Richard dawkins.. Evolution. Help required.?

Question

What do I start reading first?? The selfish gene, Extended phenotype etc (ie in the order of publication) or would it be better if I start from The greatest show on earth.. I think I know the basics of evolution.. Still to get an overview. Or do you think I should start from the origin of species?? Thank you.

Answer 1

Sathya -- Start with reading the Dawkin's Greatest Show and then fill in any gaps you might have with Darwin's Origin of Species.



Keep in mind that Dawkin is biased for the sake of wealth. If he had the ultimate answer he would have written it first and not much later when he knew what he could get away with. Darwin, on the other hand, wrote almost under protest and only because of great influence of some of his friends who wanted to see some od Darwin's theories in print before others beat him to the printer.



Also remember that Evolution is about changes in genetic material and its expression. Evolution says nothing about how life started.

Answer 2

Richard Dawkins is very good but there are many others writing about evolution. The Origin of Species is probably a good start. The greatest show on earth by Dawkins and why evolution is true by Jerry Coyne are also good general introductions to evolution.



After that I would suggest reading evolution books in fields that interest you. If you are generally interested in evolutionary theory I would suggest reading The selfish gene and the Extended Phenoype. In those books Dawkins describes his theories regarding evolution. If you are interested in evolutionary history (as I am) I would suggest you read the Ancestor's Tale by Dawkins. It is my favourite book of his.



If you are interested in human evolution I would suggest anything written by Jarred Diamond, Richard Leakey or Spencer Wells (they each approach human evolution from very different perspectives).



@Truth Seeker: Evolution is both theory and fact. The supporting evidence is enormous. Darwin was very confident in his theory but we have become a lot more confident since then because the supporting evidence is now much more convincing. We can now study evolution with the benefits of genetics, cytology, molecular biology, a much more complete fossil record, plate tectonics, a number of case studies which have shown evolution in action and advances from many other fields. We now have no excuse for not believing in the truth of evolution. And the fact that you are agnostic does not make you any less real.

Answer 3

Depends what your purpose is.



I think you should read Origin of Species first, if you haven't read it already. Remember Dawkins will have read it. It is well-written, interesting, it gives a great background to evolutionary theory, disposes of the objection (which creationists still cite today as if Darwin had not refuted them). And it shows a great intellect at work - thorough, careful, respectful, logical - truly a classic.



Next should be the Selfish Gene. One of the great things about Darwin's work was that he knew nothing of genes, and did not even know what causes the variation between individuals of the same species. He was clever enough to work out the whole theory with this blank in it. Dawkins really brings the theory into the 20th century, showing how Darwin's theory dovetails perfectly with modern genetics.



I believe you should proceed in historical order because expertise consists of getting the basics right.

Answer 4

Contrary to what another responder said, I would not suggest reading Darwin first except for historical reasons. His book, while important, is outdated.



There has been so much learned about evolution during the past 150 years that, if you really want to learn about the subject, you should stick to recent publications.



The Greatest Show on Earth would be a good start.



And, of course, you can ignore any suggestions to read books by creationist authors. They are filled with deceit and outright lies. [Edit: The responders who call themselves truthseekers provide good evidence of that.]



Added



Some of Darwin's observations are still important. But, again, to learn about evolution, more recent books should be read.



Incidentally, as a med student, you might be interested in taking a look at my response to this question.



https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20110824112826AAcMyoJ



And @Truth Seeker (what a misnomer), evolution is both fact and theory. Evolution is what happens. The theory of evolution is an explanation of HOW it happens.



And the fossil record most certainly DOES support evolution, as does genetics and comparative anatomy. Though you claim to be an agnostic and that you have studied evolution for 50 years, you don't know squat about it and apparently go to lying creationist sources for your misinformation.



http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/hominids.html

Answer 5

I have only read the greatest show on earth. While I have a science background and have some understanding of evolution, I found it did cover a lot of the basics. I have not read the selfish gene yet, so I can't tell you what its in (he does refer to it a little in the greatest show on earth). Each book could be read in isolated probably but maybe its better to start at the beginning.

Answer 6

If you want an old Richard Dawkins documentary watch the Blind Watchmaker, but the newer ones were he endorses Evolution are the Root of all Evil, The God Delusion and The Genius of Charles Darwin (My personal favourite).

Answer 7

You should tru reading 'The greatest hoax on earth', especially if you read the greatest show.



http://creation.com/the-greatest-hoax-on-earth/main.php