Nonfiction

The God Delusion

The God Delusion

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  • Create Date：2021-07-17 09:52:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Richard Dawkins
  • ISBN：0618680004
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Summary

A preeminent scientist - and the world's most prominent atheist - asserts the irrationality of belief in God， and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society， from the Crusades to 9/11。

With rigor and wit， Dawkins examines God in all his forms， from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament， to the more benign （but still illogical） Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers。 He eviscerates the major arguments for religion， and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being。 He shows how religion fuels war， foments bigotry， and abuses children， buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence。

The God Delusion makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong， but potentially deadly。 It also offers exhilarating insight into the advantages of atheism to the individual and society， not the least of which is a clearer， truer appreciation of the universe's wonders than any faith could ever muster。

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Reviews

River ，

I have been agnostic at the very least all my life。 I was raised by parents who considered themselves Christian， but never really imposed any religion in my childhood。After reading the Bible， I became full-blown atheist and joined a secularist group focused on 'getting the word out' for atheism as well as heavily promoting the separation of church and state in America。 Doing this has been a long and mostly enjoyable journey of self-discovery and insight into how deep the roots of religion have e I have been agnostic at the very least all my life。 I was raised by parents who considered themselves Christian， but never really imposed any religion in my childhood。After reading the Bible， I became full-blown atheist and joined a secularist group focused on 'getting the word out' for atheism as well as heavily promoting the separation of church and state in America。 Doing this has been a long and mostly enjoyable journey of self-discovery and insight into how deep the roots of religion have entrenched themselves in essentially every facet of our lives。 I even had lunch with Dan Barker once - that was a personal highlight， one I try to sneak in anywhere it's even a bit relevant。I preface this review with the above not to brag or show how I am a 'true' atheist （whatever that would mean）。 I just wanted to illustrate that even for someone who has been a lifelong skeptic， looked into the research done on both sides， and come to a reasonable conclusion， this book has still offered a ton。 It's packed with new （to me） facts and discoveries about human psychology as it relates to religion， new perspectives on death and the meaning of life and the universe itself， and further readings on a breadth of minute topics interrelated with religion and irreligion。Whether atheist or merely open-minded （and if anyone considering reading this is the latter， that is so wonderful）， this book has something for you。 I don't agree with every statement made in the book - the whole Bright movement seems a little inflated of self to me - and I believe the title gives the wrong impression of the contents of the book， but those are irrelevant to the bigger picture。 It is isolating to be an atheist or to even question the idea of god; this book reminds me that I am not alone。 That is beautiful。 。。。more

paper0r0ss0 ，

Un interessante saggio azzoppato purtroppo da una discontinuita' disarmante。 La prima parte， banale e ripetitiva， frutto probabilmente di una rimasticatura di altri libri dell'autore， lascia spazio alla parte centrale piu' interessante。 I capitoli V， VI， VII， sulle origini della Religione， storicamente intesa， e sulla possibile spiegazione darwiniana della religiosita'， oltre che su morale ed etica， risollevano ampiamente il livello qualitativo e l'attenzione del lettore。 Un interessante saggio azzoppato purtroppo da una discontinuita' disarmante。 La prima parte， banale e ripetitiva， frutto probabilmente di una rimasticatura di altri libri dell'autore， lascia spazio alla parte centrale piu' interessante。 I capitoli V， VI， VII， sulle origini della Religione， storicamente intesa， e sulla possibile spiegazione darwiniana della religiosita'， oltre che su morale ed etica， risollevano ampiamente il livello qualitativo e l'attenzione del lettore。 。。。more

Alva ，

3，5*

Michael Fernandez ，

A beautiful Handbook for rational thinking devoid of superstition。

Thomas Wright ，

This is a great argument put forward by Dawkins against organised religion。 His points are thoroughly explained and leaves no stone unturned。 This book is full of Dawkins' usual passion for the sciences and evidence and it was a pleasure to read。 This is a great argument put forward by Dawkins against organised religion。 His points are thoroughly explained and leaves no stone unturned。 This book is full of Dawkins' usual passion for the sciences and evidence and it was a pleasure to read。 。。。more

Shankar ，

His atheism is simply monotheism minus the one god。 It is just as intolerant and judgemental like the monotheistic creeds。 My way or highway kind of thinking

