Scan barcode
jennajlewisx's review against another edition
3.5
Insight - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Relevance - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Writing style - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Ease of reading - ☆ ☆
Favourite Quote:
Relevance - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Writing style - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Ease of reading - ☆ ☆
Favourite Quote:
A rule encouraging stealing is ruled out, for example, because if it were universally adopted, that is, if everybody stole, no one would benefit: thieves prosper only in a society dominated by honest victims.
mrbrant's review against another edition
5.0
Enjoyed this book. A lot more kind and a lot less big science words than his other books.
This is like a coffee table summary of his technical sciencey books.
This is like a coffee table summary of his technical sciencey books.
autumnumnum's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
booksandcatsgalore's review
I stopped reading because it's very similar to The God Delusion
kangarue2000's review against another edition
2.0
Don't know why he bothered to write this when it's basically a mix of The God Delusion rehashed, a GCSE biology textbook on evolution and angry rhetoric against religion without any real basis.
I agree with Dawkins fundamentally but for a highly educated man, he really could express his views with more clarity and less bitterness
I agree with Dawkins fundamentally but for a highly educated man, he really could express his views with more clarity and less bitterness
maddandroid's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars
If you want to decide for yourself if what you were taught about religion were true, I’d highly recommend this book along with Stephen Hawkings’ “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” Here Dawkins goes through the biology of evolution, Hawkins goes through the cosmology of why a god is unnecessary.
Unfortunately I think it will be largely ignored, I think it’s very hard to persuade superstitious people to have the courage to give up their superstitions, especially today when so many unscientific theories abound both on the internet and in politics. My favorite chapters are the first part of the book where he takes on the bible, philosophy and how myths start.
We want to see patterns, it’s how we order the world, even when there really is no pattern to see.
I love the Mark Twain quotes
Like so many lies spread that through social media and news sources that offer no real facts only opinion.
If you want to decide for yourself if what you were taught about religion were true, I’d highly recommend this book along with Stephen Hawkings’ “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” Here Dawkins goes through the biology of evolution, Hawkins goes through the cosmology of why a god is unnecessary.
Unfortunately I think it will be largely ignored, I think it’s very hard to persuade superstitious people to have the courage to give up their superstitions, especially today when so many unscientific theories abound both on the internet and in politics. My favorite chapters are the first part of the book where he takes on the bible, philosophy and how myths start.
Eye-witnesses photographed what they thought was the face of Satan in the smoky dust clouds hanging over New York that day.
We want to see patterns, it’s how we order the world, even when there really is no pattern to see.
I love the Mark Twain quotes
Mormonism is another relatively recent cult which, unlike the John Frum or cargo cults, or the ‘Elvis is Risen’ cult, has spread all over the world and become rich and powerful. The founder was a man from New York State called Joseph Smith. He claimed that in 1823 an angel called Moroni told him where to dig up some golden plates which had ancient writing on them. Smith said he did so, and translated the writing from an old Egyptian language into English. He did this with the aid of a magic stone in a magic hat. When he looked in the hat, the stone revealed to him the meaning of the words. He published his English ‘translation’ in 1830. Weirdly, the English was not the English of his own time but the English of more than two centuries earlier, the English of the King James Bible. Mark Twain joked that if you cut out every repetition of ‘It came to pass’, the Book of Mormon would shrink to a pamphlet.
Mark Twain is supposed to have said: ‘A lie can spread half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.’ And not only malicious lies, but good stories that aren’t true but are amusing and fun to recount, especially if you were told them in good faith and don’t positively know they’re untrue. Or stories that, if not amusing, are spookily uncanny – another reason why so many are passed on.
Like so many lies spread that through social media and news sources that offer no real facts only opinion.
danielsdasein's review
4.0
An excellent summary of Dawkin's work. This is the closest he'll come to writing a text for children/teens and I am so looking forward to adding this to my classroom bookshelf.
cotyblaise's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, a solid 3.5.
This feels like the continuation of The God Delusion, also written by Dawkins. While both were informative and eloquently written, I feel this one wasn't needed. I am not religious, and I share many ideas with Dawkins, but Outgrowing God doesn't really add much more to the debate than its predecessor. That being said, I find that the tone of this book to be much less acerbic than The God Delusion, which endears more readers when their belief structure is challenged. Like the adage says, "You attract more flies with honey than vinegar."
This feels like the continuation of The God Delusion, also written by Dawkins. While both were informative and eloquently written, I feel this one wasn't needed. I am not religious, and I share many ideas with Dawkins, but Outgrowing God doesn't really add much more to the debate than its predecessor. That being said, I find that the tone of this book to be much less acerbic than The God Delusion, which endears more readers when their belief structure is challenged. Like the adage says, "You attract more flies with honey than vinegar."
tanja_alina_berg's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very clear guide out of religious misconceptions. Having been brought up thoroughly Christian and completely indoctrinated - well, almost, since nobody told me to not believe in evolution until it was too late - it took me nearly three full decades to leave religion behind. I was terrified, it was like letting go of a safety blanket. As if I was 3 years old at the time and not nearly 30. This book would have comforted me and helped me along. It still does, even if it brings me nothing new.
It shows that most of us are atheists when it comes to Greek or Norse Gods, to just name a few examples. That the Christian God is quite malevolent and jealous and that morality does not come from the commandments or believing in a watcher in the sky. It gives an alternative explanation to creation, showing that living creatures are not designed, even if they appear that way.
It’s been 15 years since I lost religion. I relish in my freedom, other than this, very little in my life or how I behave has changed. There are definitely fewer conundrums - there is no need to contemplate how god allows suffering. There is no supernatural being NOT intervening because there isn’t one. The burden of proof is on the making the most outlandish claim. I can’t prove that pixies, unicorns or leprechauns don’t exist - that doesn’t mean they do. We are wired to believe, it’s been vital for our survival as a species. It doesn’t mean we have to.
It shows that most of us are atheists when it comes to Greek or Norse Gods, to just name a few examples. That the Christian God is quite malevolent and jealous and that morality does not come from the commandments or believing in a watcher in the sky. It gives an alternative explanation to creation, showing that living creatures are not designed, even if they appear that way.
It’s been 15 years since I lost religion. I relish in my freedom, other than this, very little in my life or how I behave has changed. There are definitely fewer conundrums - there is no need to contemplate how god allows suffering. There is no supernatural being NOT intervening because there isn’t one. The burden of proof is on the making the most outlandish claim. I can’t prove that pixies, unicorns or leprechauns don’t exist - that doesn’t mean they do. We are wired to believe, it’s been vital for our survival as a species. It doesn’t mean we have to.