Donna Bowman review of The God Delusion on AVclub.com

Chris OConnor

The God Delusion
by Richard Dawkins
(Houghton Mifflin)

Reviewed by Donna Bowman
December 7th, 2006

Without a doubt, contributing to the public understanding of science is a noble pursuit. Confirming the public suspicion that scientists are arrogant, pedantic know-it-alls who want to root out every vestige of mystery and religious awe from society—well, that's collateral damage caused by the way Richard Dawkins goes about this noble pursuit. In his latest and perhaps most combative book, The God Delusion, the British zoologist and evolution-popularizer tries to show not only that God doesn't exist, but that even the most private and well-meaning belief in God opens the door to terrible consequences for the individual and society. Dawkins claims not to be aiming at fundamentalist believers. Instead, he hopes to reach the mainstream denominations, the liberal Christians, and the secularized churchgoers who, dismayed at their theocratic, credulous brethren, have eschewed miracles, inerrancy, and the like for a more generic and less dogmatic spirituality. Since they've already rejected supernaturalism, he hopes they'll take the logical next step into naturalism and stop making common cause with the superstitious enemy.

Unfortunately, Dawkins' weapon is a flamethrower rather than a smart bomb. Claiming that he doesn't want to convince conservative believers, he nevertheless heaps ridicule on literal readings of the Bible, Christian apologetics of the "Liar, Lord, or Lunatic" variety, and religious crusades against abortion, birth control, and stem-cell research. Such preaching to the choir—taking Dawkins at his word that he wants liberal Christian readers—is at best padding for a man who's been cranking out expensive hardbacks like they're going out of style. At worst, it's "You're either with us or you're with the abortion-clinic bombers" dualism, a fallacy that Dawkins' religious opponents were flogging long before the advent of the "New Atheism."

For all his scattershot, sloppy rhetoric, Dawkins is on the side of the angels. He proffers the equation that supernaturalism plus indoctrination equals zealotry without the possibility of restraint, and few who have been awake during the opening of the 21st century could dispute his logic or his evidence. He humanizes the statistics about unbelieving scientists with a comparison between the awe of understanding and the awe of ignorance (using phrasing coined by Douglas Adams, one of many secular saints Dawkins practically canonizes). Yet he fails to present atheism as an affirmative, joyful choice. Few secular Christians will leave their traditions, dysfunctional as they are, for his cold refuge of skeptics and stuffed shirts.

Chris OConnor

Here are the comments of the people that read Donna's review of The God Delusion.

7Comments

Nice
by tefnut

Great review Donna. As an atheist, my initial intention was to argue bitterly against even the slightest bit of hostility towards Dawkins, but your review was well-argued. I have to agree that there's an unfortunate tendency for repetitive preaching-to-the-converted going on in these books.

6:59 PM Thurs January 4, 3907

Atheism, hurray
by Catfight

'Yet he fails to present atheism as an affirmative, joyful choice.'

Concentrating on this may have been a bit redundant, as Dawkins already dedicated an entire book to it -- Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder.

6:59 PM Thurs January 4, 3907

Dawkins
by Mike

The worst thing about this book is that, if you are a rational atheist, and are bought this as a present (already you can tell was my experience), you'll find not only does he argue most of your values back at you, but worse, when he argues them well, you may find yourself parroting him in an argument some day, and sounding like dawkins lite!

9:34 AM Thurs January 11, 3907

the problem
by dsto

With his unrelenting zeal and inability for empathy he is just the Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell for Athieism. Huh, we have our zelous origin-of-the-species too... Oh how I miss Gould.

12:37 AM Tues January 16, 3907

the God delusion
by michael falsia

Donna,
Make no mistake about it atheism lives on a faith-commitment the same as any religion. Whatever can be said about any religion can be said for atheism. Why should atheism pass for a more rational non religious belief when in fact it is nothing of the kind. You might say that Dawkins and his intolerance may now be the intellectual equivelant to academic Nazism. In fact he is probably constructing the death camps as I write.

3:55 PM Wed January 17, 3907

the god delusion
by harper

i agree that dawkins is, in this book, somewhat heavy handed in his pursuit, but i dont see why he should feel the need to 'present atheism as an affirmative, joyful choice.'

it isnt, atheism is neither a positive nor a negative, its just an empty space, one that can be filled with more pressing matters.

4:37 PM Tues January 23, 3907

The God Delusion
by James Gustafson

In my blog review of Dawkins' book I highlight his epistemological weaknesses as the major fault. I have not seen any one else make that case. To claim that rational empricism is the only path to truth is not a self-evident position, nor can it be justified by appealing to rational empiricism.

1:44 PM Mon February 26, 3907


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