The Greatest Show on Earth

The Evidence for Evolution

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In 2008, a Gallup poll showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created man in his present form within the last 10,000 years. In a Pew Forum poll in the same year, 42 percent believed that all life on earth has existed in its present form since the beginning of time.

In 1859 Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke. But he surely would have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later.

Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity. Now the author of the iconic work The God Delusion takes them to task.

The Greatest Show on Earth is a stunning counterattack on advocates of "Intelligent Design", explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist "argument". Dawkins sifts through rich layers of scientific evidence: from living examples of natural selection to clues in the fossil record; from plate tectonics to molecular genetics. Combining these elements and many more, he makes the airtight case that "we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random selection."

The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is menacing as never before. In American schools, and in schools around the world, insidious attempts are made to undermine the status of science in the classroom. Dawkins wields a devastating argument against this ignorance, but his unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master's vision of life, in all its splendor.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 Richard Dawkins (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"If Charles Darwin walked into a 21st-century bookstore and wanted to know how his theory had fared, this is the book he should pick up. Dawkins remains a superb translator of complex scientific concepts....he has a way of making the drollest details feel like a revelation." ( Publishers Weekly)

Back to His Strong Suit

This book is not the same arguments you've heard before. Usually a book about evolution gives all of the old arguments and then adds the new data at the end. Dawkins gives a unique and thoroughly modern argument for evolution. I felt as if I was hearing the story for the first time. This book reminded me why evolution isn't just true but beautiful.

Fabulous read; easy to understand.

This one is a winner! I have read several of Dawkins' books before, but listening to his voice (and the other reader, too) really helped me understand the ideas and examples he presented. We have done a poor job educating our student population on Evolution. This book explains everything in such simple and understandable detail! A must read for an educated person!

Could be the book the tips the balance?

I enjoyed this book a lot. I have a degree in zoology and already know that evolution is true. This book is really intended to give the "already converted" with an arsenal of studies, arguments, and evidence when we find ourselves in a debate with someone who believes in creation or "intelligent design."

There's some really great stuff here; some things I was already familiar with and and some things that were new. I think it would be pretty challenging material for someone who didn't get much past high school biology but rewarding. Not having the visual aids with the audiobook was a bummer and would make it more challenging for a non-scientist. I'm hoping that this book's popularity indicates that the public is embracing evolution at last.

There were so many wonderful bits I could detail but I will let you discover for yourself. I do encourage this book to anyone who's even considering this book and obviously you are if you're reading this. I found the "tag-team" reading with his wife a bit distracting at times. Dawkins reads most of it (probably 65%) and did an excellent job. His wife's reading worked sometimes and not at others. Not ruinous, in my opinion.

Enjoy!

Amazing!

I loved every moment of this audio book.
You will not be disappointed.

Crisp delivery and great insight

It is a wonderful book for those new to - or familiar with - the history and workings of evolution. It offers great detail on experiments that shed light on how evolution can be witnessed in a short space of time, as well as over centuries.

Outstanding scholarly and scientific resource

A must read for anyone with an open mind ready to learn scientific knowledge. This book should be a must resource in college! Ignorance and superstition have no room in a well educated and advance society.

Great book but....

Wonderful book. I love listening to Dawkins and Lalla Ward. The only problem was that I never received the pictures that go along with the book. This was terribly frustrating.

Evolution is a fact!

Comprehensive and interesting

If you could sum up The Greatest Show on Earth in three words, what would they be?

DNA phylogenetic trees

What did you like best about this story?

It gives a comprehensive overview of all of the evidence for evolution. When I first started the book, I thought it was mostly aimed at people who are not very familiar with evolution. Not for people like me who already know about the evidence. However, I now have a much better understanding.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

"The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are being slowly devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds
are dying of starvation, thirst and disease. It must be so. If there is ever a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored."

I had never realized this before. How come people don't seem to care much about wild-animal suffering?

The part about the scientist who was describing his work to a man on an airplane, and the man was mesmirized. When the man asked the scientist what the theory behind his research was, the scientist replied "Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection". The man's face "went red; abruptly, he turned away, refused to speak further". So sad. Creationism ruined that man's ability to learn about the amazingness of science.

Any additional comments?

The main problem is that in the first chapter he goes all anti-God, and he probably alienates the people who need to learn about the evidence for evolution.

All the evidence a rational person needs

Professor Dawkins has done it again. He presents the evidence for evolution in a cogent, accessible, and compelling way. Bravo!

Love it! Received great understanding of Evolution

Richard Dawkins does an excellent job of walking you through all the reasons why Evolution is no longer a theory, but actual fact. Evolution happened. There can be no other way to explain what is here on earth. If God does exist, then he is a programmer, not a sculptor or builder.