Dawkins' God E-Book

Alister E. McGrath

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 406

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

A fully updated new edition of a critically acclaimed examination of the theories and writings of Richard Dawkins by a world-renowned expert on the relation of science and religion

• Includes in-depth analysis of Dawkins’ landmark treatise The God Delusion (2006), as well as coverage of his later popular works The Magic of Reality (2011) and The Greatest Show on Earth (2011),and a new chapter on Dawkins as a popularizer of science
• Tackles Dawkins’ hostile and controversial views on religion, and examine the religious implications of his scientific ideas including a comprehensive investigation of the ‘selfish gene’
• Written in an accessible and engaging style that will appeal to anyone interested in better understanding the interplay between science and religion

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Cover

Series page

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication page

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Darwinism

Natural Selection: Charles Darwin

The Mechanics of Inheritance: Gregor Mendel

The Discovery of the Gene: Thomas Hunt Morgan

The Role of DNA in Genetics

What’s in a Name? “Darwinism” or “Evolutionary Theory”?

2 The Selfish Gene

Introducing Dawkins

Dawkins’ Approach: The Selfish Gene

The Place of Humanity in a Darwinian Universe

Are Genes Really Selfish?

What Remains of the “Selfish Gene” Approach?

3 Blind Faith?

Faith as Blind Trust?

Is Atheism Itself a Faith?

Is Christian Faith Irrational?

The Problem of Radical Theory Change in Science

The Limits of Science

Mystery, Insanity, and Nonsense

4 The Blind Watchmaker

The Contours of a Darwinian Worldview

Is Darwinism a Complete Explanation?

God as an Explanatory Hypothesis?

The Elimination of Purpose: Dawkins on Teleology in Nature

The Divine Watchmaker: Paley’s Grand (but Correctable) Mistake

Dynamic Conceptions of Creation: Augustine of Hippo

Natural Selection and Religious Beliefs: Darwin’s Views

The Christian Reaction to Darwin

5 Cultural Darwinism?

Universal Darwinism: The Evolution of Culture

Introducing the Meme

Introducing the “God-Meme”

Is Cultural Development Darwinian?

Do Memes Actually Exist?

The Flawed Analogy between Gene and Meme

The Redundancy of the Meme

God as a Virus of the Mind?

Moving On …

6 The God Delusion

The Cultural Location of

The God Delusion

The “Warfare” of Science and Religion

Natural Science Leads to Neither Atheism Nor Christianity

Science, Faith, and Evidence

A Darwinian Explanation of Belief in God?

Awe, Wonder, and Religion

Conclusion

Select Bibliography

1. Works by Richard Dawkins

Other works

Index

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Pages

ii

iii

iv

v

ix

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

184

185

186

187

188

189

190

191

192

Also by Alister E. McGrath from Wiley-Blackwell

Christianity: An Introduction, Third Edition (2015)

Emil Brunner: A Reappraisal (2014)

The World of C. S. Lewis (2013)

Christian History: An Introduction (2013)

Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought, Second Edition (2012)

Reformation Thought: An Introduction, Fourth Edition (2012)

Theology: The Basic Readings, Second Edition (edited, 2012)

Theology: The Basics, Third Edition (2012)

Luther's Theology of the Cross: Martin Luther's Theological Breakthrough, Second Edition (2011)

Darwinism and the Divine: Evolutionary Thought and Natural Theology (2011)

The Christian Theology Reader, Fourth Edition (edited, 2011)

Christian Theology: An Introduction, Fifth Edition (2011)

Science and Religion: A New Introduction, Second Edition (2009)

The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology (2008)

The Order of Things: Explorations in Scientific Theology (2006)

Christianity: An Introduction, Second Edition (2006)

The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation, Second Edition (2003)

Christian Literature: An Anthology (edited, 2003)a

A Brief History of Heaven (2003)

The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism (edited with Darren C. Marks, 2003)

The Future of Christianity (2002)

Reformation Thought: An Introduction, Third Edition (2000)

Christian Spirituality: An Introduction (1999)

Historical Theology: An Introduction (1998)

The Foundations of Dialogue in Science and Religion (1998)

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought (edited, 1995)

A Life of John Calvin (1990)

Note

a

out of print

Dawkins’ God

From The Selfish Gene to The God Delusion

Second Edition

Alister E. McGrath

This edition first published 2015© 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Registered OfficeJohn Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK

Editorial Offices350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UKThe Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.

The right of Alister E. McGrath to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McGrath, Alister E., 1953–    Dawkins’ God : From The Selfish Gene to The God Delusion / Alister E. McGrath.– Second edition.    pages cm     Includes bibliographical references and index.

    ISBN 978-1-118-96478-1 (pbk.)1. Apologetics. 2. Dawkins, Richard, 1941– I. Title.    BT1103.M34 2015    261.5′5–dc23        2014029784

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover image: Top, l–r : Biological cell © dreaming2004 / iStock; Molecular structure © BlackJack3D / iStock; Animated waves © Toria / Shutterstock; Chemistry science formula and tablets. Medicine symbol © isak55 / Shutterstock; Vertical photo of an old tree in a green forest © andreiuc88 / Shutterstock

“More attention to the History of Science is needed, as much by scientists as by historians, and especially by biologists, and this should mean a deliberate attempt to understand the thoughts of the great masters of the past, to see in what circumstances or intellectual milieu their ideas were formed, where they took the wrong turning or stopped short on the right track.”

R. A. Fisher, speaking at a symposium held in Canberra marking the centenary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species. “Natural Selection from the Genetical Standpoint.” Australian Journal of Science 22 (1959): 16–17.

Acknowledgments

I owe a particular debt to senior academic colleagues who have read this work in draft form, and were generous in their comments: Denis Alexander, R. J. Berry, Francis Collins, Simon Conway Morris, David C. Livingstone, Michael Ruse, Jeffrey Schloss, and especially Joanna Collicutt. I myself am responsible for any remaining errors of fact or interpretation. Oxford University kindly provided clarification on some important points of detail.

Introduction

I first came across Richard Dawkins in 1977 when I read his Selfish Gene (1976). I was completing my doctoral research in Oxford University’s department of biochemistry, under the genial supervision of Professor Sir George Radda, who went on to become Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council. I was trying to figure out how biological membranes work so successfully by developing new physical methods to study their behavior.

Although it would be some years before The Selfish Gene achieved the cult status it subsequently enjoyed, it was obviously a marvelous book. I admired Dawkins’ wonderful way with words, and his ability to explain crucial – yet often difficult – scientific ideas so clearly. It was popular scientific writing at its best. No surprise, then, that the New York Times commented that it was “the sort of popular science writing that makes the reader feel like a genius.”