The Blind Watchmaker

Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Critic reviews

"As readable and vigorous a defense of Darwinism as has been published since 1859. ( The Economist)

"The best general account of evolution I have read in recent years." (E. O. Wilson, Professor in Entomology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University)

“Dawkins’s explanation of the evolutionary process continues to be timely and revelatory…This dual reading is an interesting model for a scientific text. It helps to clarify and emphasize points… this is a commendable production, and an excellent primer on how evolution works.” ( AudoFile)

Heavy going but lots of information.

I found Richard Dawkins' book very interesting but very heavy going for the 'lay-man'. It was swimming in scientific rhetoric and step by painful step analysis. All I wanted to do was cut to the chase! I will have to revisit the book again to be able to digest it further as my mind tended to fog over with the analysis of each minute detail. However I am glad I read it and am inspired to know more about the beginning of the world as we know it. I have long discarded the theory of "One god-like Being made the world in a week and then on Sunday he rested" One salient point was not touched - how the universe came into being in the first place?

Quite simply a book that everyone should read

Richard Dawkins does a masterful job of explaining the fundamental elements of Darwinian evolution and deftly diemolishes a myriad of common attacks made against it. Regardless of which side of the debate on evolution-as-fact that you happen to be on, this book will arm you with a much deeper and more sound understanding of the theory as presented by one of the greatest minds to study it. And in his own voice nonetheless! Mr. Dawkins and Ms. Ward do a fantastic job on the narration and the tradeoff on readings works well to keep the listener dialed in.

Another great explanation for created order out of chaos

I enjoyed this audio book spoken by Dawkins and Ward. I enjoyed his insightful arguments and metaphors supporting his arguments and destroying others.

another slam dunk by dawkins

this is a great "plain English" explanation delivered with thought provoking examples. a must listen!

Much needed deep dive!

Excellent book by Richard Dawkins, once again! This was a much needed deep dive into the theory of evolution, and Darwinism, allowing for clarification of misconceptions on all sides. 10 stars!

The book that Richard Dawkins was born to write

I've read a couple of other books by Dawkins, and while they were certainly also edifying and engaging, this one takes the cake, in my opinion, as THE quintessential Dawkins work.

On the academic/technical side of things: There's no getting around it – Dawkins is a genius in his field. But this book opened my eyes to his astonishingly brilliant writing style as well. Only a couple of chapters are "esoteric". Most of the material is extremely accessible.

Dawkins has gained a reputation for being a die-hard proponent of atheism/anti-theism. And even though I am an atheist, I wasn't looking for another one of Dawkins's angry tirades against religion. Thankfully this book was written in the 1980s, before Dawkins became a figure in "New Atheism". Make no mistake – in The Blind Watchmaker, he addresses Creationism and adjacent schools of thought, and he provides a rundown of the ways in which Creationists have tried to undermine evolutionary theories, while explaining in some depth why these attempts have been fallacious. However, despite the words "without design" in the title, lambasting religion is not the main objective of this book.

If you decide to read it, what awaits you is a wonderfully articulate and passionate dissection of Darwinian evolution and the reasons why it recommends itself as, not just the best, but the ONLY theory to explain the origin of life, the development of species and – perhaps most importantly – the sheer complexity of life forms. There are even a couple of chapters that focus on competing ideas within evolutionary biology and attempts to overthrow Darwinian thinking within the scientific community.

Withstanding the Test of Time

Where does The Blind Watchmaker rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Out of all of the non-fiction books I've listened to, this ranks as the best one yet. This is the second book by Dawkins that I've listened to. I am fascinated by evolutionary biology so I have a natural bias to this book and probably any book on the subject. While some parts of this book are dry, they are necessary for giving a complete picture to what is being discussed.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the discussion on the cumulative selection early in the book. It is a very important concept that helps explain Darwinian evolution.

Any additional comments?

Dawkins is often viewed as an atheist paragon seeking to always tear down religion but this book does not do that. His focus is on evolution and why it properly describes how we as humans came to be rather than just attacking opposing views.

great book

I think Richard Dawkins is extremely intelligent and his style is unique. He does not shy away from going through details elaborate analysis or discussions. I learnt a lot from this book. but I think it also needs someone who knows biology and evolution to be able to go through it.

Intriguing and easy to understand

I found the topic interesting and the examples easy to follow. Having two narrators helped to make the points clear.

Very well read.

Very interesting listen. Makes me want to read /listen to his other books such as The Selfish Gene....