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Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 8:21:30 PM   
Esinn


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This is going to be a great book.  The chart topping sales will demonstrate even the faithful see obvious flaws in their faith.
The Evidence of Evolution by Richard Dawkins.  I ordered mine go get yours.

Watch out religion.  The facts of evolution pushing your "God Delusion" back into the ancient shadows coming soon.  It is not out until 9/22 but already selected to be a best seller.  I am always amazed when books by Hitchens, Harris, Dawking, Dennet, D Miller which do absolutely nothing but talk about how delusional religion is climb to the top and stay at #1 for weeks at a time.  Always topping the new releases of King or whomever.  I think it clearly demonstrates how much even faithful people doubt or question their faith.  Of course they would not admit in the company of their church goers they fell slightly irrational. But in the privacy of your own home who will know - just god.
-Yes, yes I know they are just buying it for a good laugh.  To know the absurdities of his arguments or to simply know the enemy.  I do not think that is the case.  Go to the public library, download it, borrow it from your hell bound non-theist friend, the local college campus, wait a few weeks buy it 10 - 50% off on Ebay.  Go to 1/2 Priced Books(I bet one is in your town) and buy it used for 1/2 the price or go to any used book store - these do not impact the numbers(BTW).  There are multiple options free or 1/2 or half price options.  He literally earns a million or few from his more recent book sales.  He calls faith absurd, childish, silly and delusion - why support him if this is your position.  I just can not imagine god being pleased you are supporting him regardless of your motive I am sure this makes her angry when there are other options.

SignatureReviewed by Jonah LehrerRichard Dawkins begins The Greatest Show on Earth with a short history of his writing career. He explains that all of his previous books have naïvely assumed the fact of evolution, which meant that he never got around to laying out the evidence that it [evolution] is true. This shouldn't be too surprising: science is an edifice of tested assumptions, and just as physicists must assume the truth of gravity before moving on to quantum mechanics, so do biologists depend on the reality of evolution. It's the theory that makes every other theory possible.Yet Dawkins also came to realize that a disturbingly large percentage of the American and British public didn't share his enthusiasm for evolution. In fact, they actively abhorred the idea, since it seemed to contradict the Bible and diminish the role of God. So Dawkins decided to write a book for these history-deniers, in which he would dispassionately demonstrate the truth of evolution beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt.After only a few pages of The Greatest Show on Earth, however, it becomes clear that Dawkins doesn't do dispassionate, and that he's not particularly interested in convincing believers to believe in evolution. He repeatedly compares creationists and Holocaust deniers, which is a peculiar way of reaching out to the other side. Elsewhere, Dawkins calls those who don't subscribe to evolution ignorant, fatuously ignorant and ridiculous. All of which raises the point: who, exactly, is supposed to read this book? Is Dawkins preaching to the choir or trying to convert the uninformed? While The Greatest Show on Earth might fail as a work of persuasive rhetoric—Dawkins is too angry and acerbic to convince his opponents—it succeeds as an encyclopedic summary of evolutionary biology. If Charles Darwin walked into a 21st-century bookstore and wanted to know how his theory had fared, this is the book he should pick up.Dawkins remains a superb translator of complex scientific concepts. It doesn't matter if he's spinning metaphors for the fossil record (like a spy camera in a murder trial) or deftly explaining the method by which scientists measure the genetic difference between distinct species: he has a way of making the drollest details feel like a revelation. Even if one already believes in the survival of the fittest, there is something thrilling about learning that the hoof of a horse is homologous to the fingernail of the human middle finger, or that some dinosaurs had a second brain of ganglion cells in their pelvis, which helped compensate for the tiny brain in their head. As Darwin famously noted, There is grandeur in this view of life. What Dawkins demonstrates is that this view of life isn't just grand: it's also undeniably true. Color illus. (Sept. 29)Jonah Lehrer is the author of How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist.


