Книги автора Dawkins Richard
Название: Climbing Mount Improbable
Жанр: Penguin Group
Год: 2006
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How could such an intricate object as the human eye — so complex and so precise — have come about by chance? In this masterful piece of popular science, Richard Dawkins builds a powerful and carefully reasoned argument for evolutionary adaptation as the force behind all life on earth. The metaphor of 'Mount Improbable' represents the combination of perfection and improbability that we find in the seemingly 'designed' complexity of living things. And through it all runs the thread of DNA, the molecule of life, responsible for its own destiny on an unending pilgrimage through time. Evocative illustrations accompany Dawkins' eloquent descriptions of astonishing adaptations in the living world.
Жанр: Penguin Group
Год: 2006
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A dazzling, passionate polemic against anti-science movements of all kinds. Keats accused Newton of destroying the poetry of the rainbow by explaining the origin of its colours. In this illuminating and provocative book, Richard Dawkins argues that Keats could not have been more mistaken, and shows how an understanding of science enhances our wonder of the world. He argues that mysteries do not lose their poetry because they are solved: the solution is often more beautiful than the puzzle, uncovering even deeper mysteries. Dawkins takes up the most important and compelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics to language and virtual reality, combining them in a landmark statement on the human appetite for wonder.
Жанр: Simon & Schuster
Год: 2009
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Richard Dawkins transformed our view of God in his blockbuster, The God Delusion, which sold more than 2 million copies in English alone. He revolutionized the way we see natural selection in the seminal bestseller The Selfish Gene. Now, he launches a fierce counterattack against proponents of «Intelligent Design» in his latest New York Times bestseller, The Greatest Show on Earth. «Intelligent Design» is being taught in our schools; educators are being asked to «teach the controversy» behind evolutionary theory. There is no controversy. Dawkins sifts through rich layers of scientific evidence — from living examples of natural selection to clues in the fossil record; from natural clocks that mark the vast epochs wherein evolution ran its course to the intricacies of developing embryos; from plate tectonics to molecular genetics — to make the airtight case that «we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random selection». His unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument, exposing the absurdities of the creationist position, into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master's vision of life, in all its splendor.
Жанр: Transworld Publishers
Год: 2012
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Magic takes many forms. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting that the goddess Nut swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods' bridge to earth. The Japanese used to explain earthquakes by conjuring a gigantic catfish that carried the world on its back — and earthquakes occurred each time it flipped its tail. These are magical, extraordinary tales. But there is another kind of magic, which lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality — science. Packed with inspiring explanations of space, time, evolution and clever thought experiments, The Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena. What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? What causes tsunamis? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a page-turning, inspirational detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist too. In this special text-only edition of the original colour illustrated hardback, Richard Dawkins' own inimitable clarity and exuberance can be especially appreciated as he elucidates the wonders of the natural world to all ages.
Название: The Selfish Gene
Жанр: Oxford University Press
Год: 2008
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Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life. In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk. This 30th anniversary edition of Dawkins' fascinating book retains all original material, including the two enlightening chapters added in the second edition. In a new Introduction the author presents his thoughts thirty years after the publication of his first and most famous book, while the inclusion of the two-page original Foreword by brilliant American scientist Robert Trivers shows the enthusiastic reaction of the scientific community at that time. This edition is a celebration of a remarkable exposition of evolutionary thought, a work that has been widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, and that continues to stimulate whole new areas of research today.
Название: A Devil's Chaplain: Selected Writings
Жанр: Orion Books
Год: 2004
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Richard Dawkins is one of the finest minds in science, and in this superb collection of essays and letters, he demonstrates the depth of his knowledge and the rich variety of his interests. Whether he is examining postmodernism or the Human Genome Project, penning a letter to his daughter, or writing a moving eulogy to Douglas Adams and e-mailing Stephen Jay Gould, Dawkins writes with an intellectual vigour and grace that is second to none. This is a very human collection that shows not only the acuity of Dawkins' scientific mind, but also his sense of humour and the warmth of his relationships with friends and family.
Жанр: Simon & Schuster
Год: 2012
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Magic takes many forms. Supernatural magic is what our ancestors used in order to explain the world before they developed the scientific method. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting the goddess Nut swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods' bridge to earth. The Japanese used to explain earthquakes by conjuring a gigantic catfish that carried the world on its back — earthquakes occurred each time it flipped its tail. These are magical, extraordinary tales. But there is another kind of magic, and it lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality — science. Packed with clever thought experiments, dazzling illustrations and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena. What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? Why do the continents look like disconnected pieces of a puzzle? What causes tsunamis? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a page-turning, graphic detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist as well. Richard Dawkins, the world's most famous evolutionary biologist and one of science education's most passionate advocates, has spent his career elucidating the wonders of science for adult readers. But now, in a dramatic departure, he has teamed up with acclaimed artist Dave McKean and used his unrivaled explanatory powers to share the magic of science with readers of all ages. This is a treasure trove for anyone who has ever wondered how the world works. Dawkins and McKean have created an illustrated guide to the secrets of our world — and the universe beyond — that will entertain and inform for years to come.
Название: An Appetite for Wonder
Жанр: HarperCollins Publishers
Год: 2013
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Richard Dawkins is the worlds most famous atheist and evolutionary biologist. He is an undimmed firebrand for the cause of atheism and award winning science writer whose books, in the words of the New York Times, make the reader feel like a genius. His first book, The Selfish Gene, called the best work of popular science ever written by the New York Review of Books, caused a seismic shift in the study of evolutionary biology by proffering the gene-centric view of evolution. This was not only a paradigm shattering look at genetics, but a book that, since its publication in 1976, has sold more than a million copies around the world, and completely transformed the landscape of genetic research. The Selfish Gene also coined the term meme, a unit of cultural evolution, which has itself become a mainstay in contemporary culture. Then in 2006, Dawkins transformed the worlds cultural and intellectual landscape once again with The God Delusion, a takedown of religious faith, which has sold millions of copies around the world — nearly one million in the United States alone. He has since used his celebrity to further the cause of secular thought and provoke public debate. In this, his first memoir, characterized by Dawkins trademark vicious wit and dazzling eloquence, he tells the fascinating story of how this hugely influential man learned to think, to ask questions, and to forge great ideas. From his idyllic childhood in colonial Kenya to the raucous debates at Berkeley and Oxford, Dawkins shares here, for the first time, the details of his intellectual awakening and the thrilling path to the creation of The Selfish Gene.
Жанр: Transworld Publishers
Год: 2014
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Born to parents who were enthusiastic naturalists, and linked through his wider family to a clutch of accomplished scientists, the author was bound to have biology in his genes. But what were the influences that shaped his life? This book tells his personal journey.
