This book's about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 'Selfish Gene', perhaps the most important of Dawkins' works. It's a bit disappointment that the title's misleading, because most of the essays are not about Dawkins but the book and it's impacts. I enjoyed the last two chapters the most, these are about the man and his extraordinary abilities to explain one of the most influental and most wonderful theory of mankind's history. Evolution. ( )

This collection of essays celebrates the contributions of Richard Dawkins. Most of the contributors focus on his selfish gene theory, though there is a short grouping at the back of the book that discuss his ability to generate religious controversy. One section deals solely with his ability to write in a comprehensible, interesting manner. There are a couple of clunkers among the essays, chiefly the one by Matt Ridley, but most of them are intersting and informative. The book is not as interesting to read as books by its subject, however. ( )

Rather disappointing collection of essays, much of them sycophantic, and some rambling. There is a small section of interesting dissenting voices, but two of the three essays are of very poor quality, and the third, by Bateson, has some bizarre bitter comments aimed at Dawkins and an obviously personal rivalry. However, there are also one or two strong chapters, which are more carefully and clearly argued, such as Cronin's sexual selection chapter. Could have been so much more. ( )

Yes, we can rebel against selfish genes.

This is a very powerful book.
Edited by two former students of Dawkins at Oxford, and now renowned biologists on their own, Alan Grafen and Mark Ridley, this book collect some 25 essays that are meant to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first edition of "The Selfish Gene", the book that originally propelled Dawkins to fame.
Although most contributors are close and friendly to the scientist, whose work they are celebrating here, some of them are among his critics, and one of them is the Bishop of Oxford.
The book is a useful re-statement of some of the basic views of contemporary evolutionary biology, ie. of 21st century Darwinism, and inevitably this will make it an important tool in the struggle for science and against obscurantism, which is being waged all over the planet nowadays.

[ This review of
Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think: Reflections by Scientists, Writers, and Philosophers by Alan Grafen
was originally written for Amazon.com on March 31, 2006 ]