New Releases by Richard Dawkins

Biologická evoluce není "pouhou teorií", ale skutečností. Probíhá po miliardy let a vedla ke vzniku tolika podivuhodných životních forem, že si zaslouží označení za největší show na Zemi; a toto velkolepé představení přitom nepotřebovalo žádného režiséra. Současně se ale evoluce odehrává i přímo před našima očima, můžeme ji zaznamenat na sloních klech i ve vrtění psího ocasu. Kniha známého britského biologa a popularizátora vědy nám ukáže fungování evoluce z mnoha pohledů, od paleontologického záznamu přes molekulární genetiku a vývoj embrya až po domestikaci zvířat či to, jak se historie života promítla do geografického rozšíření současných druhů.Vychází ve spolupráci s nakladatelstvím Argo.

Should we believe in God? In this brisk introduction to modern atheism, one of the world’s greatest science writers tells us why we shouldn’t. Richard Dawkins was fifteen when he stopped believing in God. Deeply impressed by the beauty and complexity of living things, he’d felt certain they must have had a designer. Learning about evolution changed his mind. Now one of the world’s best and bestselling science communicators, Dawkins has given readers, young and old, the same opportunity to rethink the big questions. In twelve fiercely funny, mind-expanding chapters, Dawkins explains how the natural world arose without a designer—the improbability and beauty of the “bottom-up programming” that engineers an embryo or a flock of starlings—and challenges head-on some of the most basic assumptions made by the world’s religions: Do you believe in God? Which one? Is the Bible a “Good Book”? Is adhering to a religion necessary, or even likely, to make people good to one another? Dissecting everything from Abraham’s abuse of Isaac to the construction of a snowflake, Outgrowing God is a concise, provocative guide to thinking for yourself. Praise for Outgrowing God “My son came home from his first day in the sixth grade with arms outstretched plaintively demanding to know: ‘Have you ever heard of Jesus?’ We burst out laughing. Maybe not our finest parenting moment, given that he was genuinely distraught. He felt that he had woken up one day to a world in which his peers were expressing beliefs he found frighteningly unreasonable. He began devouring books like The God Delusion, books that helped him formulate his own arguments and helped him stand his ground. Dawkins’s new book is special in the terrain of atheists’ pleas for humanism and rationalism precisely since it speaks to those most vulnerable to the coercive tactics of religion. As Dawkins himself says in the dedication, this book is for ‘all young people when they’re old enough to decide for themselves.’ It is also, I must add, for their parents.”—Janna Levin, author of Black Hole Blues “When someone is considering atheism I tell them to read the Bible first and then Dawkins. Outgrowing God—second only to the Bible!”—Penn Jillette, author of God, No!

Livro reúne 42 textos de Richard Dawkins, o racionalista que ilumina com sua erudição característica as maravilhas da natureza e ataca veementemente a lógica fajuta e a irracionalidade. Apesar de abarcar três décadas de produção escrita, este livro não poderia ser mais atual e urgente, num mundo cada vez mais irracional e hostil aos fatos. Já na sua introdução apaixonada, Richard Dawkins faz um alerta insistindo para que a razão volte a ser protagonista e que os sentimentos — mesmo aqueles que não representam coisas abjetas como a xenofobia, a misoginia e outros preconceitos — fiquem de fora das escolhas eleitorais. Em mais de quarenta ensaios, artigos, palestras e cartas, recentemente revistos pelo autor, são escrutinadas uma série de questões, entre elas a importância das evidências empíricas, e há uma crítica enfática da má ciência, da presença da religião nas escolas e de movimentos como os que negam a gravidade das mudanças climáticas. Com o ardor de sempre, o cientista defende "a verdade sagrada da natureza" e homenageia as glórias e as complexidades do mundo natural com seu virtuosismo típico. Neste momento em que pessoas nos altos cargos dos governos questionam a evolução, Dawkins se pergunta o que Darwin pensaria de seu próprio legado e celebra a ciência, que possui muitas virtudes das religiões, mas está livre do lado negativo da superstição e do preconceito.

