The Lead Generators Interview...

...was an amusing little adventure which I shall write up later today. Long story short, I am in Reading for the weekend and I am currently recovering from last nights shenanigans. Chili was involved.

But what I will post for the open scorn and praise of whoever may pass, is the review of Dawkins new book that I did up as my writing example for Lead Generators. I keep wanting to post quotes from the book into this site, but I really don't want to turn this into a religious-debate site and besides...quotations of any sort would put me on a slippery slope towards this just being a showcase of whatever book/movie/tv show/dead animal that I am currently consuming. So I will use this as a compromise.

More later, as my head clears!

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A Secular David Slings His Heaviest Stone
by Oliver Brackenbury

Straight from its title, The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins makes it clear to us that the kid gloves are off for his latest literary effort. Though his unapologetic criticism of all forms of religion was made clear to the public at large through his latest BBC documentary, The Root of All Evil?, it is in this book that Dawkins has made his most comprehensive application of the scientific method upon religion.

To those of you who are unfamiliar with Richard Dawkins, he can be summed up as a staunch Darwinian who teaches at Oxford University. He has become a literary celebrity over the last few years, in a similar vein to the American author Noam Chomsky. Neither author feels that any institution is “out of bounds” for dissection, logical analysis and criticism. The God Delusion is as topical and relevant to current international events as any of Chomsky’s work, given the undeniably religious underpinnings of the conflict between Western and Muslim peoples of recent years.

Though many of Dawkins fans and fellow atheists will certainly pick up and enjoy this book, it isn’t strictly written for them. Dawkins has set himself the Herculean task of putting together a straightforward and enjoyable read which has the goal of persuading religious readers to at least seriously doubt their faith, if not abandon it all together. This is a brave task not only for its size and difficulty, but for the possibility of a violent backlash. It has been less than a decade since Iran withdrew its fatwah against Salman Rushdie for his own remarks about their beliefs. Unlike Rushdie, Dawkins does not have even the curtain of fiction to hide behind if someone should take offence at his merciless appraisal of all major religions - including the Muslim faith.

This is not to say that The God Delusion is nothing but vitriol bound in a cover. With a grace, charm and sense of fairness that has been his stock in trade since The Selfish Gene (1976), Dawkins weaves three hundred and seventy-four pages of very readable and enjoyable material. Also, a detailed appendix provides the reader with an easy foothold into their own research on the topic. Well researched and properly sourced enough to be a University textbook, The God Delusion reads as easily as the daily newspaper.

Though his personal opinions are clear, Dawkins is careful to use the steady and reasoned voice of the University professor that he is - steering away from simply sounding unto a general at the head of a secular crusade. Regardless of personal belief, anyone can benefit from reading The God Delusion with the same kind of thoughtfully sceptical approach utilized by the author.

Richard Dawkins The God Delusion is currently available at most major bookstores and can also be found online at www.amazon.co.uk. Those in search of a bargain can also find it at www.books-bargains.co.uk.