Non-fiction 04 Jan 2005 10:45
A Devil’s Chaplain
A Devil’s Chaplain
Richard Dawkins
A collection of essays written over the years, this book is not just about biology and evolution, the author’s main subjects. He talks about evolution, for sure, but also about dear departed friends, jury trials, religion, education and humanities. It show a more “personal” Dawkins, especially in his eulogies; the two texts he wrote about Douglas Adams are some of the high points of the book, in my opinion. The book reviews he makes, though, are a little boring and repetitive at times.
The common thread joining all the texts is, I believe, his sceptical views and his common sense. He applies his thought to the matters and lets us know his opinions in ways that make sense and are easily understandable, even if you happen not to agree. The piece on jury trials, for example, would certainly make some noise if it were more widely publicised.
The best piece of all (in my humble opinion) is the last one, written as an open letter to his (then) 10-year-old daughter. It’s a beautiful text on scepticism and the reasons to believe the things we do.
This book is probably more appropriate to someone who already knows Dawkins’s work, but the breadth of the themes means that even new readers will find something of interest.
