Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins (b. 1941) is an English evolutionary biologist and writer who is one of the world's leading voices for atheism. Born in Kenya, Dawkins as a teenager concluded that theory of evolution by Darwin was a better means of understanding the world that his Anglican upbringing. He obtained a Ph.D. from Oxford and later taught there. Paper Masters can compose a custom written research paper on Richard Dawkins that follows your guidelines.

Dawkins' The Selfish Gene

His 1976 book The Selfish Gene first brought Dawkins into the public eye, in which a gene-centered view of evolution was proposed. Dawkins contended that certain genes are passed on because they are the ones that serve their own interests towards replication, not necessarily the interests of the organism. The book also introduced the word meme into the English language.

Dawkins' The God Delusion

Dawkins' 2006 book The God Delusion was a popular and controversial statement regarding atheism. In this work, Dawkins maintains that there is no such thing as a supernatural creator and that belief in a personal god is a form of delusion, defined as a persistent false belief held onto in the face of contrary evidence. Part of the book outlines human morality without the need for religion or god and that altruistic genes (an idea first introduced in The Selfish Gene) which are selected through evolution produce natural empathy in individuals. The God Delusion does not just support atheism, but attacks organized religion as hostile towards science and supporting bigotry and fanaticism.

Books by Dawkins:

• The God Delusion
• The Selfish Gene
• The Blind Watchmaker
• The Greatest Show on Earth
• The Magic of Reality