Richard Dawkins

  (out of 5 stars)

There are few authors alive capable of weaving wonder and authority into popular science writing better than Richard Dawkins, and in his newest book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, released in September, 2009, he has shown that he is still the master of popular biology. Following a narrative that works much as the one employed by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species (and frequently mentioning Darwin), Dawkins presents a comprehensive look at the modern state of evolutionary theory, and more specifically, the evidence which proves it is true beyond any serious doubt.

I had read many Dawkins books prior to Greatest Show, including his biology and science-oriented books The Selfish Gene, The Extended Phenotype, Unweaving the Rainbow, The Blind Watchmaker, and River Out of Eden. I have not yet read The Ancestors Tale (which I understand is Dawkins most comprehensive biological work, nor have I read Climbing Mount Improbable (which Dawkins has stated is his own favorite work), both of which I own but have yet to get to. So, my review is in light of these experiences (or lack thereof).

The first couple of chapters are for softening up any hesistant readers and convincing new learners that evolution is not only realistic, it can be observed around us in a myriad of ways, including the comparisons between natural selection and the artificial selection practiced by human animal and plant breeders.

Following this intro, Dawkins lays down the tool kit and shows how Neo-Darwinian theory knows how to trust estimated dates, looking at the various chemical clocks available.

The chapter titled "Before Our Very Eyes" was the most enjoyable and enlightening for me, personally, as the reader has described for him/her several fascinating experiments which have demonstrated the power of natural selection and mutation to drive complex genetic progression. The information on the Richard Lenski-led study of E. coli is worth the price of the book alone. Tremendously important and strong evidence for Dawkins' central thesis.

Dawkins follows this by moving into fossil records, showing the reader how scientists have studied and come to see the fossil record as important, but not the most important facts available to evolutionary theory. He shows that the 'gaps' in the fossil record are actually useful for taxonomic reasons, and posits that a complete fossil record would lead to immense confusion when trying to determine just where a new species begins from the old. Dawkins also knocks down the argument that talk of 'missing links' is useful, and pleads for the cessation of this term since its usefulness has long-since been destroyed. Like he says often, every fossil we find is a missing link, every one is a transitional fossil of some sort.

The chapter "You did it yourself in nine months" was my least favorite, though it was certainly necessary to present in a comprehensive view of evolution. The following chapter on biogeography returns to a superior narrative and offers strong evidence for geographic proof of evolution, again, just as Darwin did in describing the variety of species found strew across the Galapagos Islands. Following that are chapters on cousinship among life forms and the ability of DNA to provide a historical archive which begin to draw together a personal closeness that derives from the evidence of the preceding chapters.

The final couple of chapters move a bit more toward being meditative, though don't expect Dawkins to get too mushy. What begins as a discussion of arms races ends with a look at 'evolutionary theodicy', where Dawkins argues that we find suffering and pain exactly as we would expect from the emotionless processes of natural selection.

Finally, the book winds down with more reflection as Dawkins expounds upon the last paragraph of Darwin's Origin and draws together the book's conclusion by reinforcing that the fact of evolution does not depend on any statement about abiogenesis or origin of life concerns. Clearly, what the theory suggest, and has been proven by practically every bit of evidence uncovered, is that, however it started, evolution is the way in which living things grow, compete, reproduce, and change.

I haven't read a more comprehensive book on Evolution to date, and I think Dawkins has abolutely knocked it out of the park here. I admit to a strong Dawkins bias, so I wanted to like this book, but I also had very high hopes for it because it was the first Dawkins biology-centric book to be released since I started reading his work. I expected a ton. I got it and more.

For the beginning reader, I would still recommend the much-more streamlined arguments in Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution is True, but for the reader with some science experience, or for the curious reader who wants the full picture, this is as good as it gets. Five stars.

  (out of 5 stars)

Richard Dawkins is always on the top of his game when his is explaining science to a popular audience, and River Out of Eden is no exception. This slim book is a concise look at several interesting aspects of evolution, including mitochondrial DNA, the dances of bees, and the chemistry of genetics.

The chapters 'Do Good By Stealth' and 'The Replication Bomb' were my favorites, and in Dawkins's characteristic manner, took a unique look at bee dances and chemical genetics. These subjects are fascinating to me personally, and I was really glad to hear about these subjects in Dawkins's narrative.

