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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Parts about reality are awesome, interesting and inspiring... but there are too much examples of myths and legends...
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
A high school level introduction to science and critical thinking.
Richard elegantly describes how truth is beautiful. Throughout the book, he describes how people are captivated by and use myths (old & new) to explain how the world works. After each myth, he explains the truth behind things like seasons, rainbows, the beginning of life, and time travel.
Richard argues that the truth is mysterious, intriguing and beautiful; and I agree. Read this if you want a brief introduction to the way things work.
Richard argues that the truth is mysterious, intriguing and beautiful; and I agree. Read this if you want a brief introduction to the way things work.
informative
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
This comes across as if it were meant to be "explain science to me like I am five years old." I don’t know if that was the writer’s intent or not. Listening to it, especially with the authors’ strong accents, makes it ride right on the fine line between explaining simply and clearly, and coming across as very condescending.
If you get past that feeling, it is very informative. You can enjoy the simple explanations of the things you already know, realizing that it is building a foundation for further parts of the book. And you can learn from simple explanations of the parts you didn’t already know.
One thing stood out. At the end of an early chapter, the author got in a big jab against religion. It didn’t bother me personally, because I totally agree with what he said, and I have no use for religion. But the comment felt very much out of place at that point in the book. It came across as personal feelings that had been kept in check, but built up and burst out. Otherwise he was doing a great job letting the facts speak for themselves and let the reader draw the conclusion for themselves. It seems he couldn’t resist the fear that readers might miss is, and had to ram it home.
I don’t read other reviews before writing my own. But it would surprise me if others readers don’t find it very condescending.
The book started out explaining various aspects of science. It set a good foundation and built upon it well. But at the end it appears the topics were picked for the sole purpose of supporting the non-religious world view, rather than simply explaining science. A significant portion of the book was dedicated to giving examples of world mythology, to show how ridiculous they are. And always, Judeo-Christian stories are cited to make the point that they are just as ridiculous as the rest. Again, that does not bother me, because I actually agree with it. But it still seemed to detract from the experience of the book. And if I felt that way, I suppose religious believers will think that even more so. I don't think this is the best approach to get believers to open their minds.
If you get past that feeling, it is very informative. You can enjoy the simple explanations of the things you already know, realizing that it is building a foundation for further parts of the book. And you can learn from simple explanations of the parts you didn’t already know.
One thing stood out. At the end of an early chapter, the author got in a big jab against religion. It didn’t bother me personally, because I totally agree with what he said, and I have no use for religion. But the comment felt very much out of place at that point in the book. It came across as personal feelings that had been kept in check, but built up and burst out. Otherwise he was doing a great job letting the facts speak for themselves and let the reader draw the conclusion for themselves. It seems he couldn’t resist the fear that readers might miss is, and had to ram it home.
I don’t read other reviews before writing my own. But it would surprise me if others readers don’t find it very condescending.
The book started out explaining various aspects of science. It set a good foundation and built upon it well. But at the end it appears the topics were picked for the sole purpose of supporting the non-religious world view, rather than simply explaining science. A significant portion of the book was dedicated to giving examples of world mythology, to show how ridiculous they are. And always, Judeo-Christian stories are cited to make the point that they are just as ridiculous as the rest. Again, that does not bother me, because I actually agree with it. But it still seemed to detract from the experience of the book. And if I felt that way, I suppose religious believers will think that even more so. I don't think this is the best approach to get believers to open their minds.
It's Richard Dawkins explaining science very simply and engagingly. It's very good. It's written for a little younger audience but I still highly recommend it for anyone interested in science and biology. I learned all kinds of fascinating things, like who knows how rainbows work? I do!! And now I know how we know how old the universe is, how earthquakes work, and I have a better understanding of evolution, as well. Very well explained. I'm very happy. :)
informative
The book is quite informative in various aspects specifically in evolution and biological facts. The atheist bias of the author is evident and he often presents myths and stories to lampoon them. At times the author goes on to explain very difficult stuff verbally. The book could have used some good illustrations.
I struggled hard to get through this book. Mostly because I felt like it was aimed at high schoolers. The myths at the beginning of each section was an interesting touch and had I received this book 10 years ago I might have appreciated it.