Richard Dawkins How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think

About this book

This sparkling collection explores the impact of Richard Dawkins as scientist, rationalist, and one of the most important thinkers alive today.

Specially commissioned pieces by leading figures in science, philosophy, literature, and the media, such as Daniel C. Dennett, Matt Ridley, Steven Pinker, Philip Pullman, and the Bishop of Oxford, highlight the breadth and range of Dawkins' influence on modern science and culture, from the gene's eye view of evolution to his energetic engagement in public debates on science, rationalism, and religion. Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think includes personal reminiscences and critical debate as well as accessible discussions of science – it provides a stimulating tribute to a remarkable intellectual.

Contents

Preface

BIOLOGY
Andrew F. Read: Ballooning Parrots and Semi-Lunar Germs
Helena Cronin: The Battle of the Sexes Revisited
John Krebs: Richard Dawkins: Intellectual Plumber-and More
Michael Hansell: What is a Puma?

THE SELFISH GENE
Marian Stamp Dawkins: Living with The Selfish Gene
David Haig: The Gene Meme
Alan Grafen: The Intellectual Contribution of The Selfish Gene to Evolutionary Theory
Ullica Segerstråle: An Eye on the Core: Dawkins and Sociobiology

LOGIC
Daniel C. Dennett: The Selfish Gene as a Philosophical Essay
Seth Bullock: The Invention of an Algorithmic Biology
David Deutsch: Selfish Genes and Information Flow
Steven Pinker: Deep Commonalities between Life and Mind

ANTIPHONAL VOICES
Michael Ruse: Richard Dawkins and the Problem of Progress
Patrick Bateson: The Nest's Tale: Affectionate Disagreements with Richard Dawkins
Robert Aunger: What's the Matter with Memes?

HUMANS
Martin Daly and Margo Wilson: Selfish Genes and Family Relations
Randolph M. Nesse: Why a Lot of People with Selfish Genes Are Pretty Nice Except for their Hatred of The Selfish Gene
Kim Sterelny: The Perverse Primate

CONTROVERSY
Michael Shermer: The Skeptic's Chaplain: Richard Dawkins as a Fountainhead of Skepticism
Richard Harries: A Fellow Humanist
A. C. Grayling: Dawkins and the Virus of Faith
Marek Kohn: The Politics and Ethics of Richard Dawkins
David P. Barash: What the Whale Wondered: Evolution, Existentialism, and the Search for 'meaning'

WRITING
Matt Ridley: Richard Dawkins and the Golden Pen
Philip Pullman: Every Indication of Inadvertent Solicitude

Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Edited by Alan Grafen, Professor of Theoretical Biology at the Department of Zoology, Oxford, and Mark Ridley, Department of Zoology, Oxford

Contributors:
Andrew F. Read
Helena Cronin
John Krebs
Michael Hansell
Marian Stamp Dawkins
David Haig
Alan Grafen
Ullica Segerstråle
Daniel C. Dennett
Seth Bullock
David Deutsch
Steven Pinker
Michael Ruse
Patrick Bateson
Robert Aunger
Martin Daly and Margo Wilson
Randolph M. Nesse
Kim Sterelny
Michael Shermer
Richard Harries
A. C. Grayling
Marek Kohn
David P. Barash
Matt Ridley
Philip Pullman