#10 in Religion & spirituality
The God Delusion
- 450
- Pages
- about 8 h
- Reading time
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Our view
Dawkins argues against a supernatural creator with a biologist’s directness, and that plain speaking is what his admirers evidently value. He also contends that morality can stand without religion. Some readers object that he treats theological arguments superficially and answers them with sarcasm instead of engagement. It suits those who want a combative polemic; anyone hoping for a patient dialogue with theology will not find it here.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The God Delusion is a 2006 book by British evolutionary biologist and ethologist Richard Dawkins, in which he argues that a supernatural creator, God, does not exist, and that belief in a personal god qualifies as a delusion, which he defines as a persistent false belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence. In the book, he expresses his agreement to Robert Pirsig's statement in Lila (1991) that "when one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion." He argues in favour of the possibility of morality existing independently of religion and proposes alternative explanations for the origins of both religion and morality.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.8 across 941 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 86% of the weight and the score stays at 7.9 — the Religion & spirituality average of 8.1 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.8 | 163 | 17% |
| Google Books | 7.0 | 59 | 6% |
| Hardcover | 7.9 | 719 | 76% |
Frequently asked
How long is The God Delusion?
It has 450 pages — longer than 88% of the ranked books in Religion & spirituality.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Religion & spirituality — with scores between 7.9 and 8.2, closest to this book.
