The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
Sep 2009 · Random House
4.6star
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480
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About this ebook
Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core on publication in 1859. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke but he would surely have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity.
In The Greatest Show on Earth Richard Dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of 'Intelligent Design' and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. Like a detective arriving on the scene of a crime, he sifts through fascinating layers of scientific facts and disciplines to build a cast-iron case: from the living examples of natural selection in birds and insects; the 'time clocks' of trees and radioactive dating that calibrate a timescale for evolution; the fossil record and the traces of our earliest ancestors; to confirmation from molecular biology and genetics. All of this, and much more, bears witness to the truth of evolution.
The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is now flourishing as never before, especially in America. In Britain and elsewhere in the world, teachers witness insidious attempts to undermine the status of science in their classrooms. Richard Dawkins provides unequivocal evidence that boldly and comprehensively rebuts such nonsense. At the same time he shares with us his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation. Written with elegance, wit and passion, it is hard-hitting, absorbing and totally convincing.
In The Greatest Show on Earth Richard Dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of 'Intelligent Design' and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. Like a detective arriving on the scene of a crime, he sifts through fascinating layers of scientific facts and disciplines to build a cast-iron case: from the living examples of natural selection in birds and insects; the 'time clocks' of trees and radioactive dating that calibrate a timescale for evolution; the fossil record and the traces of our earliest ancestors; to confirmation from molecular biology and genetics. All of this, and much more, bears witness to the truth of evolution.
The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is now flourishing as never before, especially in America. In Britain and elsewhere in the world, teachers witness insidious attempts to undermine the status of science in their classrooms. Richard Dawkins provides unequivocal evidence that boldly and comprehensively rebuts such nonsense. At the same time he shares with us his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation. Written with elegance, wit and passion, it is hard-hitting, absorbing and totally convincing.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
64 reviews
Michael Griffiths
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September 10, 2021
Mind numbing twaddle. Even an exhaustion of all the probabilistic resources of the universe would not result in the emergence of the (Non Shannon) specified information in DNA. Dawkins supposes that he has the 'high ground' and that his proofs are incontrovertible. Sadly, he has fallen victim to his own hubris, which is clearly seen in his item dismissal of the Theory of Intelligent design.
A Google user
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January 8, 2012
A master class in scientific writing. Dawkins brings evolution and biology to life with both flare and grace.
A Google user
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July 14, 2012
Shows how amazing life is and why it has nothing to do with fairies.
About the author
Richard Dawkins is the renowned academic responsible for such works as The Selfish Gene through to the phenomenal The God Delusion. Recently, he presented The Genius of Charles Darwin, a three-part television series examining the legacy of the great scientist and some of the issues covered in this timely book.
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