TOW #12 - The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins (IRB)

The God Delusion is a book written in 2006 by Richard Dawkins, a world renowned scientist and advocate for atheism and secularity. He is well known for his contributions to the science world, and holds an alma mater of Balliol College, Oxford. Given all of this, Dawkins begins The God Delusion with a large portion of automatic ethos. However, he does not rely solely on this throughout the first half of The God Delusion. Dawkins makes sure to support every argument he makes with innumerable statistics and facts. There is a notable lack of ethos throughout the book, but considering that this is a book focusing on science, the lack of emotional support makes sense. The heavy use of statistics, mostly probability calculations and supports for evolution, serve as undeniable evidence in support of Dawkins' claims. In any other book, the sheer number of facts and pieces of information that he cites throughout the text may seem overwhelming and unnecessary, but in a book that's topic is religion, there must be no shortage of information, because in a debate so heated, any gap in one's argument will be exploited. One problem with Dawkins' writing and arguments that is also present in many of his other works is that its tone can easily be interpreted as condescending. While this may not bother readers who already share some of his ideas on the topic, those who are of the opposite mindset and read the book will feel snubbed by this tone, and become biased towards others of similar mindset to Dawkins', thinking that everyone of that ilk is as condescending and arrogant. Thus, The God Delusion's argument to this point is effective, but largely nullified by its tone.