The God Delusion: A Study of Religious Belief and Skepticism

One will readily expect the perceptions and reviews of Richard Dawkins' THE GOD DELUSION to fall along what might euphemistically be called "party lines." Blue Staters, rationalists, and the college educated (especially in mathematics, engineering, the sciences, and technology) will find it thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating even if they disagree with the author's views. Red Staters, religious fundamentalists, and readers (if any) with less than a college education will be repulsed, likely to pit it against the Bible and regard Mr. Dawkins' as already marked for hellfire and eternal damnation. In the broad sweep that is religion, few minds will be changed, but was that really the author's objective? I think not. Mr. Dawkins offers clues to his game plan fairly early on, arguing that atheists have no reason to be apologetic. He argues vigorously against the, "I'm an atheist, but..." position offered by many, treating it as an unnecessary concession to the forces of blind, irrational faith who would never reciprocate. Mr. Dawkins sets out as well to convince agnostics (among whom I've long considered myself) that their position is an unfounded hedge, hoping to convince them that outright atheism is the only logical conclusion to be drawn from so many arguments. His arguments are direct and persuasive, and I for one will confess to being swayed far closer to his position than previously. THE GOD DELUSION is thorough in its approach and exceedingly well structured. Presenting his case like a lawyer in an extended closing argument, Dawkins moves from chapter to chapter setting up his opponents' many historical arguments for the existence of God and religion and then demolishing each of them by force of reason and scientific argument. He does this in a direct and highly readable, almost colloquial style, while injecting a sense of wry humor throughout that serves admirably to lighten the discussion. Dawkins demonstrates a remarkable scientific, philosophical, and even pop cultural range, with multiple references to the incomparable, much missed Douglas Adams. To my great surprise, he draws as well on theories from Lee Smolin (multiple universes emerging from black holes in a Darwinian, evolutionary style) and Julian Jaynes (theories of the origins of human consciousness in the bicameral mind), both of whose books I read some years ago and had thought long since forgotten by most. Equally enlightening for me were Dawkins extensive quotes from America's Founding Fathers, making it eminently clear (despite so many right wing conservative statements to the contrary) that the United States was not formed as a Christian state, nor that of any other religion. To the contrary, the Founding Fathers appear, by their own words, largely to have been atheists, or at least atheistic leaning agnostics. Review readers should note that Dawkins does not simply confine himself to the question of existence of a higher being. He addresses issues of altruistic behavior and morality from an evolutionary perspective, debates the relative merits of religion over the course of human history, and presents (in Chapter 9) a devastating argument against the worldwide forced inculcation of children into religious belief by their parents. Quoting Victor Hugo at the opening of that chapter, "There is in every village a torch - the teacher; and an extinguisher - the clergyman." From my own life experience, seldom have truer words been spoken. With well over a thousand reviews posted on Amazon alone, I see no reason to summarize the book's content or arguments. In fact, the only way to do real justice to the author's positions is to read it in its entirety - no summary can adequately convey Dawkins' step-by-step demolition of those who argue on behalf of God, faith, or religion. For those who have doubts in these areas and those who are left queasy over the clear and present danger religious fundamentalism poses to democratic American institutions and its role in international terrorism and the threat of broad scale war, THE GOD DELUSION is an excellent palliative. Large swaths of post-millennial America are moving increasingly toward theocracy, a trend viewed with alarm by most of the rest of the educated, Western world. One need only look at the disturbing comments from Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin (expecting to see the Messiah return in her lifetime and incorporating the end of days into her admittedly limited foreign policy views) to see just how close to reality this is becoming. For those who consider themselves even minimally open-minded on the subject of religion and the existence of an all-powerful being ("whatever you conceive him to be, hairy thunderer or cosmic muffin" in the immortal words of the National Lampoon), THE GOD DELUSION is a book well worth reading and contemplating.

