The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins - Essay Example

Richard Dawkins’ book The Greatest Show on Earth is an elegant, thorough and intelligently narrated account of the logic behind scientific discovery.In presenting arguments that are impeccably constructed, the author has introduced the concept of natural selection by referring to artificial selection and the significance of evolution. Dawkins has argued that evolution is an acknowledged fact of life and for those who do not believe in evolution he has drawn parallels by giving examples of artificial selection, such as when people train dogs so that they imbibe specific traits or select specific varieties of corn in order to harvest bigger and better varieties of corn. Dawkins makes the case that every form of life on this planet was created by way of non random natural selection, which in other words is understood as evolution (Ings, 2009). People who believe differently base their decisions on things that cannot be considered as evidence. Dawkins writes that natural selection has undergone different phases of rejection that were followed by acceptance. The author refers to intelligent design in terms of the ways in which every kind of life on Earth is created through some kind of natural selection, which is explained through reference to research on the evolution of bacteria carried out by Lenski. Dawkins has taken pains in claiming that intelligent design is a valid explanation for every aspect of nature, which is supported by the theory of evolution. It is in this context that he writes “evolution is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt” (Dawkins, 2009, p.12). The primary objective of the author is to provide evidence for people that the theory of evolution is as good as any scientific fact. He states on page 85 of the book that “evolutionary scientists are in the position of detectives who come late to the scene of crime” (Dawkins, 2009, p.85). In making this statement he means that it becomes difficult to prove the evolutionary process to those that deny or doubt history. He refers to evolution repeatedly in his book and wants readers to understand how natural changes have been brought on the planet through microevolution and macroevolution. In explaining that science determines temporal sequence Dawkins has written that nature has clocks that ascertain the time taken for the effects of evolution to emerge. He means that evolutionary scientists have to make use of such wide range of clocks in terms of the processes available for dating such as from rings on trees and carbon dating. Just as detectives involve themselves in activities after the occurrence of a crime, evolutionary scientists make use of selective breeding techniques to determine the gene pools of different species (Olson, 2009). The author has categorically said that “There are no new species after the act of creation”. In referring to examples of microevolution, Dawkins writes that some forms of evolution are so fast that they can be seen happening before us. Some of these happenings are so fast that people can see the evolution taking place in their own life times. In explaining this aspect, he gives the example, “just think what you might see in three or four decades if you followed the evolution of bacteria, whose generations are measured in hours or even minutes, rather than years!” (Dawkins, 2009, p.116). Dawkins has answered all objections relative to creation in his chapter titled Missing Link in which he depicts that there are no missing links and that all the available evidence actually adds to the strength in what he has written about evolution and creation. He provides a very valid example in this regard by referring to the development of the embryo and emphasizes that it is so amazing that it is very difficult to differentiate embryos of similar species and mostly it is not till the time they are mature that it becomes possible to determine the distinct characteristics (Wade, 2009). When Dawkins writes “Evolution correcting initial mistakes”, he means that in a relatively short geological time span; a few million years, there was evolvement of multicellurarity as well as the main species of multicellular life such as the phyla. The author holds that with sudden changes it becomes difficult to imagine the long drawn series of growing amendments. In searching further than such developments, people have again started questioning the basic use of natural selection to explain change whereby adaptation can be involved. Dawkins cites the manner in which hominids were responsible as important agents in evolving wolves into a surprisingly wide variety of dog breeds that could be domesticated. This process of evolution is characteristic of the changes that happened very quickly, or as believed by Dawkins, of the fact that evolution has the potential to correct past mistakes. Dawkins has developed his reporting by revealing how plants and animals that depend on each other act as change agents in making each other to evolve. Dawkins certainly has an impact in making readers understand the evolution process mainly through making them to appreciate the ways in which natural selection works. The introduction to natural selection is not limited to just the process of evolution but the author has excelled in highlighting the significance of natural selection from different perspectives. This is made possible in ways that optimize preservation of the emerging concepts as well as the evidence that proves the planned systems to be false. Dawkins has analyzed evolution at a very advanced level, especially in relation to natural selection and the ways in which the changes in human DNA enable the provision of mapping that is indicative of people’s ancestral past (Nanjundiah, 2011). It also shows that the author is an able designer in having provided the evidence that authenticates evolution but also disproves ideas of designers whereby creationists are proved entirely false. Dawkins is an excellent communicator and has mastered the art of where to begin and where to focus in making his points get through to his audience. It is also evident that he knows science very well, which is evident from the manner in which he gives precise examples that hit the target in explaining his point of view. After reading the book readers realize why they are unable to see evolutionary changes; because the changes take shape slowly over several generations. But his example of dog breeders gets the point through when he writes that “"Every breed of dog, from dachshund to Dalmatian, from boxer to borzoi, from poodle to Pekinese, from Great Dane to Chihuahua, has been caved, chiseled, kneaded, moulded, not literally as flesh and bone but in its gene pool. The relevance to natural evolution is that, although the selecting agent is man and not nature, the process is otherwise the same" (Dawkins, 2009, p.34).  On page 399 of his book, Dawkins comments that Charles Darwin was not known as a poet but he produced a lyrical crescendo in the last paragraph of On the Origin of Species. The most appropriate line in Dawkins’ book that can replace it is "If so much evolutionary change can be achieved in just a few centuries or even decades, just think what might be achieved in ten or a hundred million years?" (Dawkins, 2009, p.37). It is evident that Dawkins considers himself as a neo Darwinist and wants to depict and endorse the main elements of Darwinism. However, the main focus of neo Darwinism is in upholding that natural selection, along with the possible transformation can result in what is usually understood as intelligence. The most significant aspect is thus relative to whether human life could have undergone evolution through the natural process. The aspect of intelligent design discussed by Dawkins relates to the belief that some natural occurrences demonstrate characteristics that are obviously related directly with intelligence. The notion of common descent is very important relative to Darwin’s model, but such fabrication is not necessarily crucial for designing any thesis or concept. In designing any hypothesis as a model of science, it is not crucial to assume that different forms of life were created separately or by modifying the previous existent forms (Fortey, 2009). There is no doubt that Dawkins has explained observational science very well but his research on the origin of life in terms of its different varieties is not entirely acceptable because of flack of adequate evidence to support his viewpoints. The author appears to have put excessive implications for world views but because he appears to be an atheist, he is bound to be supportive of sketchy mechanisms. Dawkins has provided a collection of issues that he has interpreted from an evolutionary perspective although such issues do not make a strong case for evolution. Essentially, Dawkins is of the belief that it is possible to see evolution happening in different ways at all times and that it is reasonable to have some doubt about evolution because of the slowness in the process. Dawkins’ arguments and analogies are great and he provides examples that not only teach but also provide strong arguments in favor of evolution. The author has distinguished himself in giving examples that permit the concepts and story to impact readers even after they have put the book aside. Works Cited Dawkins, Richard. The Greatest Show on Earth, London: Bantam Press, 2009. Fortey, Richard. Review: The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins, The Guardian. 2009. Ings, Simon. Review: The Greatest Show on Earth, The Sunday Telegraph, 2009. Nanjundiah, Vidya. Review: The Greatest Show on Earth, 2011, www.ias.ac.in/resonance/January2011/p69-75.pd, Accessed on 09 October, 2011. Olson, Randy. Review: The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins, New Scientist, 2009. Wade, Nicholas, Evolution All Around, The New York Times, 2009. Read More