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The most helpful favourable review
The most helpful critical review
87 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
A brain-opener, but entertaining
I read this, as many others may have done because I was interested by 'The God Delusion' and wanted to delve a little deeper into Dawkins impressive thought processes. While 'The God Delusion' is much in the limeight and undoubtedly opening up discussion on the issues involved, this book is of an entirely different calibre.
I found 'The God Delusion' well...
Published on 20 Aug 2007 by L. Scholey
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Easy to follow, but labours the point a little too much
I thought this book started off really well, and as well as discussing evolution there were lots of interesting sidelines about various different animals and how they have developed interesting features (like how bats have something similar to radar). I was also really interested in some of the facts about animals that evolved since the dinosaurs but have not made it into...
Published on 30 Jan 2002
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87 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
A brain-opener, but entertaining, 20 Aug 2007
I read this, as many others may have done because I was interested by 'The God Delusion' and wanted to delve a little deeper into Dawkins impressive thought processes. While 'The God Delusion' is much in the limeight and undoubtedly opening up discussion on the issues involved, this book is of an entirely different calibre.
I found 'The God Delusion' well argued but too inclined to go off on tangents. I also thought it was too busy dissecting other arguments to put across its own argument in a clear and coherent fashion.
This book is entirely different in that its cogency and clarity are unfailing throughout. It is much less self-conscious (or media conscious?) and more satisfying and thought provoking as a result. Perhaps it is because I knew less of the subject matter before coming to it, but I found it entertaining, readable and accessible to the lay reader at all times, and yet never condescending or over-simplified in content.
Here is a rare writer who is not only quite obviously an exceptional thinker in his own field but has the communicative skill to make that field understandable, entertaining and fascinating to the general reader.
Forget 'The God Delusion' and read this, as it is to me infinitely better written and more absorbing. I now look forward to reading more of Dawkins work, and understand the intellectual and critical acclaim he has received.
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79 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
A complete answer to Darwin's critics, 23 April 2000
The very best whodunnits stand or fall by last page. On that page the author explains not only who dunnit, but how and why. When you read the how you should not be left thinking that your own idea was just as good. Once explained, it should be completely obvious. The intelligent reader should be left slapping his or her forehead and exclaiming "how did I miss that?".Dawkins's explanation of evolution is just as complete. His entire book has the beauty of an explanation that slots together perfectly. Dawkins shows that natural selection not only explains every aspect of life but renders other explanations unnecessary. Any additions to the theory add more questions than answers. I particularly reveled in Dawkins's explanation of the evolutionary reasons why some people find evolution hard to accept... At no point does Dawkins, or Darwin, suggest that evolution is explained by blind chance. Dawkins conclusively shows that in every case life has evolved by natural selection. The examples produced by the most supersitious critics of Darwin, such as the eye and the human brain, are picked up and explained totally by Dawkins. Every organ that exists in nature is one that is capable of evolving by simple steps, every one of which bestows clear advantages. At every stage from a cluster of light sensitive cells to a fully functioning eye we have an easily understood process. By contrast, organs or limbs which could not have evolved, such as wheels, at least on land animals, do not exist. We are left with two possible explanations: evolution by natural selection or intelligent design by a designer who has deliberately chosen to disguise his work as evolution by natural selection.
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49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
Life changing, 8 Jul 2007
Richard Dawkins's brilliant explanation of the theories of Charles Darwin is must-reading for anyone interested in the origin and diversity of life.
I picked this up after reading that Douglas Adams (author of "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy") credited this book with confirming his atheism and filling out his understanding of Darwinism. There certainly is not much left for a deity to do by the time Dawkins finishes explaining the story of life as we know it.
There are a number of mind-blowing concepts discussed in the book, such as Dawkins's discussion of probability. Dawkins writes that our perception of probablity is necessarily limited by the fact that we only live for a few decades. If we lived for say, half a million years, we would probably avoid crossing streets (if you crossed the street every day for half a million years, you would consider getting struck by a conveyance as a likely outcome.)
I have to agree with some reviewers that the prose was a bit tough to get through in places, but I still had to give this book five stars for its overall impact. I will never look at the world the same again.
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101 of 114 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderfully written exploration of life and its origins, 3 Nov 2006
If you're a dyed-in-the-wool creationist this book probably won't make you throw out all your beliefs, though there is still plenty here to inspire awe in the astonishing complexity of nature. In this book Dawkins doesn't (in my view) attack religion in any particularly venomous way, but he does aim to show it to be unnecessary in the story of life - so it would be fine to buy this for someone who is religious without offending them.
I loved the book because like most people I know I don't believe God or gods spontaneously created the universe, I have a basic understanding of evolution, plus I'm interested in nature and natural history and I wanted to know a bit more. You may think you understand Darwinism and its implications, but reading this book really gives you more understanding of the finer points, as well as raising questions you hadn't thought about.
As Dawkins admits, it's not written like an academic paper, taking into account every possible perspective and objection even-handedly. The book is a piece of passionate advocacy, but it is always rational and often funny.
If I had one criticism of how Dawkins structures the book, it would be how early he goes into his 'biomorph' computer modelling of complex adaptation, and how long he spends on it. A lot of people have an aversion to computer-geekery, and I thought a lot of this could have been consigned to the Appendix. Much of the best of the book lies after this part, and it would be a tragedy if someone put the book down at this point. I'm sure a lot of the religious reviewers on here have done this, because Dawkins addresses many of their questions after the 'biomorph' section (like if basic DNA etc is self-replicating, where did it come from itself?).
Having said that the book is very accessible even to a non-scientific arts-grad like me, though it will certainly get the grey matter working. To apply reason to big questions like 'Where did we come from?' and 'Why are we here?' is challenging stuff.
Sadly we live in a world where rational people do just prefer to be lazy and non-confrontational - so woolly spiritualism and bible/koran-thumping fundamentalism grow in power while books like this are labelled difficult or offensive.
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61 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
Higher intelligence need not apply, 11 Jun 2006
For anyone not inclined to read a book on science, or a book on theology or even a book that is somehow controversial, then I implore you to break your traditions just once and indulge in this book - as it covers all of the above, and more. This author's view is that there is no God, but that biology and scientific reasoning can still reveal nature's true beauty: by uncovering its greatest mysteries. But don't be put off by the biology. Dawkins tackles these subjects in such a way that anyone can understand them, without being patronising and all the while keeping you thoroughly interested. You don't need to be a brain-box.
So buy this book, and be amazed. You won't look at the natural world in the same way ever again.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
A life-changing book, 13 April 2008
As another reviewer has stated, this book is truly life-changing. Before reading it I was open-minded about all sorts of vaguely 'spiritual' ideas, for the (very common) reason that there seemed to be certain Big Questions that could not be fully explained by science. In particular, life itself.
This is in fact poppycock - Darwinism provides that explanation. But sadly, lots of people misunderstand Darwinism; and then look for weaknesses in their WRONG interpretation of it.
Dawkins does an incredibly thorough job of explaining how Natural Selection actually works, using some great metaphors along the way to make the whole thing very enjoyable reading. [NB Dawkins is always very clear not to confuse a metaphor with reality - unlike some of his reviewers!]
This is not just a text book on Darwinism; it is a thorough rebuttal of the religious argument that there must be a God because "there is no other feasible explanation".
There are a few negative reviews on this site. But it is clear they are all written by religious people with a major axe to grind. ALL of their criticisms seem to be based on wilful misinterpretations. In particular, there is actually lots of evidence to support the theory of Natural Selection. And Dawkins explanation of the eye (human or otherwise) makes perfect sense.
Read the book yourself, and form your own judgement.
And one final point - for me life as an atheist is definitely not devoid of meaning!