It's doesn't matter if you are are a callous atheist, a mild believer, or a religious fundamentalist, you should read this book anyway. It will probably leave you with your own faith and beliefs, but enriched with many stimulating ideas. It will also make a perfect source of discussion subjects to liven up those boring dinner with your friends. The first part of the book is about refuting the so called "proofs" of God existence and pointing out the fact that a "God Hypothesis" is far for being useful to explain the universe , since it creates the biggest problems of explaining God. Not so interesting and new if you have done already a little thinking by yourself but still useful. One really good idea I found in the first part of the book was the the criticism of the "automatic respect for religion", that is the habit of according respect and tolerance to the weirdest behaviours if only they are a consequence of religious faith. The discussion that I found more interesting are about the morality of human beings and its possible origins and laws, and on the origin the seeminly universal religious sense in our race. The idea of religion as by-product of some other evolutionary useful mechanism like blind obedience to parents, or the ability to understand things through their real or imaginary "purpose" and "intentions" is really fascinating. So is the idea of religion as an extention of the psycological process that causes children to create imaginary friends. The chapter on the "evils" of religion and how , even in its "moderate" forms can harm the happiness of people is also definitely worth some pondering. Where this book falls a little short is in his analysis of the Bible and the New Testament. First, the real "sourcebook" for Christianity is the New Testament, it is not calle New for nothing... but this is not Dawkins's fault. In my deep ignorance about history I have alway wondered why Christianity in anglosaxon countries is so centered around the Bible instead of the New Testament, which, if believed is orders of magnitude more important than the Bible. And it seems to have deep consequences on the national characters, if one just looks at the cleverly organized by kinda business cold anglo-saxons compared with the warmth of latin people. Or maybe it's not a consequence but a cause... who knows? The most glaring gap though is a total failure in appreciating the geniality , the poetry and the depth of Jesus life and teachings. Considering the idea of God suffering and dying for the human race as a sadomasochist act is a superficial and silly idea. Even as a little child I noted that Christianity was the only religion I knew of where the founder had not used his cult to life a life of happiness power and domination but suffered and died miserably. That immediately rules out the scenario in which some smart guy uses religious sense in other people to reach wealth and power. It's also an highly poetic and genially crazy idea , the idea of a God suffering and dying like the human race has to suffer and die. I don't know about you, but I would not be able to feel much sympathy for a God that sits comfortably in his Paradise while man has to cope with the harshness of life down here... A subject that needs way more analysis and thinking is morality. It's often repeated that if there is no God to decide what's good and what's evil , than morality is necessarily bound to be subjective and arbitrary. I disagree with this. It would be like saying that without parental guide a kid would not have any idea of what is good and what is bad. What you see instead is a lot of kids who can do much better than their parents, even when they happen to have terrible parents. The objectivity of morality is rooted not in someone arbitrary decision, be him a parent or a god, but in understanding the objective consequences of an action. It would be quite depressing even for a religious person to believe that, for example, murder is evil not because of its evil consequences but because God doesn't like it. And that's also why religious people everywhere should have very clear that while reason cannot prove or disprove religion, any religious claim or behaviour must stand the test of reason. I would also object to Dawkins optimistic and naive idea of the moral standards improving with time. That's a very narrow point of view that surprises me in an intelligent man like Dawkins..yes, standards of life has improved , sure, in his little corner of the World.. most of Europe and US, but this is just a tiny bit of ur planet. Richard you should have the courage of giving a hard look at Africa, Asia and south America and realize that the only things that has improved is the economy of a minority of Earth nations, and this partly because of the advancement of science and technology but mostly because of the exploiting of the rest of the planet, like the Iraq war can easily remind us. The only thing that can provoke an improvement in morality is culture and knowledge. In that sense I see the metaphor of God as "The Verb" particularly striking. Intelligence, knowledge and culture can help us see through the consequences of our actions and give an objective , "scientific" foundation to make this planet a decent place to live in. Look around, and you will easily see that the persons responsible of selfish, brutal or irresponsible actions are very often persons who have little education and cultural background. And with culture I don't mean just the one you can get from books and university, but even the family traditions, as in this respect wisdom is more important than sheer knowledge. And finally about the inspiration that the authors tries to give in the final chapters, which should fill the gap left by the refutation of God.. well I have to say that Dawkins is am exceedingly brilliant science writer, extremely stimulating and fascinating as far as science is concerned, but as for inspiration and passion, well he's just a tiny bit to "technical" for that. And here comes my last critic to this nonetheless fascinating book. Religion can be dangerous, but so can be any kind of fixation, even an adoration for science that makes you look at everything through the same old glasses of science and analyze your life and reality just in those terms. If your life is centered only around one spot, be it religion, literature, science, sportsmanship or whatever else you might like, your life and your view of the cosmos is necessarily going to be narrow , rigid and ultimately boring. ps> and please, Richard, stop it with your meme theory, it's not a scientific theory, it's not needed to explain anything, it's just an analogy.

This book is definitely a milestone in my life and it has been a great help on becoming a real humanist.

I have read (The God Delusion) from cover to cover with great interest because the subject is close to my heart. CONGRATULATIONS! Dr.R.Dawkins explanation of our narrow window of our burka world is very apropos, the ‘New Ten Commandments’ are refreshing, and the many quotes from Bertrand Russell etc are very revealing. I was hoping to find in his book the following quotes from Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil” written in 1886. Permit me: From 52: “To have bound up this New Testament (…) along with the Old Testament into one book, as the “Bible”, as the “Book in Itself”, is perhaps the greatest audacity and “sin against the Spirit” which literary Europe has upon its conscience.” From 57: “Perhaps the most solemn conceptions that have caused the most fighting and suffering, the conception of “God” and “sin”, will one day seem to us of no more importance than a child’s plaything…”. The question “WHAT NOW!” repeated itself many times before finishing the book to the point where I had to write to Dr. Dawkins. While investigating the book an inevitable conclusion arose leaving me with fact that civilization is at a critical Chaos-window, a critical point of bifurcation. This diagnosis becomes more and more urgent. We are living in a period of transformation which is struggling to be born. The Christian God-head and other religions are incomplete! We are in a world where knowledge and technology proliferates but wisdom languishes. The development of consciousness is the burden, suffering and blessing of humankind. We (all sides) are slowly going to be cooked in this alchemical retort (namely society) until we transcend our current state and differences and only then will the heat subside. The longer solutions are delayed the greater will be the heat! Understood psychologically, we either attract one another wisely in good spirit or confront one another in enmity. There is tremendous room for a sequel which could be a 'tour de force' given Dr. Dawkins popularity and abilities. It could help millions throughout the world in raising our consciousness and in shifting the moral Zeitgeist. This shift may be slow but it is time to raise the curtain on our next act and with it our collective awareness. We can evolve to a Breakthrough! Future generations may well look back at this time and regard it as a defining moment when man became more human.

"The God Delusion" resurfaces like a philosophical comet, leaving a trail of fiery discussions and sparking fresh constellations of thought in its wake. Richard Dawkins' magnum opus continues to electrify minds, and this edition, adorned with new insights, feels like an awakening of intellectual exploration. Dawkins' prose is a symphony of eloquence and persuasion, orchestrating an ardent critique of religious dogma with a precision that is both awe-inspiring and disruptive. Like a master sculptor, he carves through the marble of faith, revealing the contours of reason that lay hidden beneath. The verve of his writing isn't just for show; it is the rallying cry of rationality that ignites minds and challenges them to dare question centuries-old beliefs. In this iteration, the book boasts an updated prelude and a concluding reflection by the author. These additions serve as a bridge between past and present, giving readers a compass to navigate the evolution of debates this book has instigated. Dawkins acknowledges the counterarguments his work has faced while steadfastly reaffirming his position—a gesture that is intellectually honest and encouraging of robust discourse. Dawkins' analogies are the torchlights guiding us through the labyrinth of theology. He compares belief without evidence to a spectrum of possibilities, from leprechauns to Zeus, forcing us to confront the arbitrary nature of our convictions. His poignant parables highlight the delusionary nature of faith and invite readers to break free from the chains of inherited beliefs. However, even in its brilliance, the book can be an acquired taste. Dawkins' unwavering conviction can occasionally feel like an unyielding wave crashing against differing shores, potentially alienating those who stand in the intersection of faith and skepticism. The book's focus on fundamentalist aspects of religion, while driving its point home, might not fully encapsulate the entirety of religious experience and expression. "The God Delusion" is a phoenix, reborn from the flames of debate, its feathers now glistening with a decade's worth of insights. Dawkins' words aren't merely text on paper; they are the spark that lights the tinder of contemplation. This edition compels readers to reckon with their beliefs and explore the borders of human knowledge and understanding. In closing, the Edition remains a beacon of intellectual audacity, beckoning readers to dance on the edge of enlightenment. Dawkins' magisterial work remains an essential read for the curious, the daring, and the truth-seekers among us. If you're prepared to embark on a voyage that challenges your convictions, this book will be your compass to navigate the uncharted waters of belief and reason.

