The God Delusion

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618680004 ISBN 13: 9780618680009

Publisher: Mariner Books, 2006

A preeminent scientist -- and the world's most prominent atheist -- asserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11.

With rigor and wit, Dawkins examines God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. The God Delusion makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong but potentially deadly. It also offers exhilarating insight into the advantages of atheism to the individual and society, not the least of which is a clearer, truer appreciation of the universe's wonders than any faith could ever muster.

About the Author:

Richard Dawkins taught zoology at the University of California at Berkeley and at Oxford University and is now the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, a position he has held since 1995. Among his previous books are The Ancestor's Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, and A Devil's Chaplain. Dawkins lives in Oxford with his wife, the actress and artist Lalla Ward.

From AudioFile:

An evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins sees religion as a human construct that is the source of much of the evil in the world, closing people's minds to scientific truths, oppressing women, and threatening people with eternal damnation. As "Darwin's rottweiller," he sets out to annihilate faith. His book-length essay is a bestseller. Since he is human, though, his own understanding of the universe, though devilishly complex, must be based on a hypothesis, a hunch, on faith. Dawkins and his wife, the actress Lalla Ward, perform this book as melody and harmony in two voices. For example, Dawkins will set up a quotation from Einstein, and Ward will speak the lines. Since both have fine English voices, the performance would succeed as music even if it weren't an intellectual tour de force. B.H.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine