Richard Dawkins' Autobiography, Vol. 1

1.
Genes and Peace Helmet
2.
Kenyan military families
3.
Land of Lakes
4.
Eagle School in the Mountains
5.
Goodbye, Africa
6.
Beneath the Spire of Salisbury
7.
The British summer is over
8.
Spire next to the Nene River
9.
Dreaming Spire
10.
Enter the industry
11.
West Coast, the days of dreams
12.
Computer Obsession
13.
Grammar of Action
14.
immortal genes
15.
Looking back on the past path


Richard Dawkins' Autobiography, Volume 2

1.
Reminiscences at the Dinner
2.
If you ask about the professor's work
3.
Teachings of the Jungle
4.
Lazy people go to the wasps: Evolutionary economics
5.
The story of the envoy
6.
Christmas lecture
7.
Island of the Blessed
8.
He who finds a publisher is blessed.
9.
television
10.
Discussion and meeting
11.
Professor Simoni
12.
Unraveling the thread from the scientist's loom
- Taxi theory of evolution
- Expand the phenotype
- Remote operation
- Rediscovering the Object: Passengers and Free Riders
- The aftermath of the "Extended Phenotype"
- Constraints on perfection
- Darwinian Engineers in the Classroom
- The 'Gene Book of the Dead' and the species as an 'averaging computer'
- Evolution in pixels
- Evolution of evolvability
- Kaleidoscope-like embryos
- Asromorph
-Cooperating genes
- Universal Darwinism
- Meme
- Chinese pear folding and Chinese whispering games
- Models that reflect the world
- Claims arising from personal distrust
- The created god
13.
Turn around and go back to the same place

“It has everything we expect from Dawkins.

“Intellect, insight, clarity of thought, literary flair, and the occasional provocative remark.” _Skeptical Inquirer

Dawkins reveals his childhood and intellectual growth, leading up to the creation of "The Selfish Gene," considered the greatest scientific book of the 20th century.
About his childhood in Africa, his Oxford education that sparked his intellectual awakening, the legendary mentors who shaped his scientific journey, and the fateful event that led to the creation of The Selfish Gene, a work that shook the scientific world.
When did Dawkins begin his life as a skeptic? What led him to become a biologist?


1.

An icon of heated debate and clear argument,
A great scientist who is intellectually cool but humanly very affectionate.
A vivid memoir!

Richard Dawkins, the man known for his intelligent, passionate, lucid, and impassioned debates and one of the most influential scientists in our society, has published his first memoir.
Even people who aren't interested in biology probably know the name Richard Dawkins, and even if they don't know Dawkins' name, there's probably no one who hasn't heard of The Selfish Gene.
This book, which first introduced the perspective of evolution from the genetic perspective, is still considered one of the greatest scientific books of the 20th century, and is still remembered as a "life-changing book" by numerous scholars and general readers 40 years after its publication.
Also, "The God Delusion," published in 2006, left a deep impression on many people as a masterpiece that proved the non-existence of God through scientific arguments, while also pointing out the numerous evils that the faulty logic of religion has left in world history.

He is considered the world's most famous evolutionary biologist and skeptic, and a century-old scientist who changed the culture and conversation of his time. However, surprisingly, not much is known about him beyond these two books.
How did he become a biologist? What contributions did he make to science beyond proposing the selfish gene theory? How did he become one of the world's most renowned scientists? And what kind of person was he in his personal life?

This book is Dawkins' first memoir, offering a more personal perspective.
Volume 1, "The Birth of a Scientist," contains Dawkins' own account of his childhood and intellectual growth, as well as the process leading up to the creation of "The Selfish Gene," which caused a great earthquake in the world of biology.
The book tells the story of his idyllic childhood in Africa, his intellectually awakening education at Oxford, and the legendary teachers who had a decisive influence on his scientific life.
Volume 2, "My Scientific Life," covers the latter half of his life, following the publication of "The Selfish Gene," when he became the world's most famous biologist.
It contains the story of his tireless intellectual adventures throughout his life, the famous scientists and scholars who adorned his life, his outstanding writings and the great scientific insights and commentary that permeate them, and the publication of The God Delusion, which is considered the most daring scientific book.

