifice(Old Testament), offering their daughters up for gang rape(Sodom Old Testament), rivers turning to blood, raining frogs, boils, wholesale murder(death of the first born), Jonah(a man living in a whale), sun rotating around the earth, The Great Flood, The Ark, a Virgin Birth, Lazurus raising from the dead(I wonder whatever happened to him anyway), Resurrection of Jesus(bodysnatchers probably), Praying to non existant Entities(schizophrenia, or talking to yourself), The Whore of Babylon(great title), Lilith(Adams evil ex-wife), Garden of Eden, A Talking Snake(O Brother!), Rampant Inscest(Old Testament, where else do you think all the people came from after Adam and Eve were thrown out of Eden), Women the reason for all Evil in the world(The Bible), The Apple(any scientist will tell you that apple trees don't exist in that part of the world)ect. ect. ect. The list could be endless. I want to say that this book 'The God Delusion' had a profound effect on the way I will tolerate people who choose self imposed ignorance and fear of the unknown(called Faith)over scientific fact. These childish people should be shunned as potentially dangerous(as history has shown so)to intelligent free thinking individuals. Atheist's try to work, learn, live and love in a dangerous world, but unfortunately were surrounded by superstitious, zealous, hate mongering yokels who would do anything...even kill(bombing abortion clinics, shooting Doctors) or impose anything, politics...(teaching creationism, prayer in schools, we walked with dinosaurs, hate gay people ect.) to make you or your children fit into their Idea club. Religion is a choice, though not a smart one. Richard Dawkins you are a brilliant, articulate, literate man and I will read anything and everything you've ever written.Book Review: Thank you Richard Dawkins for writing this Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
You've helped me break free from the religion of my ancestors (Christianity). Now I'm in a whole new world and it's exciting. My natural curiousity for science/history/humann behavior/psychology was fed up with the dogmatic views of Christianity. The church was so certain about its views about the world when there really wasn't any justification, just a dusty old book written thousands of years ago with many different/plausible interpretations out there. After becoming an atheist I felt alone. I thank Mr. Dawkins for writing this book and I ask more scientists to help theists ask critical/thoughtful questions about their beliefts, don't just hide in the shawdows assuming that religion is good for the masses, it's not! National Academy of Science members and Fellows of the Royal Society.. Please Please! do more to help out the average Joes out there see the truth. Just assuming there is a God and that he is the answer to anything science hasn't yet explained isn't a very smart thing to do. I challenege everyone who disagrees with this book to do some indepedent reading on evolution (even the apples/strawberries/cashew nuts you consume were not made that way by God) Farmers used selection to cultivate most of the thing we eat (Guns, Germs and Steel; Jared Diamond).. this of course isn't really evolution... but you might start getting the picture that God really didn't create a perfect garden of eden for us to enjoy the fruits of. It's ridiculous to think that in our modern day of science that over half the population holds unto the mystisims and narrow dogmatic views of the past. Reminds me of thos who would point to the sun and say "look at that beautiful sun rising every morning, what could make that possible other than God!" Now science knows what make sthe sun rise so theists have moved unto other subjects.. and will keep on moving until there is nothing left for them to hold unto (I Hope)
Richard Dawkins Keep up the Good Fight! (as the apostle Paul would say)
I am with you, even to the very end (as Jesus said... haha)
Book Review: Why God Does Not Exist
Summary: 5 Stars
Among the rash of recent books espousing the cause of atheism, I find the arguments in this book and the style of Dawkin's writing to be especially impressive. As a professed agnostic, I squirmed regularly at some of my rationalizations which have little basis in logic and I laughed and delighted at Dawkin's refutations of commonly cited reasons to believe in God, especially the literal God of the Bible. He is especially convincing about the tenuous relationship between religion and morality. Much of his negativity about religion is due to the inclination of the religious to be absolutely convinced of their beliefs and quite closed to any kind of argument and to their tendency to be absolute in their morality. I do have a lot of sympathy for those matters.
I find, however, that Dawkins, as well as other authors who are opposed to religious beliefs, often denounce things that are either neutral or have potential value in spite of weak logical underpinnings. While I prefer the rationale that Dawkins presents about the nature and development of the universe, I also find that some products of religion- notions of spirituality, creations of beauty in music, art, dance, architecture, etc.- are given little credit. It may have been wasteful to build the great cathedrals of Europe or the magnificent temples of Asia but they do stand as monuments to human creativity and provide ongoing pleasure today outside of their function as religious centers. Inspiration for the El Grecos and the Bachs of the world should be seen as byproducts of the religious experience, logical or not. I do not contest Dawkin's argument that religious has been the source of many wars and other problems in human history.
This is fine book for either non-believers who will delight in its pages and find new and convincing arguments or support for their beliefs or believers who have another opportunity to examine their own faiths and weigh them on the scale of logic. I found the book very well written and quite interesting. It is well worth reading.
Book Review: An honorable man....
Summary: 5 Stars
From my perspective, the two most remarkable things about this book have nothing to do with its subject matter. Sure, the facts are compelling, and the arguments are convincing, but he's arguing against religion, an easy target for any well-educated person. The two remarkable things are these: (1) the book reflects an incredible display of patience and persistence by Mr. Dawkins, and (2) the book reflects a calm, careful method of presentation that many modern public intellectuals would be well-advised to emulate. As for the first, Mr. Dawkins calmly and patiently addresses a large number of the key counterpoints raised by believers. He recites those counterpoints accurately and then proceeds to explain why he rejects them, all in great detail, over numerous chapters. Debates between atheists and believers are often fruitless, maddening and frustrating, yet he repeatedly jumps deeply into this fray, not only in this book, but in lectures and appearances around the world. His patience and persistence in tackling these matters is impressive to say the least (particularly when one considers that writing about religion is hardly Mr. Dawkin's day job). Atheists who believe that religion is, on balance, harmful, owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Dawkins because he has taken up the difficult task of trying to persuade believers to reconsider. In this view, his work is a compassionate and patient effort to help. As for the second remarkable thing, it is the calm, intelligent method of presentation of facts and argument in the book. Society would improve if folks emulated his technique -- one dedicated to frank and specific explanations of positions, and honest and full responses to counterpoints without obfuscation or evasion. The book is worth reading on this point alone. A final note. I found this book entertaining, so much so, that it was hard to put down. It's difficult to say why. It has a charm, an honesty, and a humor that together conspire to make an entertaining read. Solid 5 star book.