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thirtytwobirds's review against another edition
4.0
A good, smooth read once you get into it. It goes by pretty fast since there are only a few really complicated, detailed bits.
Like all of Dawkins' books, it's a circlejerk. No one who doesn't believe in evolution is going to read this and be convinced because of the tone. It *will* enlighten those who already understand basically how evolution works. It'll shore up their understanding of evolution and the evidence for it so they can go out and make the case, and that's okay.
I wish he had given a bit more space to the topic of molecular clocks. He says in an early chapter that on their own molecular clocks are enough evidence to prove evolution, even if we didn't have fossils and such. But they only get about half a chapter, which seems a bit thin for such an important topic.
Anyway, definitely worth the read.
Like all of Dawkins' books, it's a circlejerk. No one who doesn't believe in evolution is going to read this and be convinced because of the tone. It *will* enlighten those who already understand basically how evolution works. It'll shore up their understanding of evolution and the evidence for it so they can go out and make the case, and that's okay.
I wish he had given a bit more space to the topic of molecular clocks. He says in an early chapter that on their own molecular clocks are enough evidence to prove evolution, even if we didn't have fossils and such. But they only get about half a chapter, which seems a bit thin for such an important topic.
Anyway, definitely worth the read.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
Dawkins is one of the best explainers ever, as you'd expect from the recently retired Professor of the Public Understanding of Science. Here he explains how Darwin's theory has been proven over and over again to be the best explanation for life on earth. Dawkins is a bit chatty, but I don't mind. Yes, he's exasperated with the willfully ignorant, but who can blame him? Another great book by one of my heroes. Not that I'm biased at all...
countessjess's review against another edition
4.0
Richard Dawkins seems to have a way of writing that is fun and easy to read. He explains more complex things, sure, but in a way that doesn’t overwhelm readers who have no scientific background.
I picked this book up because I enjoy evolutionary biology and thought it would be fun to read a book on it, rather than a textbook. Dawkins covers a lot of different aspects of evolution, using a lot of different analogies to help explain what he is trying to get across. He uses interesting real-world examples and has a sort of underlying wit that makes the book flow nicely. The statistics listed at the end of the book regarding the amount of people who believe things such as “humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs,” “the world is less than 10,000 years old,” “the earth orbits the sun once a month” and simply deny evolution altogether made me want to weep for humanity. With such easy access to information such as that contained in this book, which requires no scientific background and even just the slightest scrap of intelligence to understand the basic ideas provided within, I don’t understand how people are content with being so ignorant. But I digress. This book is good.
I picked this book up because I enjoy evolutionary biology and thought it would be fun to read a book on it, rather than a textbook. Dawkins covers a lot of different aspects of evolution, using a lot of different analogies to help explain what he is trying to get across. He uses interesting real-world examples and has a sort of underlying wit that makes the book flow nicely. The statistics listed at the end of the book regarding the amount of people who believe things such as “humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs,” “the world is less than 10,000 years old,” “the earth orbits the sun once a month” and simply deny evolution altogether made me want to weep for humanity. With such easy access to information such as that contained in this book, which requires no scientific background and even just the slightest scrap of intelligence to understand the basic ideas provided within, I don’t understand how people are content with being so ignorant. But I digress. This book is good.
quasar728's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
taliaissmart's review against another edition
4.0
This book is long and sometimes repetitive, but it is so NECESSARY!! Richard Dawkins, I appreciate you.
kahawa's review against another edition
5.0
I love Dawkins' ability to elucidate difficult concepts. He goes over quite a bit of the science of natural selection. It amazes me that this information has been known for decades, even centuries in some cases, but it's still not widely known nor understood. He always does best when he sticks to science.
weaselweader's review against another edition
3.0
“The evidence for evolution grows by the day,”
“and has never been stronger. At the same time, paradoxically, ill-informed opposition is also stronger than I can remember. This book is my personal summary of the evidence that the ‘theory’ of evolution is actually a fact – as incontrovertible a fact as any in science.”
To summarize the intent and content of Richard Dawkins’ THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, it’s tough to beat Dawkins’ own words in the opening paragraph of his preface.
It’s instructive, it’s entertaining, it’s educational, it’s informative and, perhaps most important of all, it’s persuasive and convincing beyond any reasonable shadow of a doubt that evolution exists, that it always has, and that, even today, it operates in real time, and occasionally causes changes at speeds that can best be characterized as jaw-dropping!
My rather niggardly award of only three stars as opposed to a four- or five-star rave review stems from the fact that I have never been a lover of biology in my reading, no matter how accomplished the writing might be. Personal preference only. But the fact is, that THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH deserves your time if you’re a lover of popular science.
If you’re a believer in a young earth or creationism, give it a shot! You never know where it might take your thinking.
Paul Weiss
“and has never been stronger. At the same time, paradoxically, ill-informed opposition is also stronger than I can remember. This book is my personal summary of the evidence that the ‘theory’ of evolution is actually a fact – as incontrovertible a fact as any in science.”
To summarize the intent and content of Richard Dawkins’ THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, it’s tough to beat Dawkins’ own words in the opening paragraph of his preface.
It’s instructive, it’s entertaining, it’s educational, it’s informative and, perhaps most important of all, it’s persuasive and convincing beyond any reasonable shadow of a doubt that evolution exists, that it always has, and that, even today, it operates in real time, and occasionally causes changes at speeds that can best be characterized as jaw-dropping!
My rather niggardly award of only three stars as opposed to a four- or five-star rave review stems from the fact that I have never been a lover of biology in my reading, no matter how accomplished the writing might be. Personal preference only. But the fact is, that THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH deserves your time if you’re a lover of popular science.
If you’re a believer in a young earth or creationism, give it a shot! You never know where it might take your thinking.
Paul Weiss
manadabomb's review against another edition
3.0
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.