For readers accustomed to his provocative and controversial writing, this deeply affectionate and human autobiography may feel a little unfamiliar.
But as he said calmly, if you can't be sentimental in your autobiography, where else can you be?
Deep wit and wide erudition, poetic yet precise prose, inspiration and joy from the beauty of nature, sharp humor and wit—all are contained in these two books.
In addition, a rich color pictorial collection capturing Dawkins' life and key events, never before seen, is being released for the first time.


2.

“Why did I become a biologist?”
Dawkins' own account of his childhood and intellectual growth,
The birth of "The Selfish Gene," considered the greatest science book of the 20th century.


In "The Autobiography of Richard Dawkins: The Birth of a Scientist," Dawkins tells the story of his childhood, which he had rarely talked about before, and his time at Oxford, a time of intellectual awakening.
It vividly portrays his colorful ancestors, charming parents, and idyllic childhood in colonial Africa just after World War II.


People often ask me if my childhood experiences in Africa helped me become a biologist.
The scorpion incident isn't the only evidence that suggests the answer is no.
There was another incident that suggested the same conclusion, but it's a bit embarrassing to tell.
When I was living at Mrs. Walter's house, a pride of lions had a successful hunt nearby.
The whole neighborhood suggested that we go see it together, so we approached the site within 10 meters in a safari car.
The lions were either gnawing on their prey or lying down as if they had already had their fill.
The adults sat motionless in their seats, watching with excitement and wonder.
But according to my mother, William Walter and I were so obsessed with our toy cars that we would just lie on the floor and play, vrooming back and forth.
No matter how many times the adults tried to interest us, we were not interested in the lions at all.
Volume 1, 'The Birth of a Scientist,' page 60

Despite having a near-religious experience listening to Elvis Presley records while attending boarding school, he began his career as a skeptic by refusing to kneel during prayer time in the school chapel.
Although he received occasional stimulating education in elementary and middle school, it was not until he entered Oxford University that his intellectual curiosity truly began to develop.
In 1959, Dawkins entered Oxford and began studying zoology, experiencing some of the legendary teachers and excellent tutoring there.
Dawkins says that it was precisely this unique educational system that awakened him intellectually.
Rather than instilling textbook-style teachings in students, we encouraged them to become scholars themselves by asking rigorous questions and researching the latest materials in the library.

We didn't just delve into textbooks.
I went to the library and looked through old and new books.
I tracked the researchers' papers.
So, in the end, I became almost a world authority on the subject, to the best of my ability, in a week (which these days, most people would do online).
Thanks to weekly individual tutoring, we didn't just read about the water system of the starfish.
It was the same for any topic.
For a week I ate, slept, and dreamed with the water system of the starfish.
Behind my closed eyes, the spectacles marched, hydraulic structures called chageuks writhed, and the seawater pulsed inside my nodding brain.
Writing the report was cathartic, and the tutor's encouragement was enough reason to put in the week's effort.
And then the next week came a new topic.
A feast of new images awaits the library's collection.
We were really educated… .
Volume 1, 'The Birth of a Scientist,' p. 214

It was in 1973 that his career as a fellow and lecturer at Oxford took an unexpected turn.
A serious strike caused a power outage, forcing us to temporarily halt our computer-based research.
So he started writing a book.
It was prompted by the widespread misunderstanding of natural selection and the widespread adoption of the concept of 'group selection', and by the work of William Hamilton, Robert Trivers, and John Maynard Smith.
He jokingly called the book “my bestseller.”
Of course, that was The Selfish Gene.
The Selfish Gene caused a seismic shift in the field of biology by proposing a gene-centered perspective on evolution, and the term "meme," which it coined as a unit of cultural evolution, has survived as an important concept in our culture.
This first memoir, a personal account of Dawkins's life, offers the first glimpse into the evolutionary biologist and world-renowned atheist's childhood, intellectual development, and the journey leading up to writing what many consider the most important book of the 20th century.


