Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think
With the publication of the international bestseller The Selfish Gene some thirty years ago, Richard Dawkins powerfully captured a newly emerging way of understanding evolution--a gene's eye view. Dawkins went on to publish five more bestselling books, including The Blind Watchmaker and Unweaving...
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With the publication of the international bestseller The Selfish Gene some thirty years ago, Richard Dawkins powerfully captured a newly emerging way of understanding evolution--a gene's eye view. Dawkins went on to publish five more bestselling books, including The Blind Watchmaker and Unweaving the Rainbow. He is one of the most high profile public intellectuals today and any attempt to understand the scientific view of the world must grapple with his ideas. Now, in this exciting collection of original essays, some of the world's leading thinkers offer their take on how Dawkins has changed the way we think. Readers will find stimulating pieces by Daniel Dennett, the renowned philosopher of mind and author of Darwin's Dangerous Idea; Steven Pinker, the brilliant Harvard linguist who wrote The Language Instinct and The Blank Slate; Matt Ridley, author of the bestselling Genome; and James Watson, who with Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA, arguably the greatest scientific discovery of the last century. Dawkins' widely admired literary style forms the subject of several pieces, including one from novelist Philip Pullman (author of the bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy). As one of the world's best known rationalists, Dawkins' stance on religion is another theme in this collection, explored by Simon Blackburn, Michael Ruse, Michael Shermer, and the Bishop of Oxford. Numbering twenty in all, these articles are not simply rosy tributes, but explore how Dawkins' ideas have shaped thinking and public debate, and include elements of criticism as well as thoughtful praise. Richard Dawkins' work has had the rare distinction of generating as much excitement outside the scientific community as within it. This stimulating volume is a superb summation of the depth and range of his influence.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780199214662 (0199214662)
ASIN: 199214662
Publish date: May 17th 2007
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Pages no: 283
Edition language: English
No wonder that professor Dawkins gained the world's top thinker poll this year , and that his masterpiece takes a place between top 25 greatest science books, as one of the essays noted here , Richard The Golden Pen , he is really so .I still remember the situation very clearly , The Selfish Gen...
I was really disappointed in this book, which may be my fault. I was expecting an autobiography of Richard Dawkins, whose writing I admire. I was looking forward to a book from which I could learn more about the man, in language I could understand. Instead, this is a collection of essays about Dawki...