Book description
A dazzling, passionate polemic against anti-science movements of all
kinds.
Keats accused Newton of destroying the poetry of the rainbow by
explaining the origin of its colours. In this illuminating and
provocative book, Richard Dawkins argues that Keats could not have
been more mistaken, and shows how an understanding of science enhances
our wonder of the world. He argues that mysteries do not lose their
poetry because they are solved: the solution is often more beautiful
than the puzzle, uncovering even deeper mysteries. 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 on the human appetite for wonder.
In 1995 Richard Dawkins became the first holder of the Charles
Simonyi Chair of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford
University. He is the bestselling author of THE SELFISH GENE, THE BLIND
WATCHMAKER (Penguin, 1988) and CLIMBING MOUNT IMPROBABLE (Penguin,
1996).
