Dawkins' God : Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life

by McGrath, Alister E.

• ISBN13: 9781405125383
• ISBN10: 1405125381
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-11-30
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This is the first book-length response to Richard Dawkins, author of some of the most popular scientific works, such as The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker. Dawkins has become perhaps the worldrs"s best-known atheist, noted for his hostile and controversial views on religion. This wonderfully argued book explains and examines Dawkinsrs" scientific ideas and their religious implications. Head-to-head, it takes on some of Dawkinsrs" central assumptions, like the conflict between science and religion, the "selfish gene" theory of evolution, the role of science in explaining the world, and brilliantly exposes their unsustainability. Moreover, this controversial debate is carried on in a style which can be enjoyed by anyone without a scientific or religious background. Alister E. McGrath is uniquely qualified to write this book. He is a world-renowned theologian who also has a doctorate in molecular biophysics. He is acclaimed as a highly lucid writer, vastly experienced in explaining difficult ideas to lay audiences.

Author Biography

Alister McGrath is Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. He is a world-renowned theologian, with a strong research background in molecular biophysics, making him uniquely qualified to write this book. He is acclaimed as a highly lucid writer, capable of explaining difficult ideas to lay audiences, and is the author of numerous titles available through Blackwell Publishing including Theology: The Basics, A Brief History of Heaven, Christian Theology: An Introduction 3rd edition, The Christian Theology Reader 2nd edition, and Science and Religion: An Introduction. He is also the author of In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible, and The Re-enchantment of Nature.

Table of Contents

Encountering Dawkins: A Personal Account	1	(14)
1 The Selfish Gene: A Darwinian View of the World	15	(34)
Introducing Dawkins	17	(3)
The New Approach: Charles Darwin	20	(5)
The Mechanics of Inheritance: Mendel and Genetics	25	(5)
The Discovery of the Gene	30	(1)
The Role of DNA in Genetics	31	(4)
Dawkins' Approach: The Selfish Gene	35	(7)
River out of Eden: Exploring a Darwinian World	42	(7)
2 The Blind Watchmaker: Evolution and the Elimination of God?	49	(33)
Natural Science Leads Neither to Atheism Nor Christianity	53	(4)
God as an Explanatory Hypothesis	57	(3)
The Case of William Paley	60	(12)
The Religious Views of Charles Darwin	72	(4)
The Christian Reaction to Darwin	76	(6)
3 Proof and Faith: The Place of Evidence in Science and Religion	82	(37)
Faith as Blind Trust?	84	(7)
Is Atheism Itself a Faith?	91	(6)
Christian Faith as Irrational?	97	(5)
The Problem of Radical Theory Change in Science	102	(5)
The Rhetorical Amplification of the Case for Atheism	107	(12)
4 Cultural Darwinism? The Curious "Science" of Memetics	119	(20)
The Origins of the Meme	121	(4)
Is Cultural Development Darwinian?	125	(3)
Do Memes Actually Exist?	128	(2)
The Flawed Analogy Between Meme and Gene	130	(3)
The Redundancy of the Meme	133	(2)
God as a Virus?	135	(4)
5 Science and Religion: Dialogue or Intellectual Appeasement?	139	(21)
The "Warfare" of Science and Religion	140	(6)
The Poky Little Medieval Universe of Religion	146	(4)
The Concept of Awe	150	(1)
The Mind of God	151	(3)
Mystery, Insanity, and Nonsense	154	(4)
Conclusion	158	(2)
Acknowledgments	160	(1)
Notes	161	(21)
Works Consulted	182	(12)
Index	194