River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life

Dawkins polemic on the "Darwinian view of life" while frustratingly dismissive of religious belief provides convincing counter-arguments to Creationist "got ya" points.

These include that things such as the eye do function beneficially when only partially evolved, in fact nothing is "fully evolved" as everything is constantly adapting and selecting through the generations.

"Science shares with religion the claim that it answers deep questions about origins, the nature of life, and the cosmos. But there the resemblance ends. Scientific beliefs are supported by evidence, and get results. Myths and faiths are not and do not." - p. 33

"Sex is an archivist's nightmare. Instead of leaving ancestral texts intact but for an occasional inevitable show more error, sex wantonly wades in and destroys the evidence. No bull ever abused a china shop as sex abuses the DNA archives." - p. 39-40 show less

Wonderful little book - I like Dawkins best when he doesn't write for academia. Excellent overview for Darwinian evolution...simple, logical explanations that should serve most receptive readers, and really dispels the "not possible for an intermediate stage" arguments. There are nice turns of phrase throughout (I especially liked "embryological origami"). And he points out an outstanding counter to the "you can't answer 'why' questions":

The mere fact that it is possible to frame a question does not make it legitimate or sensible to do so.
[...]
...but at the very least, you have no right to assume that the "Why?" question deserves an answer when posed about a boulder, a misfortune, Mt. Everest or the universe."

Well worth the read, and show more likely a re-read. show less

A scientist told me to read this and I did; it is poetry, an insight into a world largely incomprehensible. Facing such as a layman reader with an impoverished grammar, Dawkins illuminates.

Dawkins sara' anche un grande divulgatore scientifico, ma richiede conoscenze di base sulla biologia non banali. Le parti piu' interessanti ed utili sono quelle dove non si parla appunto di biologia, ovverosia poche. Che, anche se striminzite, sono comunque intellettualmente devastanti, esposte con un candore ed una imparzialità che rischiano di sconfinare nella crudeltà. Ma non è cattiveria: è il fiume della vita, indifferente e super partes, nel quale nuotiamo presuntuosi, ma pur sempre inconsapevoli - e così tanto patetici...

If someone were to ask me for a simple introduction to Darwinism – something not too deep and without showy technical digressions – River Out of Eden would probably be my recommendation. Dawkins is a wonderful communicator of complex ideas, and a true master of scientific metaphor; anyone already familiar with Darwinism may at times become frustrated with the author's seemingly round-about approach, but anyone new to the subject will surely appreciate his cautiousness in not assuming too much prior knowledge.

Some reviewers have criticised Dawkins's disparagement of religion throughout the book, but this I think misunderstands the point of the work, which is to present a way of thinking about life – how could he have avoided making show more reference to Darwinism's greatest intellectual rival? I don't think he has been gratuitously harsh. But whether you are religiously inclined or not, if you are looking for a brief yet well-explained introduction to the Darwinian way of thinking, this would be a very good choice. show less

It’s a good primer on evolution even though Dawkins does wax dry sometimes. It is ostensibly an open response to creationist pressure against evolution. However, it was published in 1995, well before the creationist/intelligent design controversy really became heated so it doesn’t address many of the issues now known in any detail. It really does read more like a layman’s textbook rather than a refutation but it’s in clear language and relatively brief. A good primer.

“Just because a question can be formulated does not mean it is valid to ask such a question.”

I don’t know why I keep torturing myself by reading Dawkins. I’m a believer in Jesus with a serious love and respect for the sciences. Dawkins would assume that my faith in God undermines my ability to think rationally about biology.

River Out of Eden, as the name might suggest, is a look at Darwinism with a polemical eye toward religion. It’s a short book with five chapters. He examines the following topics:

- DNA, with its combination of four letters, is essentially digital which allows it to copy itself without degeneration.
- Our ultimate ancestors are found in Africa.
- Natural selection is the most elegant way to explain every aspect of life.
- DNA is not concerned with good or evil; all that matters is self-preservation.
- A show more number of thresholds have been passed in self-replication (life).

Each of these topics are fascinating. Dawkins makes his case with his trademark wit and wisdom. Unfortunately, each argument is framed with pot-shots at the foolishness of religion. He’s managed to write an incisive book that’s almost impossible to read by anyone who disagrees with his view of religion (unless they have very thick skin). show less