The Blind Watchmaker
Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
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The Blind Watchmaker
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Narrated by:
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Richard Dawkins
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Lalla Ward
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Written by:
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Richard Dawkins
About this listen
The Blind Watchmaker, knowledgably narrated by author Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward, is as prescient and timely a book as ever. The watchmaker belongs to the 18th-century theologian William Paley, who argued that just as a watch is too complicated and functional to have sprung into existence by accident, so too must all living things, with their far greater complexity, be purposefully designed. Charles Darwin's brilliant discovery challenged the creationist arguments; but only Richard Dawkins could have written this elegant riposte. Natural selection - the unconscious, automatic, blind, yet essentially nonrandom process Darwin discovered - is the blind watchmaker in nature.
©1986, 1987, 1996 Richard Dawkins (P)2011 Audible, Inc.People who bought this also bought...
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- Narrated by: Ben Arogundade
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- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 15
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- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
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Story5 out of 5 stars 5
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- A Vision of the Human Future in Space
- Written by: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 80
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 66
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 68
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4 out of 5 stars
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- By Sid on 02-03-21
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The Demon-Haunted World
- Science as a Candle in the Dark
- Written by: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Seth MacFarlane
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 40
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
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Editorial Reviews
Richard Dawkins and his wife, actor Lalla Ward, give a highly entertaining read of Dawkins's 1986 critique of creationism, The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design. The audiobook follows an updated edition of the book from 2006 and provides intricate explanations, by way of witty examples, of why random, infinitesimal gene changes over millions of years have produced us and the world we live in. Dawkins's writing contains a self-deprecating, dry sense of humor that comes to life as he reads his best-selling book. Alternating voices between Dawkins and Lalla Ward provides nice listening contrast while also setting apart examples, clarifications, and segments of greater detail. Dawkins and his wife live in a world that is perhaps more scientific on a daily basis than ours so the book takes great care to vary the delivery of information for greater emphasis and easy understanding.
Dawkins's goal in The Blind Watchmaker is to "remove by explaining" any doubt that anything but scientific fact is behind the origin of the universe. Just because something — like human beings or the universe — is complex does not mean that it cannot be explained. Dawkins works hard to help listeners understand the smaller-than-microscopic changes that evolved through staggering amounts of time, changes humans have a hard time intuitively comprehending. To paraphrase the author, do not draw conclusions from your own inability to understand something. The truth of Darwinism comes in its acceptance of physics, probability, and the unending march of time. Dawkins helps listeners out by using examples that are easier to grasp: for example, the evolution from wolves to domesticated dogs. Or how echo location in bats clearly shows the evolution of a trait necessary for survival of a species.
The Blind Watchmaker, read by the author and by Lalla Ward, is an example of an audiobook best listened to while not driving or operating anything requiring devoted attention. Dawkins calls upon us to think about complex concepts that are not necessarily part of daily life. Led by the author, The Blind Watchmkaer is a lively, humorous explanation of the seemingly mystical yet ultimately understandable maze of evolution that is our world. Along the way it is nice to know that a scientist such as Dawkins can, like us, forget to save information on his computer. Re-creation of his data simply leads to another example of probability and complexity that makes, as Dawkins reiterates, the circumstances of any of us being here surprisingly unique, but scientifically not unusual. —Carole Chouinard
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about The Blind Watchmaker
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-01-21
Hats off Prof.Richard Dawkins !!
I’ve immense respects for Richard Dawkins and his inimitable style is absolutely enthralling and intellectual . I truly admire his depth of vision and truth he can dare to pose his own self .
Clarity, honesty , fairness and true science ... absolutely enjoyed this! - Deepa Vishwanathan
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nayan
- 30-01-22
Eye opener
The book is narrated in a nice conversational style which would otherwise seems monotonous with so many interesting concepts to take in. I guess I'll need to revisit it again in the future to make it more fruitful. Iff you're into such kind of topics then you'll not be disappointed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 29-07-21
Must read 4 anyone who is curious enough to learn
The explanations that Dawkins gives show how passionate he is about the various aspects of Darwinian theory of evolution. This book is a must read for anyone humble and curious enough to learn.
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