Den legendariska biologen, debattören och bästsäljande vetenskapsförfattaren Richard Dawkins sammanställer ett passionerat försvar för vetenskap och rationellt tänkande i denna samling essäer som sträcker sig genom hela hans karriär. Richard Dawkins har länge varit en av världens främsta försvarare av vetenskapen, som outtröttligt belyser verklighetens magi och anfaller feltänkande. Med vetenskapen i blodet är en samling av 42 essäer, polemiska texter och lovsånger – alla skrivna med Dawkins karaktäristiska bildning, ångerlösa kvickhet och oförstörda förundran. Trots att den sträcker sig över tre årtionden, är utgivningen av denna bok både läglig och viktig. Folkvalda representanter har öppnat dörrarna till en flod av fördomar som inte varit accepterade på 50 år. I det passionerade förordet, ber Dawkins oss att insistera på att rationellt tänkande ges företräde före vidskepelse och intuition, även i de fall som inte handlar om xenofobi, misogyni eller andra fördomar. Essäerna utforskar många olika intresseområden, bland annat vikten av empiriska belägg, dålig vetenskap, religion i skolan, och klimatskepticism. I en värld fylld av irrationalitet och kunskapsresistens, är detta en väsentlig samling texter från en oumbärlig författare.

Plus de deux millions d'exemplaires vendus dans le monde, best-seller aux États-Unis, en Angleterre et en Allemagne : l'essai qui crée l'événement. " Imaginez, avec John Lennon, un monde sans religion... Pas de bombes suicides, pas de 11 Septembre, pas de Croisades, pas de chasses aux sorcières, pas de Conspiration des poudres, pas de partition de l'Inde, pas de guerres israélo-palestiniennes, pas de massacres de musulmans serbo-croates, pas de persécution de juifs, pas de " troubles " en Irlande du Nord, pas de " crimes d'honneur ", pas de télévangélistes au brushing avantageux et au costume tape-à-l'oeil. Imaginez, pas de talibans pour dynamiter les statues anciennes, pas de décapitations publiques des blasphémateurs, pas de femmes flagellées pour avoir montré une infime parcelle de peau... " R. D. Dans une attaque frontale contre la religion et la barbarie qu'elle a trop souvent engendrée, Richard Dawkins dénonce " l'illusion de Dieu ". Jugeant que de trop nombreux scientifiques " s'inclinent lâchement devant les théologiens ", il estime que l'hypothèse de Dieu doit être analysée avec les mêmes outils rationnels et le même scepticisme que n'importe quelle autre. Il s'attache donc à faire la démonstration de la " probabilité extrêmement faible de son existence ". Amoureux de la nature, le scientifique invite son lecteur à se tourner vers la splendeur du monde réel. Comprendre le monde du vivant, apprécier son extrême richesse expliquée avec une " élégance irrésistible " par la sélection naturelle de Darwin, voilà qui, selon Richard Dawkins, devrait permettre d'abandonner toutes les formes de superstition. Et notamment celles remises au goût du jour par le créationnisme qui sévit dans de nombreux pays, en particulier aux États-Unis. Le réquisitoire d'un grand scientifique contre la religion.

The million copy international bestseller, critically acclaimed and translated into over 25 languages. As influential today as when it was first published, The Selfish Gene has become a classic exposition of evolutionary thought. Professor Dawkins articulates a gene's eye view of evolution - a view giving centre stage to these persistent units of information, and in which organisms can be seen as vehicles for their replication. This imaginative, powerful, and stylistically brilliant work not only brought the insights of Neo-Darwinism to a wide audience, but galvanized the biology community, generating much debate and stimulating whole new areas of research. Forty years later, its insights remain as relevant today as on the day it was published. This 40th anniversary edition includes a new epilogue from the author discussing the continuing relevance of these ideas in evolutionary biology today, as well as the original prefaces and foreword, and extracts from early reviews. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.

A aguardada autobiografia do cientista que revolucionou as ciências naturais e buscou explicar nossas origens. Filho de pais naturalistas e de uma família de cientistas consumados, Richard Dawkins estava fadado a levar a biologia nos genes. Mas que influências moldaram seu desenvolvimento intelectual? E quem o inspirou a tornar-se o cientista pioneiro e a autoridade intelectual cuja fama (ou infâmia, para alguns) alcança todo o planeta? Em Fome de saber, Dawkins traça um panorama colorido e encorpado de seus primeiros anos de vida. A autorreflexão sincera e as anedotas espirituosas são intercaladas com reminiscências da família, dos amigos, da literatura, da poesia e da música. Finalmente podemos compreender as influências que moldaram o intelectual que buscou explicar nossas origens.