Celeste ，

Oh how I wish I could live a thousand years and see the extinction of religion， utterly and completely， once and for all， with my own eyes。 But alas， I cannot。 I am still happy to report however， that the religious species are a dying breed。 They can try and preserve their precious gods as much as they can; with mental gymnastics or with their pathetic attempt at preventing people from "offending" their "beliefs" （read superstition）， but in the end science and reason will prevail。I've been an at Oh how I wish I could live a thousand years and see the extinction of religion， utterly and completely， once and for all， with my own eyes。 But alas， I cannot。 I am still happy to report however， that the religious species are a dying breed。 They can try and preserve their precious gods as much as they can; with mental gymnastics or with their pathetic attempt at preventing people from "offending" their "beliefs" （read superstition）， but in the end science and reason will prevail。I've been an atheist for almost three years now and each year I have come to despise religion more than the last。 Islam， Christianity or Judaism， it doesn't matter， they all MUST go if we hope to achieve an equal， decent world。 （Buddhism can stay。 Buddhists are not lunatics。）I am very happy to have found the names Richard Dawkins， Christopher Hitchens， Ayan Hirsi Ali， Yasmine Mohammed， Sam Harris and all the other "edgy atheists" who seem to be the only group of people who actually care about innocent children being brainwashed， middle-eastern women being oppressed and countries' budgets being wasted on religious nonsense （churches， mosques and religious "education"）。 。。。more

Henrik Havighorst ，

The saying "Preaching to the choir" really applies here。 A concise deconstruction of the utter madness and stupidity that is religion。 Alas， I have read most of his arguments elsewhere or heard them in his lectures。 Still， a very important work in our day and a force for enlightenment in an age where religion still holds firm as possible the greatest force of evil in the world （apart from money）。 All in all， a must-read The saying "Preaching to the choir" really applies here。 A concise deconstruction of the utter madness and stupidity that is religion。 Alas， I have read most of his arguments elsewhere or heard them in his lectures。 Still， a very important work in our day and a force for enlightenment in an age where religion still holds firm as possible the greatest force of evil in the world （apart from money）。 All in all， a must-read 。。。more

Jenni ，

Tons of people hate my boyfriend （as my sissy would say） Richard Dawkins。 But being offended by his bluntness does not make what he writes more or less true。 Loved this book and I love R。D。 for writing to give courage to the non-religious。 （Also， it's interesting how many comments on his book on Goodreads are totally emotion based - "I don't like his tone，" etc etc。" I think the main way anyone would be offended by the "tone" would be disagreement with him。 Why does everyone think they deserve p Tons of people hate my boyfriend （as my sissy would say） Richard Dawkins。 But being offended by his bluntness does not make what he writes more or less true。 Loved this book and I love R。D。 for writing to give courage to the non-religious。 （Also， it's interesting how many comments on his book on Goodreads are totally emotion based - "I don't like his tone，" etc etc。" I think the main way anyone would be offended by the "tone" would be disagreement with him。 Why does everyone think they deserve politeness/tolerance of their random thoughts as some sort of basic human right？ And also， who cares what anyone thinks）？ 。。。more

Simon ，

eye-opening

Andrey Korniychuk ，

I was hoping I'll learn something new about arguments used by both sides， but it's mostly stuff I already questioned and questions I asked， logical fallacies I noticed since I was a teenager。 Definitely a great read for someone who is just starting to find themselves。 You don't have to become an atheist after reading， but this helps understand how both sides reason。 A bit too many ad hominems for 5 stars。 It's not religious people's fault they're religious。 More popular religions make it a big p I was hoping I'll learn something new about arguments used by both sides， but it's mostly stuff I already questioned and questions I asked， logical fallacies I noticed since I was a teenager。 Definitely a great read for someone who is just starting to find themselves。 You don't have to become an atheist after reading， but this helps understand how both sides reason。 A bit too many ad hominems for 5 stars。 It's not religious people's fault they're religious。 More popular religions make it a big priority to indoctrinate kids， and use fear of eternal burning to keep them from questioning anything。 It's sad。 Looking forward to reading some of the theologian responses to this book。 。。。more