While much of this book's contents have been covered in many other books, including by Dawkins himself, the concise nature of River makes this a perfect read for anyone wanting to learn more about evolution and genetics, or for any experienced reader who just wants to brush up on some of the amazing science behind the scenes. Dawkins is a fantastic writer and conveys a wonderment of science unmatched by many. Four stars.

  (out of 5 stars)

Richard Dawkins has a knack for writing popular science books which offer poetic descriptions of the grand expanses and microscopic details. In Unweaving the Rainbow, Dawkins takes on the notion that science can be quite literally poetic. The book's title comes from the notion put forward by poet John Keats that Isaac Newton destroyed the beauty of rainbows by explaining its form. Dawkins turns that notion around and shows that the beauty and poetry of nature are greatly enhanced by explaining the details.

This wide-ranging book includes a strong mix of popular science (including biology, chemistry, astronomy, anatomy, and zoology) as well as Dawkins' characteristic philosophical thoughts. Unweaving demonstrates to the reader that the wonder of science is not that it destroys the beauty of nature, but that it allows us to gain an even greater appreciation for that beauty. From the nature of starlight and genetics to the ways in which humans are deceived by those claiming supernatural 'facts', Dawkins constantly expresses his awe of the natural world.

The latter parts of the book are centered on genetics and philosophy of mind. Here, of course, Dawkins is in his comfort zone, and the reader who has not read the authors' biology-centered books such as The Selfish Gene will explore some of the amazing characteristics of evolution and DNA. Experienced readers of Dawkins' works won't find much new information in this section, but should read it anyway since Dawkins incorporates a philosophy of science that is often skipped in the more clinical studies.

Unweaving the Rainbow is simply one of the very best widely-accessible popular science books out there. The discussion of coincidence is fantastic and should open the eyes of a reader who had never considered probabilities in this way. While it would help to have some exposure to science writing prior to picking up this book, Dawkins is very careful to introduce the nature of science softely and with much poetic contemplation. One of the best introductions to a wide-range of scientific thought and philosophy and very highly recommended to science readers at all levels. Four and one-half stars.

  (out of 5 stars)

Having read The Selfish Gene, The Extended Phenotype, and The God Delusion by Dawkins, I had been collecting the rest of his books to read at some point. The Blind Watchmaker is Dawkins' comprehensive look at the the evidence for evolution and proof that no designer need be posited in order to understand and explain biological diversity. The book itself is outstanding until you get to the last three chapters, which, for me, were not as pleasing an argument for Dawkins' thesis in the book's subtitle: Why the evidence of evolution reveals a universe without design.

Dawkins is a master at explaining highly complicated biological ideas in a popular science manner. Watchmaker starts off with excellent arguments for the emergence of complexity from less complex characteristics. Arguing that there indeed are examples of 'good design', Dawkins describes echolocation in bats and other animals to show how the appearance of design is strong. He then goes on to show how this appearance of design is not actually backed by the evidence.

Further chapters describe the nature of DNA, and how it provides an 'archive' of historical instructions. Dawkins emphasizes that evolution works as a cumulative selection process (a significant point often missed or ignored by anti-Darwinian advocates). In the chapter dealing with origins, Dawkins' explanation for one possible description of abiogensis (involving imperfections in the crystalline structure of clay) shows that we don't need to posit supernatural beings to have some notion of how life can form from non-life (and to be clear, as Dawkins is in this chapter, this hypothesis is NOT being advocated as the abiogenic solution, only that it is one reasonable scenario that could potentially lead to life).

Once Dawkins gets to chapter 9, however, the book loses some focus as the author attempts to counter scholaraly arguments of his peers. He tackles the problems of punctuationism, a chapter which largely argues above the reader's head and toward Dawkins' fellow scholars. The next chapter, dealing with competing theories of taxonomy, while interesting, are not needed at all to support the book's thesis. The last chapter follows this trend and again provides no real support for the development of Dawkins' thesis. This chapter also suffers from now being scientifically out of date (written in the mid 1980s). Embryology has made massive progress in developing theories and understanding of development (leading to the term 'evo devo' to describe evolutionary development), leaving this last chapter unfulfilling two decades after it was penned.

Blind Watchmaker is fascinating argument in favor of Darwinian evolution by means of natural selection, and the first eight chapters are especially enjoyable. The last three chapters drag the book down a bit and leave a rather unsatisfied ending to this otherwise fantastic exploration of evolution. Still, Watchmaker is well worth the read. I eagerly await Dawkins' forthcoming book The Greatest Show on Earth, which I expect will be an updated and expanded version of this work. Four stars.