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Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 501
EAN: 9780618056736
ISBN: 0618056734
Label: Mariner Books
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: April 05, 2000
Publisher: Mariner Books
Studio: Mariner Books
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Editorial Review:
Why do poets and artists so often disparage science in their work? For that matter, why does so much scientific literature compare poorly with, say, the phone book? After struggling with questions like these for years, biologist Richard Dawkins has taken a wide-ranging view of the subjects of meaning and beauty in Unweaving the Rainbow, a deeply humanistic examination of science, mysticism, and human nature. Notably strong-willed in a profession of bet-hedgers and wait-and-seers, Dawkins carries the reader along on a romp through the natural and cultural worlds, determined that "science, at its best, should leave room for poetry."
Inspired by the frequently asked question, "Why do you bother getting up in the morning?" following publication of his book The Selfish Gene, Dawkins set out determined to show that understanding nature's mechanics need not sap one's zest for life. Alternately enlightening and maddening, Unweaving the Rainbow will appeal to all thoughtful readers, whether wild-eyed technophiles or grumpy, cabin-dwelling Luddites. Excoriations of newspaper astrology columns follow quotes from Blake and Shakespeare, which are sandwiched between sparkling, easy-to-follow discussions of probability, behavior, and evolution. In Dawkins's world (and, he hopes, in ours), science is poetry; he ends his journey by referring to his title's author and subject, maintaining that "A Keats and a Newton, listening to each other, might hear the galaxies sing." --Rob Lightner
Did Newton "unweave the rainbow" by reducing it to its prismatic colors, as Keats contended? Did he, in other words, diminish beauty? Far from it, says acclaimed scientist Richard Dawkins; Newton's unweaving is the key to much of modern astronomy and to the breathtaking poetry of modern cosmology. Mysteries don't lose their poetry because they are solved: the solution often is more beautiful than the puzzle, uncovering deeper mysteries.
With the wit, insight, and spellbinding prose that have made him a best-selling author, Dawkins takes up the most important and compelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics to language and virtual reality, combining them in a landmark statement of the human appetite for wonder.
This is the book Richard Dawkins was meant to write: a brilliant assessment of what science is (and isn't), a tribute to science not because it is useful but because it is uplifting.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - What an author! What a book!
I was first drawn to Dawkin through his book God Delusion. He was very good author there and he is a very good author here. You will be enlightened.
Rating:  - A tour de force of scientific reasoning
After reading Richard Dawkins lucid explanation of why things are they way they are, the rainbow seems even more beautiful. The book is yet another example of Richard Dawkins' ability to eloquently provide simplified and lucid explanations to the wonders around us without resorting to the fantastic.
Rating: - INSIGHTFUL...POETIC!
This is a beautiful work presented in a prose that captures a great thinkers' insights poetically; a pure pleasure to read and savor!
Rating: - Brilliant
I positively love Dawkins literary style. The more of his books you read, the more you can feel how passionate he is about science and the natural world. The "official" book reviews call "Unweaving The Rainbow" a "love letter to science." I suppose you could call it that. I actually found it extremely informative on many scientific subjects, without being overly scientific or complicated. This would be an excellent read for someone who wants to learn something about natural sciences without getting ... Read More
Rating: - Wonder indeed
Another master stroke from Dawkins, weaving poetry, science and humanism in his elegant style. Don't miss it.
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