Clinton Richard Dawkins FRS FRSL, seorang ilmuwan (ahli biologi evolusi) dan profesor emeritus di New College, Oxford. Meroket kemahsyurannya berkat buku The Selfish Gene yang terbit pada 1976. Dawkins juga dikenal sebagai orang yang giat mengampanyekan kepada publik pentingnya sains, sekaligus kritikus tajam tentang konsep agama dan ketuhanan. The Magic of Reality adalah buku pertama yang ditujukan pada pembaca muda dan umum, orang awam yang kurang begitu mengerti tentang sains. Menurut Dawkins, ada tiga bentuk sihir. Pertama, supernatural magic, terdapat dalam cerita-cerita fiksi seperti kepercayaan orang Mesir Kuno bahwa malam terjadi karena Dewi Nut menelan matahari, atau Bangsa Viking yang menganggap pelangi sebagai jembatan para dewa menuju Bumi. Kedua, stage magic, yang biasa ditampilkan para pesulap ketika mengeluarkan dari dalam topi kosong, atau mengubah sapu tangan menjadi merpati. Dan yang terakhir adalah The Magic of Reality alias sains, berupa kesenangan dan kekaguman ketika berhasil mengetahui di balik berbagai fenomena alam. Siapa orang pertama? Mengapa ada begitu banyak jenis hewan? Terbuat dari apakah setiap benda? Mengapa ada siang dan malam? Apa itu matahari, apa itu pelangi? Apa itu gempa bumi? Pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang terdengar sepele, bahkan kekanak-kanakan, tapi yakin kebanyakan orang (dewasa) ga tahu jawabannya. Detail Profuk Judul: The Magic Of Reality Bahasa: Indonesia Negara: Indonesia Penerbit : Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia Penulis : Richard Dawkins Jumlah halaman : 276 Terbitan Pertama: 15 September 2011 ISBN : ISBN 1-4391-9281-2

Er kroppene våre bare overlevelsesmaskiner for genene? Knapt noen bok innen biologi har, siden Darwins Om artenes opprinnelse, vakt slik oppsikt som Dawkins’ Det egoistiske genet. Dette er boken som maktet å gjøre genteori og evolusjonsbiologi til folkelesning! Her kan du lese om livet på jorda sett fra genenes synsvinkel. Genenes eneste mål er å bringe flest mulig kopier av seg selv videre til nye generasjoner, og til dette trengs et verktøy – organismen. Enhver organisme, mennesket inkludert, kan derfor betraktes som en genstyrt robot, en marionett under DNA-trådene. Men hvor blir det da av menneskets frie vilje? Fritar et slikt verdensbilde oss fra moralsk ansvar? Nei, hevder Dawkins. Mennesket er ikke totaldeterminert, men kan, som eneste art, gjøre opprør mot genenes diktatur. Innledningen er skrevet av professor Dag O. Hessen. Richard Dawkins er den første som innehar Oxfords nylig opprettede Charles Simonyi professorat til offentlig forståelse av vitenskap. Han er født i Nairobi av britiske foreldre og fikk sin utdannelse ved universitetet i Oxford, hvor han tok doktorgraden under ledelse av Nobelprisvinneren og adferdsforskeren Niko Tinbergen.

Sind wir Marionetten unserer eigenen Gene? Nach Richard Dawkins vor 30 Jahren entworfener und heute noch immer provozierender These steuern und dirigieren unsere von Generation zu Generation weitergegebenen Gene uns, um sich selbst zu erhalten. Alle biologischen Organismen dienen somit vor allem dem Überleben und der Unsterblichkeit der Erbanlagen und sind letztlich nur die "Einwegebehälter" der "egoistischen" Gene. Sind wir Menschen also unserem Gen-Schicksal hilflos ausgeliefert? Dawkins bestreitet dies und macht uns Hoffnung: Seiner Meinung nach sind wir nämlich die einzige Spezies mit der Chance, gegen ihr genetisches Schicksal anzukämpfen. Zum 30. Jubiläum des "egoistischen Gens" erscheint diese Ausgabe - mit einem neuen Vorwort von Richard Dawkins und einem von Wolfgang Wickler. Meinungen zum Buch: ”Dieses Buch sollte gelesen werden, kann gelesen werden, und das von nahezu jedem. Es beschreibt mit großem Geschick eine neue Facette der Evolutionstheorie.“ William D. Hamilton in Science ”Gelehrt, geistreich und sehr gut geschrieben ... ausgesprochen gut.“ Peter Medawar in The Spectator ” Dieses mit Eleganz und Präzision gedachte und mit Witz und Leidenschaft geschriebene Buch Das egoistische Gen hat in 30 Jahren weder an Faszination noch an Aktualität einbüßt. Es sollte weiterhin Pflichtlektüre sein für alle Vertreter der Biologie und der Spezialbereiche aus Anthropologie, Epistemologie, Erkenntnistheorie, Ethik, Medizin, Ökologie, Ökonomie, Philosophie, Psychologie, Soziologie, die sich heutzutage mit dem Beinamen "Evolutionär" schmücken.“ Wolfgang Wickler in seinem Vorwort zu diesem Buch ”Hier liegt ein echter kultureller Meilenstein unserer Zeit vor.“ The Independent ”Kaufen Sie dieses Buch, lesen Sie es, und empfehlen Sie es Ihren Studenten. ... es gibt noch nichts anderes Vergleichbares.“ Animal Behaviour

Originally published: London: Bantam Press, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, 2013.

