The Greatest Show on Earth

The Evidence for Evolution

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Richard Dawkins transformed our view of God in his blockbuster, The God Delusion, which sold millions of copies in English alone. He revolutionized the way we see natural selection in the seminal bestseller The Selfish Gene. Now, he launches a fierce counterattack against proponents of "Intelligent Design" in his New York Times bestseller, The Greatest Show on Earth.

"Intelligent Design" is being taught in our schools; educators are being asked to "teach the controversy" behind evolutionary theory. There is no controversy. 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—to make 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." His unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument, exposing the absurdities of the creationist position, into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master’s vision of life, in all its splendor.©2009 Richard Dawkins; (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Interesting book and excellent readers

Dawkins lays out clearly and concisely the science behind evolution. Not only is the book interesting, Dawkins and his wife are also great readers as well. Excellent all-round.

Extremely informative, a joy to listen to

Evolution has always captured my imagination, and this book may now be my favorite on the subject. Dawkins' passion is obvious in his narration, and he makes the case for natural selection and evolution gracefully. I sincerely hope he and his wife (Mrs. Ward) decides to go back and narrate some of his other books.. they're a joy to listen to.

If you're reading this book with a genuine desire to understand, it will leave you without a shadow of a doubt in the fact of evolution. I especially delight in the fact that our evidence is so strong, that the fossil record is just icing on the cake! Definitely give this book a listen, and if you're looking for something more theologically oriented, also checkout the God Delusion.. both transformative in their own right.

Powerfully convincing (the science part)

It's hard to imagine that many books out there present a clearer, more logical, and more eloquent explanation of why scientists consider evolution a fact than this one does. As Dawkins explains from the beginning, the public often misunderstands the implications of the word "theory". In turn, he examines each component of evolutionary science, showing in straightforward language how each is logical, sound, supported by an enormous array of facts, and reinforced by other areas of understanding. If like me, you accepted Darwin's theory, but were fuzzy on some of its specifics, Dawkins provides a satisfying overview of natural selection, genetics, mutation, the fossil record, geology, and even some physics and math. The reader learns how evolution has been demonstrated in a laboratory (with bacteria), why the fossil record isn't even necessary to convince scientists of evolution's reality, and how the ideas have been tested with mathematical models.

Dawkins' other goal is to debunk popular Creationist beliefs, and this he does with a certain amount of glee, pointing out the many factual inaccuracies and logical flaws they contain. He also corrects common misconceptions about the theory of evolution, that make Creationist arguments easier to swallow. By the time he's finished, he's made it very difficult for any Creationist to logically refute his framework of reasoning. That said, I think he sometimes strays too far from science into theological territory, attacking conceptions of God that are a little more simplistic than those many religious people actually hold. After all, many theists accept the reality of evolution, but believe that the will of God is still present in natural events.

This is a very informative, well-argued, and substantial book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys science and wants to understand how evolutionary science has gotten to where it is today.

more than many readers can chew

Great science, explicit and careful descriptions. Wonderfully read by Dawkins and his wife Lalla. Although I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject, those expecting it to be easily digested my get bogged down. Nevertheless, give it a try, perhaps listen to it more than once. If possible, augment it with a printed copy. I was captivated. I'm familiar nearly all of the subject matter but some parts were covered in a depth I never encountered.

A great showcase of reason and inquiry

Dawkins scores another hit with me. This book is thorough in its logic, and it doesn't try to 'dumb down' crucial concepts. This is one thing I love about Dawkins. Just as he doesn't adhere to the compulsory veneration of strange belief systems, he also does not try to massage the facts into small minds. If you get it, you get it. If you don't...get an encyclopedia.
Finally, I think the back-and-forth narration was a great choice. I felt like Dawkins and Ward were sitting around the coffee table having a true conversation.