The God Delusion is a 2006 book by English biologist Richard Dawkins, a professorial fellow at New College, Oxford University, and former owner Charles Simoni, for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. "Does Richard Dawkins exist? Refresh and try again. It’s difficult to work out whether Dawkins is angrier at the religious for their faith or at God for his non-existence. Anyone who has read Dawkins or is interested in the relationship of religion and science, So, for some reason this book is coming up pretty high on my Goodreads list, even though it's been a while since I've read it. How Dawkins is selective in his appeal to history to indict the faithful (e.g., Pape's analysis of the motives of suicide bombers, the claims of some who died under the French revolution, the phenomena attending the problems in Northern Irela. World-renowned scientist Richard Dawkins writes in The God Delusion: 'If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.' I found it a bit insulting, any reader should know that the author has an objective, especially when the author spells it out for you at the beginning of the book. It is written from a Christian perspective as a response to arguments put forth in The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. There is a problem that I personally perceive with the academic arrogance of the highly erudite Prof. Richard Dawkins. The most important thing I learned from this book in particular is that Dawkins' attempt at scientifically disproving God's existence is thinly-veiled by the misplaced confidence of (now out-dated) logical positivism. Don't come into this, or any other book for that matter, with a predisposition of "This is wrong", "This is right", "I'm sticking to what I believe no matter what this books says" or even "This book is going to change my life". . How Dawkins continually substitutes rhetoric, vitriol, and ignorance in lieu of sustained and cogent argumentation. This essay was originally written as a guest post for an agnostic friend’s blog. How Dawkins is selective in his appeal to history to indict the faithful (e.g., Pape's analysis of the motives of suicide bombers, the claims of some who died under the French revolution, the phenomena attending the problems in Northern Ireland, etc.,). a [Dawkins] capable of designing a [God Delusion book], or anything else, would have to be complex and statistically improbable.” (p. 153, 2006 edition; p. 183, 2008 edition), “I left the conference stimulated and invigorated, and reinforced in my conviction that the argument from improbability – the ‘Ultimate 747’ gambit – is a very serious argument against the existence of [Dawkins], and one to which I have yet to hear a theologian give a convincing answer . . Well, it's been a while-- and I just don't trust debates anyway, I think written, relatively sympathetic communication is the best way to work. Yet last fall Dawkins made news with a new book, The God Delusion, dismissing all religious faith as “insanity.” Arguing that “natural selection and other scientific theories are superior to a God hypothesis in explaining the living world,” Dawkins says he wrote the book as a … And that IS important. A VERY fair and forthright dealing with a few of the quotes from Dawkins' book, The God Delusion. [The] McGrath(es) do(es) a nice job at showing how The Dawkins constantly overreaches in his criticisms of God (Christianity, religion, &c.). The book works partly because they are so much more gracious to Dawkins than Dawkins is to believers: Dawkins's The Blind Watchmaker "remains the finest critique" of William Paley's naturalistic arguments for deism available, for example. For what it is intended to be, this is an effective book. It will give even the initially neutral reader the opportunity to see that real science is not the enemy of religion and that the religiously oriented interpretation is superior to the atheistic one." The Dawkins delusion: science good, the rest bad. Therefore, trying to rebut every inaccuracy would be tedious and dull. It will give even the initially neutral reader the opportunity to see that real science is not the enemy of religion and that the religiously oriented interpretation is superior to the atheistic one." The Dawkins Delusion?, subtitled Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine is a book by Christian theologian Alister McGrath and psychologist Joanna Collicutt McGrath, written as a critical response from a Christian perspective to Richard Dawkins's book The God Delusion. Their arguments turn into more of a defense of their particular religion (Christianity) than a rebuttal to Dawkins assertions that support a theory that there is no god. How does Dawkins get trapped by his own argument -and thus according to his own reasoning refute the existence of himself? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Craig presents the core of Dawkins' argument, which grapples with "the appearance of design" and the fine tuning of the universe. It is a curious book, written with a sort of high censoriousness that wouldn’t shame a #MeToo convention. […] 3. The God Delusion is a 2006 book by English biologist Richard Dawkins, a professorial fellow at New College, Oxford University, and former owner Charles Simoni, for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. According to the thesis of ‘ The God Delusion’, authored by Richard Dawkins, generally religion has caused more negative impacts up on human kind and hence it’s bad. The volume has received wide coverage, fueled much passionate debate and caused not a little confusion. Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine. Dawkins sets out not only to defend atheism but to portray its worldview as morally and aesthetically pleasing in a way that atheist thinkers of the past (say, Nietzsche) didn’t. Alister McGrath acted like a Christian fundamentalist when he responded to the book of Richard Dawkins with an attack on his personality in the form of a book "The Dawkins Delusion". While reading it, be sure to remember that it is merely a response essay rather than a book presenting an argument. Yet not as risible as Dawkins writing itself! The McGraths present a reliable assessment of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, famed atheist and scientist, and the many questions this book raises--including, above all, the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning. For what it is intended to be. Dawkins comes across as one feeling part of a marginalised community and has let his feelings and even his hatred of religion overrule his scientific brain. But I appreciated the help of McGrath and Wilson’s Deluded By Dawkins in my own assessment of the weakness of his argument. . a God capable of designing a universe, or anything else, would have to be complex and statistically improbable.” (p. 153, 2006 edition; p. 183, 2008 edition), “I left the conference stimulated and invigorated, and reinforced in my conviction that the argument from improbability – the ‘Ultimate 747’ gambit – is a very serious argument against the existence of God, and one to which I have yet to hear a theologian give a convincing answer . However, they deliberately miss many of the points that Dawkins makes in his book. J. Parker says: February 4, 2007 at 9:36 am. We’d love your help. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Well, there is a lot more I'd like to dig into re: the thought of both of these thinkers, so I think I will just say that I'm not so sure I stand wholeheartedly behind my review anymore, though I will need to return to this later to be sure. Chapter 4 of the book “The God Delusion” is titled “Why There Almost Certainly is No God”. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Reading this alongside the God Delusion is perhaps one of the most interesting and engaging discursive experiences I have had with two books. . For those who aren’t looking to have their faith and beliefs gravely challenged, you may want to skip this book. Great book! Whether you loved The God Delusion or hated it (few people felt anything in between), you really ought to read this book. .” (p. 147, 2006 edition; p. 176, 2008 edition), “. Someone who needs to keep his nose in the Petri dish and out of the business of philosophers and theologians. The God Delusion has established Dawkins as the world's most high-profile atheist polemicist, who directs a withering criticism against every form of religion. Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine is a book by the theologian Alister McGrath and the psychologist Joanna Collicutt McGrath. If you're hoping for this book to say more, you'll be sorely disappointed (though perhaps appreciative of the irony). . The volume has received wide coverage, fueled much passionate debate and caused not a little confusion. My only complaint is that it's not a longer work, though I know there are more thorough rebuttals in McGrath's other works, like, I picked this book up with the Dawkin's God Delusion because it was right next to it. .” “If the argument of this chapter is accepted, the factual premise of religion – the God Hypothesis – is untenable. Regardless of your preconceptions, you should read both of these books, if only to inform yourself of the debate and to show you that neither side can conclusively "win" in these ostensibly rational/logical back-and-forths. Dawkins subtly switches the meaning of improbable throughout chapter 4 of his book: Sometimes improbable means “improbable as to existence” other times  improbable  “means improbable as to coming about by chance”. – Dawkins did not convince me that God is a delusion! I was wrong. Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion is immensely popular and has been hailed as a convincing defense of atheism. I found it a bi. I won't say that its not informative as to different interpretations of the situations Dawkin raises in his book but it does little else. To be honest, I saw an uncut debate between these two on youtube a while back, and have to admit Dawkins came out on top. To be honest, I saw an uncut debate between these two on youtube a while back, and have to admit Dawkins came out on top. So instead, McGrath chose key points to challenge him on. Dawkins’ reasoning about the existence of God: “The argument from improbability, properly deployed, comes close to proving that God does not exist. As McGrath said, Dawkins' book "is often little more than an aggregation of convenient factoids suitably overstated to achieve maximum impact and loosely arranged to suggest that they constitute an argument" (13). I'm sorry to say as short as it is I couldn't get through two chapters. 2008 Christian Bookseller's Covention Book of the Year Award winner! Dawkins, an ethologist and evolutionary biologist, says in his anti-religious diatribe “The God Delusion,” “When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity.When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion.” The convincing thing about God is that … So, for some reason this book is coming up pretty high on my Goodreads list, even though it's been a while since I've read it. Richard Dawkins has every right to look at me as a believer in God and say that the idea of God is a delusion, since it is all in the mind and in the heart, etc. Apparently Dawkins has many devotees who share his single-minded purpose of … Every other paragrah seemed to reference an earlier book or argument either by McGrath or Dawkins. Exact same reasoning applied to Dawkins’ existence: “The argument from improbability, properly deployed, comes close to proving that [Dawkins] does not exist. . In 97 pages, the McGraths lay out clearly and concisely the many points in, Recommended by Chad, and largely appreciated -- not just for the facts, but also for the dispassionate and reasoned tone in which the McGraths go about this task. Sun 12 Aug 2007 18.36 EDT. Neil Spencer. For example a Boeing 747 is improbable by chance, but not improbable as to existence. As someone who is examining his beliefs and is fairly open to good arguments, no matter what they are, I found this slim volume helpful as a reminder, while reading Dawkins, that the passion and certainty of the author should not be substitutes for logic and evidence. No other changes will be made. […] 3. A friend of mine told me a story about the first book club he went to in our little desert town. . Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine" by Alister McGrath available from Rakuten Kobo. To see what your friends thought of this book, When I picked up this book, I thought to myself that the authors were going to have a hard time disputing 400 pages of atheist vitriol with less than 100 pages. .” “If the argument of this chapter is accepted, the factual premise of religion – the God Hypothesis – is untenable. The Dawkins Delusion Responding to Dawkins' runaway best-selling book, "The God Delusion," William Lane Craig engages with Dawkin's primary argument for atheism. The Dawkins Delusion DaveScot at Uncommon Descent has posted this video, entitled “The Dawkins Delusion.” It’s hilarious, especially if you know anything about Dawkins. The McGraths present a reliable assessment of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, famed atheist and scientist, and the many questions this book raises--including, above all, the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning. World-renowned scientist Richard Dawkins writes in The God Delusion: "If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it … Well, it's been a while-- and I just don't trust debates anyway, I think written, relatively sympathetic communication is the best way to work through things.