An elegant, text-only edition of the New York Times bestseller that’s been hailed as the definitive authority on…everything. Richard Dawkins, bestselling author and the world’s most celebrated evolutionary biologist, has spent his career elucidating the many wonders of science. Here, he takes a broader approach and uses his unrivaled explanatory powers to illuminate the ways in which the world really works. Filled with clever thought experiments and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena: How old is the universe? Why do the continents look like disconnected pieces of a jigsaw puzzle? What causes tsunamis? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman? Starting with the magical, mythical explanations for the wonders of nature, Dawkins reveals the exhilarating scientific truths behind these occurrences. This is a page-turning detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist as well.

Magic takes many forms. Supernatural magic is what our ancestors invoked in order to explain the world before they developed the scientific method. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting that a goddess swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods' bridge to earth. Aside from these extraordinary tales, there is another kind of magic that lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality--science. Packed with dazzling illustrations and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a wide range of natural phenomena.

Tänk om någon sa: ”Det romerska imperiet har aldrig funnits. Julius Ceasar är en påhittad figur. Franska, spanska och italienska härstammar inte från latinet utan uppstod fixa och färdiga, helt utan samband med varandra.” Åt en sådan person skulle vi alla skratta. Men mer än 40% av alla amerikaner tror att jorden skapades av Gud för 6.000 år sedan och att människor och dinosaurier vandrade sida vid sida. Till dem och alla oss andra lägger nu den världsberömde biologen Richard Dawkins fram bevisen för att Darwins tankar stämmer: ”Evolutionen är ett faktum. Bortom allt rimligt tvivel, bortom allt förnuftigt, intelligent och upplyst tvivel är evolutionen ett faktum. Det är rena rama sanningen att vi är chimpansernas kusiner och lite mer avlägsna kusiner till maneterna.” Elegant, lärt och underhållande ger Richard Dawkins sin hyllning till vetenskapen, till hur underbar naturen är och till sin store hjälte och föregångare Charles Darwin. Richard Dawkins är professor vid universitetet i Oxford. Hans böcker som Den själviska genen och Illusionen om Gud har slukats av miljoner och åter miljoner läsare. Så gick det till är kronan på hans populärvetenskapliga författarskap.

Richard Dawkins beweist mit dem Buch «Der entzauberte Regenbogen», dass Wissenschaft alles andere als kalt, trocken und langweilig ist. Er macht deutlich, wie wunderbar die Dinge sind, gerade wenn wir um sie wissen. Das Gefühl des Staunens über die Natur verliert sich keineswegs, wenn man versucht, den Erscheinungen auf den Grund zu gehen, und das Wunderbare wird nicht weniger wunderbar, wenn wir es erklären können. Ohne die Entzauberung des Regenbogens wüssten wir heute sehr viel weniger über den Kosmos. Gleichzeitig tritt einer der besten Sachbuchautoren unserer Zeit an, Aberglauben und mystischen Kult als falschverstandene Romantik und bewusste Irreführung zu entlarven, und geht hart mit denen ins Gericht, die den Trend zum Mystischen ausnutzen, um damit Geschäfte zu machen. «Richard Dawkins kann etwas, was Charles Darwin nicht konnte: phantastisch erzählen!» (New York Times)

In 2008, a Gallup poll showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created man in his present form within the last 10,000 years. In a Pew Forum poll in the same year, 42 percent believed that all life on earth has existed in its present form since the beginning of time. In 1859 Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke. But he surely would 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. Now the author of the iconic work The God Delusion takes them to task. The Greatest Show on Earth is a stunning counterattack on advocates of "Intelligent Design," explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist "argument." 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. Combining these elements and many more, he makes 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." The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is menacing as never before. In American schools, and in schools around the world, insidious attempts are made to undermine the status of science in the classroom. Dawkins wields a devastating argument against this ignorance, but his unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master's vision of life, in all its splendor.

How did the replication bomb we call ”life” begin and where in the world, or rather, in the universe, is it heading? Writing with characteristic wit and an ability to clarify complex phenomena (the New York Times described his style as ”the sort of science writing that makes the reader feel like a genius”), Richard Dawkins confronts this ancient mystery.