The Magic of Reality

The Magic of Reality: The fascinating truth behind the mysteries of nature is a 2012 German at Ullstein published non-fiction book of the British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. It appeared in the original English under the title The Magic of Reality: How We Know What 's Really True in 2011 by Bantam Press. Dawkins employs in his illustrated by Dave McKean work with it, as the people declared their operations environment with myths and what science can contribute to the explanation. By his own admission, his book is aimed at readers aged 12 years.

Content

Dawkins begins the first chapter by defining the concepts of the book's title. Thus, reality is all that we with our five senses - can learn - possibly supported by tools. As he considers emotions as real as these are inextricably linked to the existence of brains, which in turn are real entities. The magic he used in the sense of " something profoundly shattering or gladdening ," which one feels " touched at heart ". At the same time, he explains why he considers that the magic in his magical significance as an explanation for the reality for unusable: A feature of the magic was to create things out of nothing, or suddenly transform. The example of the evolution he wants to show that complex forms always emerge from gradual processes and do not arise suddenly or by chance.

Below Dawkins addresses a number of issues and attempts to answer with verifiable scientific knowledge from various fields. Most of his statements are various myths preceded from human history, which also deal with the subject of the questions. Each question opens up a new chapter. Specifically, these are:

• Who was the first man?
• Why are there so many species?
• What are the things?
• Why is there day and night, summer and winter?
• What is the sun?
• What is a rainbow?
• When and how did it all start?
• Are we alone?
• What is an earthquake?
• Why do bad things happen?
• What is a miracle?

One of the myths that are presented in the book include, for example Dreamtime myths of Aborigines, the Epic of Gilgamesh, African creation myths, biblical stories of Adam and Eve, the Tower of Babel or the Noah's ark. Will also be considered outdated medical practices, such as based on the humoral theory bloodletting, as well as modern myths, which according to Dawkins' view abductions are by aliens. The fact that Dawkins has not been found to answer each question corresponding to ancient myths, he explained by the fact that certain areas of the earlier observation withdrawn by the people and therefore needed no explanation. This concerns in particular the microcosm and the macrocosm the question of extraterrestrial life.

Among the topics which attracts Dawkins for scientific answers to the questions include, among others: development of man in the course of evolution, geographic isolation, atomic models, gravity, evolution of stars, Big Bang, light spectrum, Doppler effect, exoplanets and continental drift. The question of the bad things in the world answered Dawkins so that the universe had no feelings and does not care about our feelings. Whether an event is good for us or bad, have no influence on the probability of this event.

Finally, it comes to miracles in the sense of supernatural occurrences. For Dawkins, it involves stories that are spread in whispers principle; coincidences that can only be retold because they are exceptional; or simply to charlatanism. In dealing with such stories, he joins the recommendations of David Hume, after all possible alternatives should be weighed against each other; whether it is for instance more likely that the witness is mistaken, or that the miraculous story is true.

Myths, magic and miracles can not explain anything in the opinion of Dawkins'. The reference to Supernatural he referred to as " lazy and dishonest ":

" If you say that something strange had " supernatural " be, you say not only that you currently do not understand it, but you're giving and also to explain that one could never understand it. "

In contrast, the science possesses the magic of reality.

Reviews

Michael Lange of Germany radio culture is of the opinion that the " wonderfully varied an illustrated YA " the " biting polemic " of Dawkins ' work The God Delusion lacks, however, he " do not hold back one way or another sarcastic remark about the myths " could be. " Almost as if he lacked respect for the beliefs of our ancestors, but which to this day. " This book is still " all around recommendable " and offers the chance " to dust outdated school knowledge. "

Even Frank Patalong Spiegel Online describes the work as " entertaining and instructive ." His claim it will but not quite fair since it would overwhelm readers with no knowledge of scientific principles. Instead, disclosing " rather an audience with unvertieftem knowledge. " However, this is not bad; there would be " enormously strong passages, for example, [on the ] often misunderstood mechanisms of evolution." Patalong refers to this as " education in the best sense. "

Andy Coghlan New Scientist praises Dawkins' writing style and presentation of the book, especially McKean's illustrations. The tone was softer than usual for Dawkins, but religious explanations he refused further from compromise. Some of the work is provocative, what was especially true for the last two chapters. Coghlans view, the book lacks a chapter " Why do people do bad things to each other? ", Since that question had played a key role in the development of religions. Nevertheless, the book was " a triumph " and would " undoubtedly be a bestseller. "

Colin Tudge throws Dawkins in The Independent to represent his belonging to the 19th century materialism with the same zeal as well as creationists its position. Dawkins condemn the ideological indoctrination of religions in children, but would do exactly this with the book. He also criticized the assertion Dawkins ' feelings would only arise from our brain, as this was only one of several different perspectives. He referred to Dawkins as " unimproved logical positivists ", the appended an outdated philosophy that say that everything that is not tangible and mathematically ascertainable, is meaningless. Furthermore, religion is not dependent on myths and miracles, as these are only Pictorial understand. It agrees with Dawkins that science has its own magic; therefore the revelations of science would not be standing in contradiction to religion.