3.

“How did I become the world’s most famous scientist?”
A tireless, passionate intellectual adventure and scientific insight,
About the book “The God Delusion,” which is called the scripture of “atheism.”

In "The Autobiography of Richard Dawkins 2: My Scientific Life," Richard Dawkins delves deep into his own colorful intellectual life.
It was a life that initiated new conversations about science, culture, and religion, and it was also a life that led to the writing of The God Delusion, which is considered the most daring scientific book.
Richard Dawkins, who has been called “one of the best nonfiction writers alive today” (Steven Pinker) and “a professional boxer” (Nature), reflects on a lifetime of tireless intellectual adventures and activities in this book.
Retracing his experiences of scholarly exploration and stardom after the publication of his landmark work, The Selfish Gene, he lovingly satirizes the worlds of academia, publishing, and broadcasting.
He also sprinkles in fascinating anecdotes about the remarkable people he met, including Douglas Adams, Christopher Hitchens, John Maynard Smith, Dame Miriam Rothschild, Nathan Myhrvold, Richard Leakey, Caroline Porco, and Philip Pullman.


It was when Nathan Myrvold was staying at our house.
He is the Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft and is considered one of the most creative and eccentric people in Silicon Valley.
Nathan, who majored in mathematical physics, received his PhD from Princeton and then moved to Cambridge to study under Stephen Hawking.
At the time, Hawking could barely speak, but only his close colleagues could understand him, so they acted as interpreters for the rest.
Nathan was one of those interpreters who only had the most demanding qualifications.
And, true to his promising future, he is now one of the most innovative thinkers in the cutting-edge technology world.
Anyway, so when Lalla and I happened to receive an invitation from Redmond and Belinda, we told them that we had guests staying, and as always, they were very hospitable and told us to bring our guests too.
Nathan is too polite to step up and monopolize the conversation.
Perhaps those sitting next to him at the long table asked him what he did for a living, and the conversation likely turned to the more profound realms of modern physics, including string theory.
The literary luminaries were captivated.
And, as expected, they started exchanging aphoristic jokes with the people next to them, as they always did.
But the wave of scientific curiosity that began at Nathan's table spread unabated to the other end of the table, and the evening transformed into an informal seminar on the strangeness of modern physics.
At seminars attended by such brilliant intellectuals as the guests of that day, interesting things are bound to happen.
_Volume 2, 'My Scientific Life,' page 22

Dawkins is candid about what led him to shift his focus from the laboratory to the intersection of culture, religion, and science, and he also candidly describes the figures leading the way in the integration of science and the humanities—the so-called “third culture.”

I dare hope that my books, beginning with The Selfish Gene in 1976, will be read by Stephen Hawking, Peter Atkins, Carl Sagan, Edward O.
Wilson, Steve Jones, Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Pinker, Richard Foti, Lawrence Krauss, Daniel Kahneman, Helena Cronin, Daniel Dennett, Brian Greene, two M.
Along with books by Ridley (Mark and Matt), the two Sean Carrolls (a physicist and a biologist), Victor Stenger, and others, and the buzz they generated among critics and journalists, they have contributed to changing the landscape of our culture.
While the work of science journalists who explain science to the general public is certainly admirable, that's not the kind of book I'm talking about.
What I'm talking about is a book written by a scientific expert for experts in their field and other fields, but written in a way that the general reader can also read over the shoulder of the expert.
I'd like to think that maybe I, too, played a part in opening up that kind of 'third culture.'
_Volume 2, 'My Scientific Life,' page 23

After the publication of The God Delusion, his tenth book and what Matt Ridley called “a thunderous trumpet call to truth,” Dawkins went from intellectual star to thinker of almost celebrity status, becoming known as one of the “Four Horsemen” of atheism, along with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett.
In "The Autobiography of Richard Dawkins 2: My Scientific Life," readers will not only discover new stories about the publication and content of "The God Delusion," but also enjoy a glimpse into Dawkins' thoughts on the heated debate surrounding the book.


