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A review by dinsdale
Outgrowing God: A Beginner's Guide by Richard Dawkins
5.0
Outgrowing God: A Beginner's Guide is Dawkins 101, the shorter, gentler, and more accessible sibling to The God Delusion. It is targeted at younger people, and is therefore an introduction in to the world of critical thinking so to speak. Unfortunately, I believe the young indoctrinated-at-birth who should read this would never pick up something they consider blasphemous, and it will only be enjoyed by those already leaning away from the world of magic and the supernatural, and grown-up Dawkins fans such as myself. Oh, how I wish I would've had access to such a book in high school or my early college years!
Dawkins divided this relatively short book (compared to his other works) in to two parts: "Goodbye God" and "Evolution and Beyond". Chapters are also relatively short and to the point, Dawkins hits the main points and moves on, and references other books or even YouTube videos which the reader can turn to if they have a deeper interest in the subject matter. As always, Dawkins is articulate and makes the subject matter understandable for the layperson, displaying his usual wit and throwing humor occasionally.
"Goodbye God's" chapters address the origins of gods and myths, addresses the absurdity of the Bible and the other holy books of the Abrahamic religions, and what is "good" and do we need a god to be good? Classic Dawkins, all of it, but told with less venom that Dawkins fans are used to.
In "Evolution and Beyond", Dawkins uses his vast knowledge as an evolutionary biologist to address the idea of a universal designer and how evolution and natural laws explain things which appear to be designed. This is Dawkins at his finest, explaining evolution and other scientific facts, which the intelligent design crowd continues to contest, in such a way that a young person with limited knowledge of biology can understand.
This book is full of great quotes. I will share one of my favorites, which struck me as a former Catholic school pupil:
"That's the favourite dodge of theologians, had you noticed? If you don't like something in the Bible, say it's only symbolic, it never really happened, it's a metaphor to convey a message. And of course they get to choose which verses are metaphors and which are to be taken literally." Yup, all day long!
This is a great introduction in to critical thinking and I wish all young people could read it. It's sad that some are indoctrinated from day one, receive years and years of religious-based education, but are not taught proper critical thinking skills or exposed to the real science of how the world works. Like Dawkins says, it is time for our species to grow up, embrace knowledge, and let go of the gods.
Dawkins divided this relatively short book (compared to his other works) in to two parts: "Goodbye God" and "Evolution and Beyond". Chapters are also relatively short and to the point, Dawkins hits the main points and moves on, and references other books or even YouTube videos which the reader can turn to if they have a deeper interest in the subject matter. As always, Dawkins is articulate and makes the subject matter understandable for the layperson, displaying his usual wit and throwing humor occasionally.
"Goodbye God's" chapters address the origins of gods and myths, addresses the absurdity of the Bible and the other holy books of the Abrahamic religions, and what is "good" and do we need a god to be good? Classic Dawkins, all of it, but told with less venom that Dawkins fans are used to.
In "Evolution and Beyond", Dawkins uses his vast knowledge as an evolutionary biologist to address the idea of a universal designer and how evolution and natural laws explain things which appear to be designed. This is Dawkins at his finest, explaining evolution and other scientific facts, which the intelligent design crowd continues to contest, in such a way that a young person with limited knowledge of biology can understand.
This book is full of great quotes. I will share one of my favorites, which struck me as a former Catholic school pupil:
"That's the favourite dodge of theologians, had you noticed? If you don't like something in the Bible, say it's only symbolic, it never really happened, it's a metaphor to convey a message. And of course they get to choose which verses are metaphors and which are to be taken literally." Yup, all day long!
This is a great introduction in to critical thinking and I wish all young people could read it. It's sad that some are indoctrinated from day one, receive years and years of religious-based education, but are not taught proper critical thinking skills or exposed to the real science of how the world works. Like Dawkins says, it is time for our species to grow up, embrace knowledge, and let go of the gods.