The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
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.
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Community Reviews
Evolution is fact. Proven repeatedly by science. I don't need to be convinced of evolution, I was already there. This is an incredible read, detailing several facts and paths of evolution with enough evidence to shush the naysayers....if they read this book.
Dawkins examines living proof of evolution and natural selection in insects and birds. He explains living clocks (trees and radioactive dating). He runs us through mammals and the giant land mass on Earth before the awesome continental drift (which he also explains). He also provides alarming detail on the amount of folks who only believe in Creationism.
This is a heavy book. I'm only disappointed in the fact I chose to listen to an audiobook version. Not that it wasn't well done. It was. But this was a book I needed to read at my own speed and go back and re-read. Plus, I didn't get to see all the many pictures it referenced. I think I'll be buying this in paperback and re-reading. Even if you don't fully believe in evolution, this book is an interesting and thought provoking read.
Dawkins examines living proof of evolution and natural selection in insects and birds. He explains living clocks (trees and radioactive dating). He runs us through mammals and the giant land mass on Earth before the awesome continental drift (which he also explains). He also provides alarming detail on the amount of folks who only believe in Creationism.
This is a heavy book. I'm only disappointed in the fact I chose to listen to an audiobook version. Not that it wasn't well done. It was. But this was a book I needed to read at my own speed and go back and re-read. Plus, I didn't get to see all the many pictures it referenced. I think I'll be buying this in paperback and re-reading. Even if you don't fully believe in evolution, this book is an interesting and thought provoking read.
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