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Darwin and beyond: the origin of life explained, 3 Jun 2003
It is a particularly difficult task to write a book interesting for both, the scientific community and the layman. It is also thorny to write a completely scientific, and therefore unreligious, account of the origin of life for the great public without being attacked by blinded folks.However, Dawkins is not only a great scientist but also a great writer. The Blind Watchmaker explains Darwin theory with complete clarity and at the same time keeps the attention of the reader as high as if you were reading a novel. You want to know what comes next. This is particularly true for the first part of the book, where the modern understanding of Darwin theory is developed, using the advances of genetics and biology. The second half of the book develops more slowly, sometimes taking too much time –at least for the layman- answering competing theories. Although the book can perfectly be read independently, for a broader comprehension of the deep meaning of it, it may be useful to have read The Selfish Gene before. A highly recommended book for intelligent and open minded people who want to know more about the origin of life.
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52 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
An explanation for life, if not its meaning, 10 Jul 2006
This must be one of the classic books explaining modern evolutionary theory to a popular audience. What Dawkins offers is an ability to articulate his impeccable logic in ways that render often slightly subtle concepts easy to understand.
"The Blind Watchmaker" is very much a companion to "Climbing Mount Improbable". Both seek to explain how Darwin's theory of natural selection can explain what appears to highly improbably complexity in nature. "Watchmaker" is particularly insistent that not only does natural selection explain it, it's the only explanation that we have.
In the current climate, with opponents of science becoming ever more-vocal, the book retains its power in explaining key parts of evolutionary theory, and simultaneously debunking any alternatives and refuting common criticisms.
It starts by demonstrating quite what is improbable and complex about nature, using the sonar of bats as an example of a system that appears so well-refined as to be the product of design. Chapters go on to discuss the accumulation and selection of small changes in the genome, the role of DNA in replication, the possible origins of life and sexual selection.
Attacks on alternative theories include a detailed commentary on Eldredge and Gould's "punctuationism", disputes in taxonomy, and everything from Lamarckism to creationism. Sometimes there's a sense that Dawkins is fighting battles with scientific colleagues that would be better left to the specialist reader, but personally I found these squabbles helped illuminate the wider subject.
There's very little here on the evidence that evolution has occurred, whether from genetics or palaeontology. "Watchmaker's" territory is to explain how it has occurred, and why only natural selection can explain the complexity of life.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
A good place to start, 20 Mar 2004
How can anyone ignore or dismiss the origins of one's own species? I know I can't and thankfully neither can Richard Dawkins. Having never read Darwin or held anything more than a rudimentary understanding of the story of evolution, this book was recommended to me as an ideal place to start when beginning a journey of self-knowledge. After a Christian upbringing I had many questions that religion could not convincingly answer and after reading this book I now have an alternative theory that sounds at least as plausible to me as that put forward by the Bible. I am dismayed that others comments on this book are unwilling to accept any of the authors theories. Each idea is presented with charm, wit and intelligence and where there are passages that I glazed over this did not diminish the message or the enjoyment gained from the reading experience. Even if one ultimately disagrees with the authors view, it cannot be denied that he makes a jolly good argument to support his case. Please ignore the one-star reviews, this book is an excellent addition to your canon as the question, "where DID we come from?" bubbles up out of you.
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51 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
This book ought to be compulsory reading in schools, 21 Oct 2006
This is probably the most accessible book that Richard Dawkins has written. It is a superb explanation of evolution by natural selection in terms that anyone should be able to understand. I read this book a few years ago and was inspired enough to enter higher education at the age of 29 to read Genetics.
The central theme of the book is to explain evolution in terms to vilify those whose objection to Darwinism is on the basis of complexity. Such people suggest that complexity in organisms is such that they could only have been designed by a higher intellect, i.e. God. What dawkins achieves is to explain how natural selection can easily construct the complex from the simple such is its power.
This book ought to be compulsory reading in schools today. in a world where religious fundamentalists seem to be gaining ever more ground, Dawkins gives us a rallying cry in this book. Read it and pass it on to others who have not yet seen the light!
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