The God Delusion

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Prospect magazine voted him among the top three public intellectuals in the world (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky). Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes.

He critiques God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. In so doing, he makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just irrational, but potentially deadly.

Dawkins has fashioned an impassioned, rigorous rebuttal to religion, to be embraced by anyone who sputters at the inconsistencies and cruelties that riddle the Bible, bristles at the inanity of "intelligent design", or agonizes over fundamentalism in the Middle East or Middle America.

©2006 Richard Dawkins (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Richard Dawkins is the leading soothsayer of our time....The God Delusion continues his thought-provoking tradition." (J. Craig Venter, decoder of the human genome)
"The God Delusion is smart, compassionate, and true....If this book doesn't change the world, we're all screwed." (Penn & Teller)
"The world needs...passionate rationalists....Richard Dawkins so stands out through the cutting intelligence of The God Delusion." (James D. Watson, co-discoverer of DNA, author of The Double Helix)

5 star

I’m sorry I waited so long to read it, every one should read this book.

Very interesting

Where does The God Delusion rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

this book is written as an audiobook (the paper version came later) and is therefor very listenable. Enjoyed it a lot

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

I enjoyed the thinking behind the book, the theory the authors lay out to the listeners. Allthough in my opinion Dawkins gets sometimes carried away, his ideas are very interesting and worth thinking through

What about Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward ???s performance did you like?

great performance

Very interesting book.......

I am a Christian and I love reading books from people with many views. It is fascinating. This book is less science than A Universe from Nothing or A Brief History of Time but I still enjoy Richard's take on things. I am going to seek out his books that are more science for my next book.

The only thing that is super distracting is that he has the wonderful Lalla Ward co-narrating with him. It seems to not have any rhyme or reason to it and it is jolting. Richard should have either have done it all or have Lalla do it all.

The God Delusion (Unabridged)

Excellent book. Some minor errors, but on the whole makes good sense and I am sure will be helpful for th e fence-sitters who can't make up their minds, mainly because they just don't have enough information.

God Delusion a great, if somewhat meandering, book

The God Delusion was a great read and an intriguing exercise for the mind. Going into this book as an atheist I didn't find anything challenging though I discovered quite a few new ideas and concepts, or at least takes on concepts that were fresh and entertaining.

The only reason I give this a 4-star instead of a 5 is that the organization of the book was a little bit meandering. I didn't get a really clear idea of what he wanted to do with the book, and the last chapter seemed like it should have had a more solid ending to round out the book, rather than attempting to dovetail a few smaller issues at the last second. I think the book could have done with a more solid final chapter.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book, and Dawkins narrates the audio book, along with his associate Lalla Ward, both very brilliantly.

Eloquent and admirably clear

What made the experience of listening to The God Delusion the most enjoyable?

A lucid and lively explanation of the atheist position that will help clarify one's thought whether one is theistically or atheistically inclined.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Richard Dawkins, whose acuity and humanity shine through his words and his voice.

What about Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward ’s performance did you like?

They both have a pleasant voice and excellent elocution, and their collaboration is outstanding. A pleasure.

Any additional comments?

Despite the richness of the book which I recommend with enthusiasm to all, I nonetheless do not think that it satisfactorily covers every aspect of the question: in particular, the discussions of "consolation" and "inspiration" do not go far enough — a deeper look at these might make us hesitate after all to change someone else's faith.

Prof. Dawkins is right and wrong

Would you consider the audio edition of The God Delusion to be better than the print version?

Yes, readings by the author himself and Lalla Ward makes the book more conversational and succeeds in drawing its readers into its contents.

Would you recommend The God Delusion to your friends? Why or why not?

I have already introduced the book to a couple of my friends. I consider that Prof. Dawkins is honest and brave, but he misses the point.

What about Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward ’s performance did you like?

I like it very much.

Any additional comments?

At many points I endorse what Dawkins criticises regarding the conventional Christianity both in the West and in the East. The reasons I wrote above ( he is wrong / he misses the point) are :
1) what the bible is concerned are related to things beyond "reason."
2) No one can find the English word "God" anywhere in the bible: both in the Hebrew and the Greek bibles. Strangely enough, most theologians and clergies are still concerned with minor problems and issues without seriously investigating -- the central problem and issue --what the English word "God" (and equivalent words in other vernacular languages) means for faith. The Hebrew original word which translators mistakenly translated as "God" is Elohim.The name is a complex and paradoxical name which cannot and should not be translated simply as "God". This is not a place to argue about the theological problems and issues regarding the divine names.
In the above sense and in short, I consider that Dawkins' s book title --The God Delusion -- is appropriate. I watched several interviews with Dawkins on TV , and my impression was also that many discussions were missing the point for the reasons I briefly mentioned above.
Hidekazu Utsunomiya

An excellent book. Rational people will get it.

What other book might you compare The God Delusion to and why?

Other books by Richard Dowkins.

Which scene was your favorite?

Richard, as an atheist, could've taken the popular view that he is 100% sure there are\is no god\s. However, as a true scientist, he can't be 100% percent sure that there are\is no god\s. As it is impossible to disprove a fantasy, and as every scientist shouldn't be 100% sure of anything, and always asking. As a fellow (atheist) scientist, I highly appreciate this view.

Any additional comments?

Irrational religious people will not get it. Explaining rational things on religion and belief to irrational religious people is hopeless.

Fascinating Book, Frustrating Reading

The use of two readers was irritating. Had just the man read, I'd give the performance 4 or 5 stars. Just the woman, 3 stars. Together, bouncing back and forth, 1 star. Still glad I listened. Certainly worth the time!

A great insight into religion and the world.

This book changed the way I viewed religion entirely and opened my eyes to the dangers of exposing our inexperienced and uneducated children to the world of religion. There is a lot of great information here, so much so that I am going to keep this one at the top of my list for others to read!