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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 8:33:36 PM   
MichiganHeadmast


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Status: offline 		I'll probably peruse it.  Always good to have assumptions challenged.  I doubt the good professor will dissuade me from my beliefs that the universe was indeed intelligently designed, for better or worse, any more than the Bible thumpers are able to convince me that the universe is 6000 earth years old.  But always good to keep a critical mind (as opposed to an "open mind," where everything can just fall out).

Thanks for the info!

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 9:02:21 PM   
rightwinghippie


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Status: offline 		So much for evidence and rationality, Esinn.

Dawkins biggest book sold 1.5 million copies.

1/2% of Americans bought it.

Almost 25% of Americans believe in no God of any sort.

So not even 1 in 50 athiests bothered to buy it. Not some massive surge of Christians reading it in Private.

What do you think these facts clearly demostrate? Other than your poor sense of scale?

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 9:13:08 PM   
DarkSteven


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Status: offline 		Esinn, I'm a liberal and as such, I support your right to your views.

But do you have to state them so MUCH?  I get that you're an atheist.  I'm a Deist, partly because although I do believe in evolution, my understanding of the thermodynamic concept of entropy is that the progression from unicelled organism to humankind could not occur unless provided with a push from an outside source.


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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 9:23:35 PM   
Esinn


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rightwinghippie

So much for evidence and rationality, Esinn.

Dawkins biggest book sold 1.5 million copies.

1/2% of Americans bought it.

Almost 25% of Americans believe in no God of any sort.

So not even 1 in 50 athiests bothered to buy it. Not some massive surge of Christians reading it in Private.

What do you think these facts clearly demostrate? Other than your poor sense of scale?


Do theists take a classes I am unaware of on ripping words out of context to demonstrate a point?

Harry Potter sold 6.9 million copies - which is toted as one of the absolute best selling books of our time.

Twilight again another absolute best seller 5.5 million

However, I never mentioned the word, "volume".

The average business book sells 5,000 - 10,000 copies.

Are you really this void of rational knowledge?  Typically when it sells more than 250,000 copies it is a blockbuster.

90% of authors out there will literally shit gold bricks if they sell 50,000 + copies.

Come on brother....  I am sorry you do not know anything about the industry.  It is not my fault.




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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 9:47:51 PM   
Esinn


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quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

Esinn, I'm a liberal and as such, I support your right to your views.

But do you have to state them so MUCH?  I get that you're an atheist.  I'm a Deist, partly because although I do believe in evolution, my understanding of the thermodynamic concept of entropy is that the progression from unicelled organism to humankind could not occur unless provided with a push from an outside source.



I do not understand......  People constantly talk about their political views on here.  People have been rehashing their same fetishes time and time and time again.  The same people were talking about Bush's illegal war for well I forget how far it let me search back - I believe at least a year(I can think of 1 person who still make and participate in threads today).  I used some of the posts here for personal blogs - most people here have good things to say.  Do a search on unemployment. How about the recession?  The same things and people over and over and over.  How about Palin?

Yet you make it a point to single me out?  Very few of my threads are baron(sp).  This tells me what I think about is important to many people.  I always do my best to validate what I have to say with other resources.  I am never a jerk.  I was 'called' out for being rude(immature) apologized and will not do it again.  I did think Rule ripping my thread out of context was more than rude. I make it a point to post my threads in the proper sections.

So, Palin, Fetish, Bush, War, Unemployment and you single me out?  I would request you do not block me.  You should be happy to have me.

Rule posts his religious views over and over and over and over. So do many others.

Richard Dawkins books are absolute best selling books especially when the context  of his books are given serious considerations.  This book is a big deal, this book will be discussed, debated and talked about for years.  He will tour the globe and discuss it.



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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 9:51:32 PM   
Esinn


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rightwinghippie

So much for evidence and rationality, Esinn.

Dawkins biggest book sold 1.5 million copies.

1/2% of Americans bought it.

Almost 25% of Americans believe in no God of any sort.

So not even 1 in 50 athiests bothered to buy it. Not some massive surge of Christians reading it in Private.

What do you think these facts clearly demostrate? Other than your poor sense of scale?


Let me add and bet $10 this is true for many.  As I am an atheist I understand his arguments already.  I have little interest in rushing out and buying his books.  Do not get me wrong I do buy them.  You are correct though statical information on religious views of people purchase them may not be available.  Hey, have you given your ironclad definition of God yet?  I found the thread for you.  You commented you would then you drifted over to the thread posted something about this or that.  Possibly you did - I will give it a looksie now.


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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 9:57:51 PM   
rightwinghippie


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Status: offline 		You are the one trying to pretend moving 1.5 million is some sort of record or particularly noteworthy. You made up some sort of story about how people are reading it in secret, and it is nonsense.

Where you are getting I know nothing about the industry from? You are the one asserting that 1.5 mill is an "absolute best selling book"


What does that even mean, an "absolute best selling" book? I would assume that means the best selling book, which is not Dawkins. Ironically its the Bible. This is of course in the real world.


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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 10:00:54 PM   
rightwinghippie


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Status: offline 		I don't think God can be given an Iron Clad definition. It is beyond time/Space and our comprehension if exists.

Nor do I remember you asking me anything of the sort...

But I guess that is as good a hijack as any....

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 10:02:43 PM   
rightwinghippie


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Status: offline 		Good lord Esinn, don't you even want to pretend to have a degree of credibility.

How can you say, "I have little interest in rushing out and buying his books. "

When the OP of theis thread is you anouncing you pre ordered it, and trying to get others to?

You are so rational and scientific......yawn

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 10:04:19 PM   
Esinn


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quote:


But do you have to state them so MUCH? I get that you're an atheist. I'm a Deist, partly because although I do believe in evolution, my understanding of the thermodynamic concept of entropy is that the progression from unicelled organism to humankind could not occur unless provided with a push from an outside source.


quote:

ORIGINAL: rightwinghippie

You are the one trying to pretend moving 1.5 million is some sort of record or particularly noteworthy. You made up some sort of story about how people are reading it in secret, and it is nonsense.

Where you are getting I know nothing about the industry from? You are the one asserting that 1.5 mill is an "absolute best selling book"


What does that even mean, an "absolute best selling" book? I would assume that means the best selling book, which is not Dawkins. Ironically its the Bible. This is of course in the real world.




1.5 million copies in that industry is absolutely earth shattering.  6.5 million is above Jesuslike, I think it is well over 1/2(well over) the best selling book ever.  As I already mentioned.  A good author dreams come true if they sell 50,000. 

That is not true - about the bible.  It is not a best seller.  It is the most widely distributed book.  This is greatly due to the Gideon society who is directly responsible for placing bibles in almost every hotel/motel room in the USA.  I guess technically someone does need to purchase them.  However, they are not purchased with the intention of being read.  Again, go research the industry.


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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 10:08:30 PM   
Rule


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Status: offline 		I wish he was coherent and used proper punctuation (like comma's). I sometimes, perhaps even often, cannot make head nor tails of what he posts. I do seem to recall that in one post he asserted that the universe was deterministic, then later, after I argued that there was such a thing as quantum mechanics, he turned around and insisted that he thinks that the universe is not deterministic. Either I do not get it, or he is inconsistent as well.

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/27/2009 11:42:24 PM   
rightwinghippie


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Status: offline 		1.5 million is hardly earth shattering. Books sell far more on a regular basis.



As is becoming quite common, you have no idea what you are talking about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_books

How exactly do you get 6.5 million being half of say

the Davinci Code 80 million

The Purpose Driven life by Rick Warren Evangelical Christian 30 Million
The Celestene Prophecy 23 million

And then of course the Bible (which you in no way refuted. Lets see some numbers on the Gideons. Even if the Gideons did 1 Billion copies, the Bible would still beat any book in English) 2.5 to 6 Billion copies.

Hawking got 10 Million for Brief History of Time.

Dawkins is a hack, who doesn't even compare to comparable people in his field, ie Hawking. The review you posted in te OP, says Dawkins only writes for the true Believers, and spends his time insulting those he disagrees with.

I am sure you are a fan. And get an emotional reward from reading something you agree with

< Message edited by rightwinghippie -- 8/27/2009 11:56:46 PM >

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/28/2009 5:35:40 AM   
thishereboi


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Esinn

quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

Esinn, I'm a liberal and as such, I support your right to your views.

But do you have to state them so MUCH?  I get that you're an atheist.  I'm a Deist, partly because although I do believe in evolution, my understanding of the thermodynamic concept of entropy is that the progression from unicelled organism to humankind could not occur unless provided with a push from an outside source.



I do not understand......  People constantly talk about their political views on here.  People have been rehashing their same fetishes time and time and time again.  The same people were talking about Bush's illegal war for well I forget how far it let me search back - I believe at least a year(I can think of 1 person who still make and participate in threads today).  I used some of the posts here for personal blogs - most people here have good things to say.  Do a search on unemployment. How about the recession?  The same things and people over and over and over.  How about Palin?

Yet you make it a point to single me out?  Very few of my threads are baron(sp).  This tells me what I think about is important to many people.  I always do my best to validate what I have to say with other resources.  I am never a jerk.  I was 'called' out for being rude(immature) apologized and will not do it again.  I did think Rule ripping my thread out of context was more than rude. I make it a point to post my threads in the proper sections.

So, Palin, Fetish, Bush, War, Unemployment and you single me out?  I would request you do not block me.  You should be happy to have me.

Rule posts his religious views over and over and over and over. So do many others.

Richard Dawkins books are absolute best selling books especially when the context  of his books are given serious considerations.  This book is a big deal, this book will be discussed, debated and talked about for years.  He will tour the globe and discuss it.




Yea, kevin's (lobodomslavery) threads often go to multiple pages, but I don't think it is because everyone thinks he is so intelligent.

< Message edited by thishereboi -- 8/28/2009 5:36:15 AM >

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/28/2009 8:10:48 AM   
BitaTruble


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quote:

Harry Potter sold 6.9 million copies - which is toted as one of the absolute best selling books of our time.


Half Blood Prince sold 6.9 million copies in it's first 24 hours. By failing to include that little piece of fact, it appears as if you're trying to skew and making 1.5 more than it really is.

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/28/2009 8:15:06 AM   
philosophy


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........while 1.5 million is not in the same class as things like Harry Potter, i have to say that if i were to write a book i'd be very happy with 1.5 million sales.

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/28/2009 8:27:47 AM   
willbeurdaddy


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rightwinghippie


Dawkins is a hack, who doesn't even compare to comparable people in his field, ie Hawking. The review you posted in te OP, says Dawkins only writes for the true Believers, and spends his time insulting those he disagrees with.





Thats odd, I never realized Hawking was an evolutionary biologist. Its also odd that you should raise Hawking at all, since he is a firm believer in Darwinian evolution "...It has taken homo sapiens several million years to evolve from the apes", believes that the universe was created from nothing, and denies the existence of a personal god.

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/28/2009 9:33:11 AM   
rightwinghippie


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Status: offline 		I raised Hawking in the context of a science book for non sciencetists. Showing that Dawkins is not even near the top of his field. 1.5 to 10.

I would be excstatic if I could sell 1000 books. But that is not at all what is being discussed here.

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/28/2009 9:39:22 AM   
mnottertail


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Status: offline 		Oh, Jeez----

I thought that guy who made kissy faces on the Family Feud had cakked.

Shit. Well, pick myself up, dust myself off, and get on.

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RE: Richard Dawkins - 8/28/2009 12:12:17 PM   
SilverMark


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Status: offline 		hmmmmmm.....after all this wouldn't it be easier just to define faith and whether or not almost all people sometimes have doubt?
just asking....

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