Aside from being well written and generally interesting, this book may well assist your empirical and rational mind as you attempt to make sense of the obscurity of religious faith. Reading this as an atheist may reinforce and arm your skepticism. As an agnostic this book may help you to tip the scales of judgement. As a religious believer this book may affirm your faith or it may help you realise that you are not the only one who has trouble understanding or agreeing with dogma and doctrine. Don't settle for the mediocrity, suppression and unquestioning narrow mindedness of indoctrination. I hope this book will open your mind to what is important in your life. I hope it prompts you (like it did for me) to be curious, inquisitive and ask questions about things that are important. You have a right to that freedom.

Dawkins ist eine der Galionsfiguren des Atheismus und „The God Delusion“ ist neben seinen wortgewandten und schalgfertigen Auftritten auf Konferenzen und in den Medien ein Fundament dieses Status. Das Buch ist so etwas wie die „Fibel des kleinen Atheisten“ und das aus gutem Grund: Dawkins hat es ausdrücklich geschrieben, damit Leute in stark religiös geprägten Umfeldern a) erkennen können, dass es in Ordnung ist, Atheist zu sein und b) diese Leute für den Weg dorthin dann auch gleich mit überzeugenden Argumenten auszustatten. Angenehm an Dawkins Buch ist, dass der gelernte Biologe sehr unaufgeregt und nüchtern schreibt; die naturwissenschaftliche Prägung ist hier spürbar und deutlich ein bewusste Mittel, um Glaubwürdigkeit zu erlangen. Damit hebt sich Dawkins von anderen Autoren dieser Welle wie Christopher Hitchens und Sam Harris ab, die deutlich emotionaler und politischer argumentieren. Dennoch ist Dawkins Stil unterhaltsam und Spitzen und Seitenhiebe gibt es bei weitem genug. Er verliert sich nicht in einem Klein-klein von Aspekten, sondern ist auf Metaargumentationen bedacht. Zwar nutzt er immer wieder Beispiele, die er dekonstruiert, aber hinter allem steht immer noch ein strukturelles Argument, das Substanz hat und dem Leser in Erinnerung bleibt. Dabei arbeitet er sehr sauber und trennscharf und ermöglicht es dem Leser, so manches Argument logisch-rational zu verstehen und nachzuvollziehen, das er vorher nur wolkig und vage als Überzeugung hatte. Sehr angenehm ist dabei, dass er eine lange Liste „üblicher Argumente“ für Gott und/oder Religion abarbeitet, so dass man durch das Buch wirklich für Diskussionen argumentativ „aufmunitioniert“ wird. Dabei ist auf der grundsätzlichen Ebene wenig wirklich weltbewegend Neues dabei, aber viele der Belege (Studien aus verschiedenen Fachgebieten) sind wunderbar handfeste Argumentationswerkzeuge. Das Buch ist uneingeschränkt zu empfehlen: Als Kickstarter für den bisher eher gefühlsmäßigen Agnostiker/Atheisten; als literarischer Sparringspartner für den religiösen Menschen; als unterhaltsame Lektüre für jeden, der geistreiche Argumentationen mag. Es ist kein Zufall, dass es Dawkins war, der den Weltklasseskeptiker Douglas Adams vom vagen Agnostiker zum Vollblutatheisten gemacht hat. Eine bessere Referenz ist nur schwer vorstellbar.