Rugma ，

The book， often described as， the ambassador of militant atheisms， opposes religion and religious beliefs， starting with the plumbum actor 'GOD'。 The author， has， at the beginning of the book itself， divided the theists or believers into different grades based on the depth of their convincement levels， and explains how he is equally against both the moderates and fundamentalists coming at both end of the spectrums。 The author， being a， revolutionary biologist by profession， cites scientific evid The book， often described as， the ambassador of militant atheisms， opposes religion and religious beliefs， starting with the plumbum actor 'GOD'。 The author， has， at the beginning of the book itself， divided the theists or believers into different grades based on the depth of their convincement levels， and explains how he is equally against both the moderates and fundamentalists coming at both end of the spectrums。 The author， being a， revolutionary biologist by profession， cites scientific evidences and facts to explain the 'goodness' and 'morality' （Eg: how the 'selfish' gene within our body takes care for its own survival， thus compassion for your offspring and fellow beings are， kind of programmed into our system） thus cutting its link whatsoever with religion。 Coming to the later parts of the book， there is this proclamation of how， a belief， even in the most moderate， liberal fashion， is an open invitation to extremism。 The book draws out the fact that， faith is the root cause that prompts one person to kneel down and pray， and at the same time， drives another to tie around a bomb in his waist。Coming to the conclusion， the author lists out all alternatives for the 'need of God' in life， like for Consolation （a hug from friends， family or pet， or in the worst case， medications that relaxes your mind） and Inspiration（ the biological awe of just how， a set of molecular proteins and carbohydrates and 'everything nice'， turned out to be the living， walking， talking us， when we would have in the trillion other molecules that has not come together this way， still existing as mere particles around us）Overall this is a good read， but only， if you are ready to read with an open mind and unlearn some things。 。。。more

Marcus ，

Incrível， consegue ser simples e profundo ao mesmo tempo。Esclarece muitas coisas， mesmo sendo hostil com a religião ele também argumenta de forma concreta。Aceito recomendações de contra ponto

Alison Lyness ，

Good god （said with irony）， Dawkins is a true malignant narcissist and being trapped in an elevator with him would be sufficient to shake my belief in a higher power。 I'll highlight one of many symptoms of this narcissism - there is an inordinate amount of page real estate devoted to responding angrily to critics of his prior work。 Take this quote from p186 - "The last ditch defence by my critics in Cambridge was attack。。。 [their's] is such a bad argument that I almost omitted to mention it。" Se Good god （said with irony）， Dawkins is a true malignant narcissist and being trapped in an elevator with him would be sufficient to shake my belief in a higher power。 I'll highlight one of many symptoms of this narcissism - there is an inordinate amount of page real estate devoted to responding angrily to critics of his prior work。 Take this quote from p186 - "The last ditch defence by my critics in Cambridge was attack。。。 [their's] is such a bad argument that I almost omitted to mention it。" Seriously Dick （can I call you Dick？） I do not care about your critics in Cambridge， but you seem intent to advertise that you have some， which is basically the ultimate intellectual reflexive humblebrag。 His level of condescension for the religious also really grinds my gears， which I get is kind of the point， but I found the whole thing to be very Trumpian and exhausting。Lest my Goodreads review end up impaled in the next edition I will concede there were a few parts I actually enjoyed and learned from。 Expect lots of QT with our friend Darwin， and a well-written refresher on astronomy and memeplexes。 And Bible trivia。 Dawkins also raises some really interesting questions about American religiosity， why we （both legally and socially） revere it in an allegedly secular government， whether or not children can or should be religious and the roots of morality。 I dislike Dawkins but I was highly engaged by the parts of the book that weren't covertly about his fragile ego。 3 stars。 。。。more

A。 ，

Richard Dawkins has applied the scientific method to the phenomenon of religious beliefs examining the evidence for and substance of those beliefs。 Through simple logic， he demonstrates the inconsistencies and irrationalities upon which religious beliefs rely。 An immense amount of research and analysis has gone into the production of this book。 Anyone troubled by doubts about their religious faith should read this book and take comfort from it。

Dianne Serafin ，

I could not get thru this book。

Andy ，

Very interesting to read some of his critiques on Christianity and religion。 He goes into good detail， highly recommend to anyone intrigued by Atheism。

MANGAL JOE ，

Very weak， shallow and has a lot of gaping holes in this almost juvenile unformed reasoning on the delusion of God。 If you want to strengthen the aetheist in you， this is not the book。

