The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Reviewed by Pooyan Sadeghi
Every once in a great while, someone writes a book that completely revolutionizes the way in which people view themselves and the universe they are a part of. Richard Dawkins’ book “The God Delusion” is decidedly not one of those books.
This is for one reason, and one reason only, “The God Delusion” cannot possibly change anyone’s mind. The problem is this: you cannot convince anyone of something they don’t want to be convinced of. Basically, this is saying that people will believe whatever they will believe, despite overwhelming evidence that they might be wrong. And this is the problem with Mr. Dawkins’ book. He attempts to convince people who need to convince themselves first. And to top it off, his voice and tone in the text are at times condescending, frustrated, or down-right angry.
This is not to say that the book isn’t valuable in any way. Far from it, for someone who already shares a viewpoint similar to that of Mr. Dawkins – whether that is atheism or the more liberal Partial Agnosticism in Practice – this book provides a wealth of ready retorts and explanations to the un-ascended. In effect, Mr. Dawkins has compiled a list of arguments that one might want to have prepared should the occasion arise in which they are arguing the finer points of existence with such a one with faith in a personal God. His efforts are both entertaining and educational in this respect.
I think the take-home point with “The God Delusion” is it won’t convince anyone who doesn’t want convincing, but it is a good mix of formal description of belief and ready-retorts for arguments. It is an easy and enjoyable read, if you get past the at times arrogant voice of the author; if nothing more, it will help you better characterize your own beliefs.