Description
Book SynopsisA fully updated new edition of a critically acclaimed examination of the theories and writings of Richard Dawkins by a world-renowned expert on the relation of science and religion
- Includes in-depth analysis of Dawkins' landmark treatise The God Delusion (2006), as well as coverage of his later popular works The Magic of Reality (2011) and The Greatest Show on Earth (2011),and a new chapter on Dawkins as a popularizer of science
- Tackles Dawkins' hostile and controversial views on religion, and examine the religious implications of his scientific ideas including a comprehensive investigation of the selfish gene'
- Written in an accessible and engaging style that will appeal to anyone interested in better understanding the interplay between science and religion
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 Darwinism: The Rise of a Scientific Theory 7
Natural Selection: Charles Darwin 9
The Mechanics of Inheritance: Gregor Mendel 18
The Discovery of the Gene: Thomas Hunt Morgan 21
The Role of DNA in Genetics 24
What’s in a Name? “Darwinism” or “Evolutionary Theory”? 26
2 The Selfish Gene: A Darwinian View of the World 32
Introducing Dawkins 33
Dawkins’ Approach: The Selfish Gene 38
The Place of Humanity in a Darwinian Universe 44
Are Genes Really Selfish? 47
What Remains of the “Selfish Gene” Approach? 51
3 Blind Faith?: Evidence, Proof, and Rationality in Science and Religion 57
Faith as Blind Trust? 60
Is Atheism Itself a Faith? 68
Is Christian Faith Irrational? 71
The Problem of Radical Theory Change in Science 77
The Limits of Science 80
Mystery, Insanity, and Nonsense 82
4 The Blind Watchmaker: Evolution and the Elimination of God? 86
The Contours of a Darwinian Worldview 86
Is Darwinism a Complete Explanation? 91
God as an Explanatory Hypothesis? 93
The Elimination of Purpose: Dawkins on Teleology in Nature 96
The Divine Watchmaker: Paley’s Grand (but Correctable) Mistake 98
Dynamic Conceptions of Creation: Augustine of Hippo 107
Natural Selection and Religious Beliefs: Darwin’s Views 111
The Christian Reaction to Darwin 116
5 Cultural Darwinism?: The Invention of the Meme 120
Universal Darwinism: The Evolution of Culture 120
Introducing the Meme 122
Introducing the “God-Meme” 125
Is Cultural Development Darwinian? 128
Do Memes Actually Exist? 131
The Flawed Analogy between Gene and Meme 133
The Redundancy of the Meme 136
God as a Virus of the Mind? 139
Moving On … 143
6 The God Delusion: Dawkins on Atheism, Science, and Religion 144
The Cultural Location of The God Delusion 145
The “Warfare” of Science and Religion 149
Natural Science Leads to Neither Atheism Nor Christianity 155
Science, Faith, and Evidence 157
A Darwinian Explanation of Belief in God? 162
Awe, Wonder, and Religion 166
Conclusion 170
Select Bibliography 173
Index 184