Hufflepuff Book Reviewer ，

DNF。 I cannot。 I am sorry， but I simply cannot。 Got a little over a third of the way through The God Delusion。 Richard Dawkins is a pompous jerk with nothing but snide contempt for anyone who does not see reality as he does。 He is the king of strawmen—vastly more eager to tear down an opposing argument than properly comprehend it。 He is in complete denial about the potential shortcomings of his own position。 As David Bentley Hart proclaims， Dawkins’s assertion that natural selection accounts for DNF。 I cannot。 I am sorry， but I simply cannot。 Got a little over a third of the way through The God Delusion。 Richard Dawkins is a pompous jerk with nothing but snide contempt for anyone who does not see reality as he does。 He is the king of strawmen—vastly more eager to tear down an opposing argument than properly comprehend it。 He is in complete denial about the potential shortcomings of his own position。 As David Bentley Hart proclaims， Dawkins’s assertion that natural selection accounts for the mystery of human existence contains logical “errors so numerous that they verge on the infinite。” I do intend to listen to more books by modern prominent atheists， but Dawkins is too much for me to stomach。 Maybe I will try Sam Harris because， based off what I have heard from him so far， he seems like by far the most tolerable of the bunch。 I can respect an honest atheist that does fairness to both sides and generally comes across kindly， as YouTubers like Genetically Modified Skeptic and Cosmic Skeptic at least generally do。 This is not Dawkins。 I will say， though， that I would take Dawkins over most pompous loudmouth Christians like Frank Turek or Kent Hovind。 So there’s that， but it’s not much of a compliment。 。。。more

Kathleen Spratt ，

I love this book， I just thought some parts were a little tangential。

Abdul Azis ，

God is Bullshit， i agree， if the one God exists， he is like a devil full of anger and thirst for blood。 We are forced to live only to worship。 We pray for suffering to the stone box。 Fact， Homo sapiens are apes。 In conclusion I am sick of God。 Only me i trust。

Jesse ，

Overall I thought God delusion was a good overview of atheist thought。 I found it to be well written and engaging and the sections on science and evolution were very informative and fascinating。His comments on philosophy and theology， however， I found to be lacking。 His treatment of these topics， like the section on Aquinas and his proofs for God， came across as cursory and dismissive and thus I don't think he really dealt with some of the best arguments for theism in any serious manner。 Overall I thought God delusion was a good overview of atheist thought。 I found it to be well written and engaging and the sections on science and evolution were very informative and fascinating。His comments on philosophy and theology， however， I found to be lacking。 His treatment of these topics， like the section on Aquinas and his proofs for God， came across as cursory and dismissive and thus I don't think he really dealt with some of the best arguments for theism in any serious manner。 。。。more

George ，

Fascinating material but not exactly a riveting read。

Liam Carey ，

New Atheism is a cesspool filled with reactionary weirdos。

Edgar Kaiser ，

I could see many low ratings for this book and some profane reviews。 Probably， it's bcuz of the same reason Dawkins mentioned in the book about how theists act unscrupulous when something is spoken against their beliefs。 This book to me was an evidence based convincing of my already convinced thoughts about religion。 Widening of my perception towards religious institutions。 Dawkins， himself being a proponent of Darwinian theory and an evolutionary biologist argues how the world in itself would h I could see many low ratings for this book and some profane reviews。 Probably， it's bcuz of the same reason Dawkins mentioned in the book about how theists act unscrupulous when something is spoken against their beliefs。 This book to me was an evidence based convincing of my already convinced thoughts about religion。 Widening of my perception towards religious institutions。 Dawkins， himself being a proponent of Darwinian theory and an evolutionary biologist argues how the world in itself would have been beautiful without religion。 He pinpoints the lacking evidence in theist arguments， the ruckus created by religion， both the letter and the interpretation of the letter and he reccomendations the readers to think independently through their rationalising capacity。 I would say this is a 'MUST READ' for everyone， given the ubiquitous nature of theological ideas。 。。。more

Hannah ，

No matter what your beliefs， if you pride yourself on critical thought， you should probably read this book。

Anirudh Upadhyaya ，

Richard Dawkins mercilessly and scientifically argues against the proposition of God。 In most parts， highly dense text， filled with historical references and scientific research。

Cleber Maya ，

Simplesmente genial！

Saud Amin Khan ，

Mandatory reading for one and all。 Gather at the altar of reason and reality。

Janhvi Pant ，

An outstanding read！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The God Delusion

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The God Delusion&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The God Delusion&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0