As we begin, let's immediately get one point out of the way. Many evolutionists have a good response to the "it's just a theory" fallacy, but Dawkins uses a simple method to push this way of thinking aside. He throws the dictionary at you. Here are the two concerned definitions of the word "theory" from the Oxford English Dictionary:
Theory, Sense 1: A scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena; a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts; a statement of what are held to be general laws, principles, or causes of something known or observed.
Theory, Sense 2: A hypothesis proposed as an explanation; hence, a mere hypothesis, speculation, conjecture; an idea or set of ideas about something; an individual view or notion.
I don't believe creationists are even aware that Sense 1 exists. Alas, it is the sense that is meant when we refer to any scientific theory. To pass a scientific theory off as just a hypothesis is a hopeless abuse of semantics. This book is not about ticky-tack details, though, it is about hard-hitting, powerful evidence; the kind you cannot deny by changing the meaning of a word.
I learned a huge amount from this book. Many of the things I learned were brand new facts that I never knew existed, but most importantly, I learned about the false notions that I had been taught earlier in life, along with their correct explanations. Making these claims of new knowledge immediately makes me hesitate, as it is the sheep who believe ideas at face value, who I am highly critical of, who also take their lessons from a book. The difference, however, is that creationists blatantly denounce the word of studied scientists, suggesting that people "take back knowledge from the experts." If that statement doesn't make you want to vomit with revolted disgust, I suggest you read it again. On the other hand, I have no problem taking knowledge directly from the word of an award-winning scientist citing peer-reviewed publications. There were also many times when I attempted to summarize the lessons I had learned in my writings here on this blog. This required me to do independent research of my own, corroborating the concepts I had learned in the book with public knowledge bases and published articles. Alternatively, if the bible had a bibliography, it wouldn't take up more than a few lines.
It doesn't take more than a few chapters to realize that Dawkins has a loaded arsenal of evidence, and every subsequent chapter nails home the point deeper and deeper. While creationists hang up on fossils, it is obvious that there is more than enough evidence to support evolution without even needing fossils, but even the criticisms of fossils are rebuked with evidence and "missing links." From radiometric dating, to plate tectonics, to the DNA family tree, to analogous features, to vestigial organs, to the survival arms race, the evidence is solid and irrefutable. Dawkins doesn't stop there, though. He delves deeper and explains the development of life from the molecular level, to the cellular level, to the embryo level, on to the adult stage. Learning about the actual mechanisms through which macro evolution takes place provided some of the most satisfying non-fiction reading experiences for me yet. The absolute scientific understanding of every step along the path of life leaves no room for mythology and superstition.
There were parts of my own knowledge that I was able to bring to this reading that helped me digest some of the concepts within. For example, my grasp of the chaos theory helped set my understanding of how bacterial reproduction can result in mutations. Where I possessed faulty knowledge, Dawkins set me straight. I am ashamed to admit that I had forgotten that the changing of the seasons was caused by the angle at which the sun's rays hit the surface of the Earth. I had learned this at some point during my childhood, but in the absence of remembering, had defaulted to the explanation that it was the Earth's distance from the sun. These details matter when you talk about evolution, so they are all explained quite clearly and, in some cases, with a bit of humor. There are times, too, when Dawkins gets quite tedious, enough to make me skip a paragraph or two, but he is never off the subject.
At the end of the book, you are left feeling either frustration or pity for those who despicably cling to the notion of creationism. I personally challenge any creationist to read The Greatest Show On Earth and not come away convinced. The notion that a god would put so much insurmountable, undeniable, perfect evidence in place just to "test our faith" is, as Dawkins puts it, special pleading. Included in the book is a transcript of an exchange with a creationist named Wendy Wright, who refuses to acknowledge the numerous points of evidence that Dawkins brings up. The actual interview, which I have linked below, is a rage test. If you can watch it for 5 minutes without wanting to reach through your screen to strangle her, you're probably more deserving of sainthood than an actual saint. If Wendy Wright speaks for all creationists, then it means that they are thicker than monkey semen. As you can guess, I am part of the frustrated group.
The debate over whether creationism or evolution should be taught in school is more than just a religious campaign, it is a negligent disregard for the educational process and for the students. Teachers have it rough as it is. The Greatest Show On Earth is a book that puts the creationism/Intelligent Design movement in its rightful place; as a laughably banal folkism that has absolutely no place to stand beside a tested and true scientific theory with as much integrity as evolution through natural selection. We are lucky to have an educator with as much passion for the subject as Richard Dawkins and I am personally thankful for the sense of thoroughness, importance and wonder that he brings to this fantastic book. I would, in a moment's notice, offer it to anyone to read so that they, too, can see how awesome reality is without ever having to include god in the equation at all.
4 nibbles: