Did Newton "unweave the rainbow" by reducing it to its prismatic colors, as Keats contended? Did he, in other words, diminish beauty? Far from it, ...
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Dec 31, 2011
Steffi
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Dawkins appelliert an das Bestaunenswerte der Naturwissenschaften und dass Künstler diesem Aspekt mehr Aufmerksamkeit zollen sollten als einer irrealen Phantastik. Das ist an vielen Stellen richtig, aber oft liegt Dawkins auch ein wenig daneben. So greift er die These der Kulturwissenschaftler an, dass es keine Objektivität/Wahrheit geben könne. Natürlich sollte diese Auffasung nicht dazu führen, naturwissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse zu verneinen, aber die damit verbundene Kritikfähigkeit halte i
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Nov 05, 2011
Chris
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Dawkins has done it again with _Unweaving_the_Rainbow_. After reading _The_God_Delusion_ I was left with a sense of wonder about science, reason, and a need for clarity of the meaning of life. A popular criticism of atheism is that it the power to turn anyone into a narcissist, and I can see the reasoning. It takes a strong-willed person to accept that once they die there is nothing waiting on the other side; there is no other side. Nevertheless _Unweaving_the_Rainbow_ has elegantly shown that t
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Aug 05, 2011
Bethany
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This is a strange one. I am a Chemistry student at University currently, and this book grabbed me not only because of the sciency content but also Richard Dawkins is considered to be a bit of a science know-it-all in non-scientific circles and the general public.
The man is smart, no doubt about it.
I think he should stick to what he knows though. There were some good snippets and at first I followed his thought process. Yes, we as a species are dumb. We can be fooled. This does More...
The man is smart, no doubt about it.
I think he should stick to what he knows though. There were some good snippets and at first I followed his thought process. Yes, we as a species are dumb. We can be fooled. This does More...
Jun 16, 2011
Kirsty
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Fascinating ramblings on various bits of science (physical science as well as Dawkins usual biological science) that basically come down to how the wonders of science aren't appreciated as much as they ought to be. I found myself nodding my head and agreeing with Dawkins at about just about every turn. Questions like why people find astrology fascinating when astronomy is so much more amazing bemuse me too. The title refers to Keats claiming that Newton has destroyed the poetry of the rainbow by
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Feb 12, 2011
MG
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Dawkins is one of those Oxford profs who wags his finger at anyone who doesn't completely embrace empiricism and common sense. Actually, I don't mind that--he's part of that old intellectual tradition after all. I remember reading Hobbes' Leviathan in college where he says "Metaphors, and senseless and ambiguous words are like ignes fatui" or "foolish light". Dawkins quotes Hobbes but doesn't go quite that far (thank God). His thesis is that science can be as full of beauty a
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Nov 15, 2009
Abi
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Hmmm, I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand I agree with him wholeheartedly that science and a scientific understanding of natural phenomena is a source of wonder. BUT, I think Dawkins throws the baby out with the bath water to a certain extent. To think of the rainbow in terms of water drops and light waves evokes one sort of beauty. But to think of the rainbow in terms of mythology, as something mysteriously wonderful, evokes quite another, one that is infinitely more suited to
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Jun 18, 2011
Amanda
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The first half or so was amazing, and the rest was still really interesting (especially the end), if not quite as exhilarating. At the same time, you have to remember that even that powerhouse of scientific poetry, Carl Sagan, had some dry chapters every now and then. Some dryness definitely doesn't make it any less worth the read, and its mild anyway. Overall, this book was extremely enjoyable, and a breeze to get through. 4.5 stars, will probably be 5 on the reread.
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Dec 23, 2007
Brian
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Not Dawkins' best, IMO. He fails to see the magic of storytelling ... yes, knowing how the refracted light results in rainsbows is interesting, but it's not nearly as fun as the stories that spring up to explain them. I'm a scientist at heart, but Dawkins is just a bit too cold for my taste in this book. I prefer when he sticks to explaining science; when he tries to explain why the beauty of science is superior to alternatives, he strikes a sour note with me.
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Apr 28, 2011
Connie
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Hal J Daniel III wrote an excellent collection of poetry entitled Animal Behavior. In Daniel's collection, he references Richard Dawkins. That is why I decided to read up on Dawkins; so I could further understand and enjoy Daniel's dynamic poetry. I do love the poetry that ignites my inner dramaturg.
Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, among other things, is revered by some, loathed by others, respected by moi. After reading this book, I now know I have no choice but to read at least More...
Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, among other things, is revered by some, loathed by others, respected by moi. After reading this book, I now know I have no choice but to read at least More...
May 30, 2011
Steve
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Not Dawkins' best book. It is a transition, when Dawkins was first awarded the professorship for the public understanding of science. Not yet a rabid atheist (very entertaining) and not quite the neodarwinist. Dawkins strays into areas he is not fully conversant with, while trying to balance the justification of the scientific method and the poetry of symbolism. I think this results in some awkwardness in the narrative and at times he gets stuck in a subject, straying into refuting the symbolism
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Feb 11, 2012
Bas
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Inspiring book, but not an easy read. The first few chapters and specifically the last two are intriguing (at least for me) where Dawkings describes the way we have developed our human brain and how we view the world.
In the first chapters he describes the beauty of science in such a way that you want to be a poet and write poems about particles, atoms, neurons, gravity and all other wonderful natural phenomena that are the basic building blocks of pure science.
More in line with the God More...
In the first chapters he describes the beauty of science in such a way that you want to be a poet and write poems about particles, atoms, neurons, gravity and all other wonderful natural phenomena that are the basic building blocks of pure science.
More in line with the God More...
Apr 25, 2008
Aaron
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Not as consistently good as his other books, but some real gems in here around how we interpret light and sound.
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Oct 02, 2011
Joe
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Richard Dawkins explores science and its social implications. He compares and contrasts science to art and poetry: how they're similar, how they can each grow larger by having a better understanding of the other. Dawkins goes on to explore a number of pseudosciences, attacks on science, and misinterpretations of science.
Unfortunately, the book is somewhat flat. Some of the discussions are interesting, but none of them seemed especially fresh to me. Dawkins clearly loves this materi More...
Unfortunately, the book is somewhat flat. Some of the discussions are interesting, but none of them seemed especially fresh to me. Dawkins clearly loves this materi More...
Oct 24, 2010
Steve
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Written a few years prior to The God Delusion, this book serves as a useful bridge for anyone familiar with Dawkins's atheist output but unfamiliar with his more scientific titles. His critics often like to portray him as arrogant, hectoring (or that other old chestnut: 'shrill') and overly absorbed with the cold clinical application of the scientific method. Well he may not be cuddly, and I may not agree with his approach to everything, but for the most part I find him genial, honorable and goo
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May 31, 2009
Allisonperkel
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I agree with most of the points he tries to make (though I think he doesn't give the flight from reality enough respect and I see nothing wrong with "dumbing down" science in order to get young children interested). however I found this book a chore to read. The writing was condescending at times and far too simplistic at others. This book really needed a better editor and about 150 pages lopped off.
I appreciate all he's done in fighting the quacks and crazies out there, b More...
I appreciate all he's done in fighting the quacks and crazies out there, b More...
Dec 13, 2011
Benjamin
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Good read over all. Some very insightful things about evolution. The first part of the book was a bit slow, but it is written (I assume) for someone without a degree in physics or a real understanding of light and sound waves. The only thing I really had an issue with was Dawkins' bitter views on religion. It always surprises me to find really good scientists who believe that it is religion vs science and the two cannot coexist. I guess he has written an entire book dedicated to religion (o
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Feb 09, 2012
Cory
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I believe that Animal Farm's best paragraph is its last, and the opposite can be said of Unweaving the Rainbow; the best writing is found on the first page. Not to say that the rest of the book isn't worth reading, just that it begins brilliantly.
"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born"
Dawkins has said that he plans on having Unweaving the Rainbow's first paragraph read a More...
"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born"
Dawkins has said that he plans on having Unweaving the Rainbow's first paragraph read a More...
Mar 20, 2010
Krista
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One of the Goodreads reviews on this book relates, simply, that the writer of the review had been on a cruise ship with the author prior to reading the book. When she DID read the book, she regretted that she didn't "do some kind of small violence to his person" while on the cruise with him.
In many ways, that sums up my take beautifully. This was the most interesting book I've ever despised. Certainly, I have a brain not suited to the exigencies of science. But when he More...
In many ways, that sums up my take beautifully. This was the most interesting book I've ever despised. Certainly, I have a brain not suited to the exigencies of science. But when he More...
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Sep 14, 2009
Ethernight
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I would love to praise Unweaving the Rainbow Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder as a layman's introduction to the wonders of science. The premise of the book is that the scientific view is not the bleak and cold perspective that it has a reputation for. In support of this, the book is chock full of little tidbits that demonstrate the beauty, the elegance, the chaos and the awe-inspiring complexity of the world around us. Dawkins endeavors to make science real to us, to seduce us w
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Feb 27, 2008
Mark
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Dawkins makes a strong case for those of us who believe that scientific literacy not only does not have to come at the price of aesthetic appreciation, but can actually enhance it. Put another way, good science inspires good poetry. The sense of wonder we feel when watching the sun set should if anything be enhanced if we are aware of the physics of light reaching our retina, the 93 million miles the light had to travel to reach us, the ability of the light to at times be refracted into a rain
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Aug 04, 2011
Helen
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This should have been really insipring, but I found it slightly disappointing. Dawkins is plainly on a crusade against anyone who believes in anything that cannot be proven by science. I find blind faith in religion inexplicable, but I can admire it is some ways. However I find the determined non belief in his writing depressing in a different way.
I entirely agree that understanding how a rainbow is produced doesn't destroy the beauty of the rainbow, but I found little beauty or illumination in More...
I entirely agree that understanding how a rainbow is produced doesn't destroy the beauty of the rainbow, but I found little beauty or illumination in More...
Aug 05, 2011
I've wanted to read this book for a while and had heard Dawkins use some of the material from this book in various talks over the last few years.
The driving idea behind this book is that just because we understand certain things about how the world works, this doesn't diminish our sense of awe and wonder in it.
I found the first half of the book more compelling than the second which was a bit dry in parts but it was a worthwhile read.
The driving idea behind this book is that just because we understand certain things about how the world works, this doesn't diminish our sense of awe and wonder in it.
I found the first half of the book more compelling than the second which was a bit dry in parts but it was a worthwhile read.
Mar 25, 2010
Garrett
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I am not able to put this book down- definitely a great read, and certainly awakens the wonder about the universe, physics, our body, and life in general with a good combination of readable science and reference to great poetry. I have an engineering education and didn't find it condescending or having too much attitude- I think he is just expressing his wonder at the universe and finds it hard to understand why others don't share that.
May 24, 2011
Adam
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Science seeks discover the mysteries of the universe. In doing so, some claim, it destroys the mystery and poetry of the world. For example, when Newton used a prism to unweave white light into the rainbow, thereby showing how raindrops (acting as tiny prisms) create rainbows.
Dawkins argues that the opposite is the case: science is a source of inspirational beauty. One example: Newton's pioneering work in optics (e.g., unweaving the rainbow with a prism) has unlocked many new wonder More...
Dawkins argues that the opposite is the case: science is a source of inspirational beauty. One example: Newton's pioneering work in optics (e.g., unweaving the rainbow with a prism) has unlocked many new wonder More...
Jul 08, 2009
Aimee
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It has good parts and bad parts. The beginning half was more interesting with how things work like Dopler shift and DNA fingerprinting. Dawkins tends to go on rants which is great in that he is unapologetic on his views but I feel, in doing so, he might lose some of the audience he is trying to gain (those who are uncertain why science is good). Still, an interesting read, overall.
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Nov 20, 2011
Steve
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Takes a long while to get going, but the meat of the book is interesting, if a little dumbed down. One reviewer put it perfectly, "Fascinating ramblings on various bits of science (physical science as well as Dawkins usual biological science) that basically come down to how the wonders of science aren't appreciated as much as they ought to be."
Jan 02, 2009
Eric
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This is not Dawkins at his best, but it is a good, easy read that any skeptic should definitely get through. The book discusses, or attempts to discuss, the wonders of learning and science, and how they can be just as poetic as fairy tales. The title refers to charge leveled against Newton that he had destroyed the poetry of rainbows when he explained the mechanics of them. Dawkins' basic premise is that understanding rainbows, and other mysteries, enhances their majesty rather than destroys
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Nov 03, 2010
Brent
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This is Dawkins' ode to science. If you've heard Dawkins at any of his speaking events, you are familiar with one of his prevailing themes - that although we have "purged the saccharine" by recognizing that we live in a purposeless universe, that does not mean science has robbed life of its warmth or its poetry.
While there are only so many ways to form sentences to hammer home "the poetry of science", "poetic science", etc. etc., and at times he seems t More...
While there are only so many ways to form sentences to hammer home "the poetry of science", "poetic science", etc. etc., and at times he seems t More...
Jul 01, 2010
Desi
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A lucid and descriptive explanation of the wonder behind science, which we see too little of in the classroom. Perhaps if we taught this side of science to our children we'd have another scientific revolution on our hands. Why invent wonders when the real nature of the universe is so incredible?
Dec 29, 2009
Hans
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I think what Richard Dawkins was trying to attempt was noble however I am not convinced that he acompolished what he set out to achieve. Essentially the thesis of this book was a persuasive attempt to convince the reader that science can be very poetic and awe-inspiring, which I agree with. I even cheered him on hoping to find some new way of looking at science through a new paradigm. But, instead it felt more like a book of what science is and isn't and that didn't really inspire me much bec
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