Publisher Description

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 eyeview of evolution to his energetic engagement in public debates on science, rationalism, and religion. The volume includes personal reminiscences and critical debate as well as accessible discussions ofscience - it provides a stimulating tribute to a remarkable intellectual.

Notes

Subtitled, How A Scientist Changed The Way We Think. Leading scientists, philosophers, novelists, and media figures contribute to this witty, and at times controversial, analysis of how one man has changed how we think about evolution.

Author Biography

Alan Grafen is Professor of Theoretical Biology in the Department of Zoology at Oxford. He is co-author of Modern Statistics for the Life Sciences (OUP, 2002) and numerous scientific papers.Dr Mark Ridley lectures at the Department of Zoology at Oxford, and is best known as the author of a number of books, including Evolution (Blackwell, 2e, 2003), Evolution: A Reader (OUP, 2e, 2003) and the critically acclaimed Mendel's Demon (Wiedenfeld, 2000).

Table of Contents

PrefaceBIOLOGYBallooning Parrots and Semi-Lunar Germs, Andrew F. ReadThe Battle of the Sexes Revisited, Helena CroninRichard Dawkins: Intellectual Plumber-and More, John KrebsWhat is a Puma?, Michael HansellTHE SELFISH GENELiving with The Selfish Gene, Marian Stamp DawkinsThe Gene Meme, David HaigThe Intellectual Contribution of The Selfish Gene to Evolutionary Theory, Alan GrafenAn Eye on the Core: Dawkins and Sociobiology, Ullica SegerstraleLOGICThe Selfish Gene as a Philosophical Essay, Daniel C. DennettThe Invention of an Algorithmic Biology, Seth BullockSelfish Genes and Information Flow, David DeutschDeep Commonalities between Life and Mind, Steven PinkerANTIPHONAL VOICESRichard Dawkins and the Problem of Progress, Michael RuseThe Nest's Tale: Affectionate Disagreements with Richard Dawkins, Patrick BatesonWhat's the Matter with Memes?, Robert AungerHUMANSSelfish Genes and Family Relations, Martin Daly and Margo WilsonWhy a Lot of People with Selfish Genes Are Pretty Nice Except for their Hatred of The Selfish Gene, Randolph M. NesseThe Perverse Primate, Kim SterelnyCONTROVERSYThe Skeptic's Chaplain: Richard Dawkins as a Fountainhead of Skepticism, Michael ShermerA Fellow Humanist, Richard Harries Dawkins and the Virus of Faith, A. C. GraylingThe Politics and Ethics of Richard Dawkins, Marek KohnWhat the Whale Wondered: Evolution, Existentialism, and the Search for 'meaning', David P. BarashWRITINGRichard Dawkins and the Golden Pen, Matt RidleyEvery Indication of Inadvertent Solicitude, Philip Pullman Index

Review

Review from previous edition 'sparkling collection' * Prospect *
this book presents a vivid picture of how one man, by force of rigorous analysis and clear writing, taught a generation of biologists how to think about evolution * New York Times science section *
an interesting series of essays. * Philip Hensher, The Spectator *

Long Description

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. The volume includes personal reminiscences and critical debate as well as accessible discussions of
science - it provides a stimulating tribute to a remarkable intellectual.

Review Quote

'this book presents a vivid picture of how one man, by force of regorousanalysis and clear writing, taught a generation of biologists how to think aboutevolution'New York Times science section

Feature

Richard Dawkins was voted top public intellectual in a recent poll by Prospect Magazine and is widely regarded as one of the outstanding writers and thinkers today.
This collection of specially commissioned pieces includes essays from leading scientists, philosophers, novelists, and media figures, exploring the influence of Dawkins' ideas and writings, and his public role.
Every one of Dawkins' popular science books have been international bestsellers, renowned for their literary style and conceptual insights.

Details