The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

Dawkins, Richard

ISBN 10: 0743579275 ISBN 13: 9780743579278

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2009

Synopsis

Richard Dawkins transformed our view of God in his blockbuster, The God Delusion, which sold millions of copies in English alone. He revolutionized the way we see natural selection in the seminal bestseller The Selfish Gene. Now, he launches a fierce counterattack against proponents of "Intelligent Design" in his New York Times bestseller, The Greatest Show on Earth.

"Intelligent Design" is being taught in our schools; educators are being asked to "teach the controversy" behind evolutionary theory. There is no controversy. Dawkins sifts through rich layers of scientific evidence—from living examples of natural selection to clues in the fossil record; from natural clocks that mark the vast epochs wherein evolution ran its course to the intricacies of developing embryos; from plate tectonics to molecular genetics—to make the airtight case that "we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random selection." His unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument, exposing the absurdities of the creationist position, into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master’s vision of life, in all its splendor.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Dawkins is a Fellow of the Royal Society and was the inaugural holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He is the acclaimed author of many books including The Selfish Gene, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and The Greatest Show on Earth. Visit him at RichardDawkins.net.

Reviews

All except the woefully informed accept that evolution is a fact, maintains author Richard Dawkins. In scientific language peppered with trivial asides and occasional British slang, he mounts a credible attack on the creationists. Dawkins generates a modern argument for evolution by citing genetic experiments and evidence from the fossil record. He also includes side discussions of supporting subjects such as natural clocks, embryology, and molecular structure. The author and Lalla Ward narrate in relay, taking turns with phrases and paragraphs. The distracting effect of dueling voices strains the continuity in this demanding nonfiction audio. In their praise, the pair's perfect enunciation and appropriate pace allow listeners to readily absorb the abundant facts and figures. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743579275
• ISBN 13: 9780743579278
• Binding: Audio CD