The God Delusion contains much more than just the central argument of statistical impossibility.
There are also sections on the evolutionary origins of religion, the sources of morality, the literary value of religious scriptures, and religious child abuse.
While some people sometimes find this book dry and harsh criticism, I would rather find it humorous and humane.
Some humor is sarcastic, bordering on mockery, and it is true that the targets of such humor often have difficulty distinguishing between gentle mockery and hate speech.
One lesson I learned from Peter Medawar is that well-targeted satire is different from vulgar insults.
However, critics with religious motives often fail to discern the difference.
Someone even told me I might have Tourette's Syndrome, but I find it hard to believe he actually read the book.
Perhaps he simply fell in love with my expressions! _Volume 2, "My Scientific Life," p. 564

And that's not all.
You can also explore the origins of the brilliant and influential books that naturally emerged from Dawkins' busy life, and the key scientific concepts that connect them.
Dawkins's works, including "The Extended Phenotype," "The Blind Watchmaker," "The Greatest Show on Earth," and "The Thrilling Magic of Reality," richly reveal the beauty and wonder of nature, his brilliant scientific explorations, and his genuine thoughts on humanity and life.


4.

A lifelong journey to uncover the wonders and greatness of science,
A wonderful memoir of a wonderful man in love with science!
On the meaning and value of Richard Dawkins' autobiography in our time.

“If there is anyone in modern science who deserves to be proud of his contributions,
If there's anyone who deserves even a little bit of a sense of triumph, it's Richard Dawkins."

The New York Times published a review of the book, praising Dawkins' influence on modern science.
So what is the meaning and value of a scientist's two-volume autobiography?
For readers accustomed to the polemical and provocative style of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion, this other side of Dawkins, this one that is deeply affectionate and human, will be a surprise and a delight.
Dawkins' vivid writing, which never loses its humor, is also excellent from a literary standpoint.
Moreover, we can finally understand from the words of one scientist that science, when nurtured by goodwill and kindness, can achieve the greatest achievements in the world.

The meaning of this book can also be found in the 'Translator's Note', which states that although he has become an old man with white hair, he somehow feels like he is forever young in his heart.

“Dawkins has now become something of an icon.
An icon symbolizing the gene-centric view of evolution, an icon symbolizing popular science literature of our time, an icon symbolizing skepticism and atheism.
The fate of any icon is to be subjected to both a disproportionate amount of unwelcome worship and a somewhat unfair amount of criticism.
It can have an impact on areas you didn't intend, and many misunderstandings and mistakes are permanently embedded.
“It is fortunate for him, and satisfying for us, that this autobiography, which tells the story from his perspective, was published before it was too late, as Dawkins will undoubtedly remain an icon for many years to come.”

The final chapter of the book concludes by returning to the first chapter.
At his seventieth birthday party at New College, Dawkins recited a short poem before a hundred or so fellow academics, novelists, broadcasters, musicians, and publishers, recalling a series of flashing scenes.
My childhood spent among the large butterflies fluttering lazily in colonial Africa, my boarding school in the pine-scented depths of Mount Bumba in Zimbabwe, my college days dreaming of girls among the spires of Oxford, the time when my interest in science and the profound philosophical questions that only science could answer was burgeoning, the time when I published my first book, The Selfish Gene…
Recalling that moment, the lines of the poem parodying the Psalms, Shakespeare, and Keats were the crystallization of the pure and noble scientific view of a great scholar who influenced the times, and the passionate and wit-filled outlook on life.

Beyond the bow of the Grim Reaper I
I will fire a warning shot.
I am
Let the judge of life declare me out,
I won't let you declare 'legbefore' or 'court and ball'.
At least when I'm really old
Until the day we reach that destination (as far as we know, no traveler
(to that destination from which there is no return).
That clean hotel (not Marriott level though)
To the place heralded by the winged chariot of time.

There is still time for me to tame the dark night.
There is time to brighten the world.
There is time to unleash another new rainbow,
Before entering into eternal rest.



If there's anyone in modern science who deserves to be proud of his contributions, even to feel a slight sense of triumph, it's Richard Dawkins.
- The New York Times