River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (Science Masters)

Dawkins re-initiated the debate over evolution's mechanics with The Selfish Gene. For his lucid explanation of the gene as the foundation for life's workings, he was dubbed The Great Reductionist by those uncomfortable with the concept that genes tend to override the treasured idea of "free will" overriding Nature. With River Out of Eden, Dawkins proves his ability by presenting an even more comprehensible account of how DNA is the foundation for life's mechanics.

He begins with the idea that all life had ancestors - all of which succeeded in producing offspring. Their success at reproducing overshadows the fact that most life forms ultimately went extinct over the vast span of Earth's time. Extinction is due to failure to produce offspring that survived to further reproduce new generations. The reasons for this failure are uncountable and obscure, but the issue remains success or failure. Tracing the ancestral line allows us to envision rivers of life. The rivers aren't composed of water, but of DNA. DNA over time, acts as a "digital river" with sections turning on or off in the process of making proteins. And proteins are the bricks that build organisms and all their parts.

From an almost purely descriptive beginning, Dawkins moves on to demonstrate how many of those "parts" could evolve over the many millennia available to them. Among the favourite organs used to oppose natural selection is "the eye". How could such a complex part of life work half complete? Well, for starters, better than 49% complete. A statement that can be applied to all the body parts in various organisms when viewed over the long stretch of years available to change gradually. Wings, finding mates, locating food sources, all the "complex functions" we see in today's life came from earlier, simpler beginnings. Dawkins' chapter "God's Utility Function" is a must read and understand for anyone wishing to comprehend how many of these features came into existence. They didn't all arrive in a finished state.

Dawkins is adept at illustrating his points. Among his more clever tricks is the portrayal of a sentence reading clearly even with different typefaces for each word. You can still read and understand the meaning. But the appearance differs in each case. He also gives an excellent account of how genes govern energy expenditure for various types of creatures. Each has its own variant, but an "audit" of how the genes benefit from the arrangement reveals why it's a successful strategy.

The key to all these patterns is the idea that somehow, somewhen, a molecule that later became DNA learned to replicate. He posits Graham Cairns Smith's suggestion that DNA, or more likely its precursor, RNA, learned the trick from clay crystals. This remains the most likely explanation for life's origins, but requires the reader to recognize that the replicating molecule preceded any discernible organism. Cairns Smith's concept removes forever the idea that life's driving force occurred by chance. It was a relatively simple chemical and physical process. It may not appear elegant, but the mechanism has the elegance of plausibility.

This whole book carries the argument against "creation by design" into the camp of Darwin's enemies. Dawkins lists the contentions of the "creationists", then adroitly unravels them through pure logic and good science. Those who feel daunted by arcane biological treatises on life need only take up this excellent summation of why Darwin was right. Those who quail at the idea DNA drives our existence can take heart. It's all part of what's required in achieving a better idea of who we are. A major step in that understanding is in this book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada\


The Best   April 12, 2003
S. J. Howard (Newcastle, UK)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful

This was an exceptionally interesting book, and extremely well written considering that Dawkins is, of course, a scientist first and foremost. The book goes into enough detail to satisfy the knowledgable reader without aleinating those who are not necessarily familiar with all of the subject matter. It provides lots of food for thought, and presents ideas in an entertaining way. It spells out scientific ideas so simply that you are guided into drawing the conclusion yourself.

One of the best books on Evolution I have come across.


A brilliant and beautiful account of natural selection   December 5, 1998
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Richard Dawkins is a master at explaining the principles of evolution in a way that is accessible to readers, whether they are experts in the field or novices. His books are thought-provoking to readers of all backgrounds. River out of Eden continues the tradition he has set in his previous books. It is hugely enjoyable, full of ideas, metaphors and beautifully written English. The narrative builds in excitement and I could not put it down when I first read it, and now still dip in to marvel at the ideas. Richard Dawkins' view of gene-driven natural selection is not pessimistic but hugely enlightening and this book explains and develops the concept in a way that shows the excitement of modern biology. As a Biology teacher, I recommend this book to all my students (including non-biologists) as a thought-provoking way of looking at the wonder of theoretical life sciences. The world is seen through different eyes as a believer in Darwinism.


Excellent Audio Book   December 13, 2000
T. J. Stephenson (Hull)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful

I would strongly recommend this audio book to anyone wanting to learn more about Darwinian Natural Selection. Fascinating and informative. Easy for the layman to understand.


Great read, if not as comprehensive as his previous books   July 6, 1999
34 out of 36 found this review helpful

Dawkins again uses metaphors to try to explain and demystify the complexities of evolution. Once again he sheds more light on how evolution works, how long it takes and why his sceptics are wrong. This is perhaps one of the books best features; unlike his critics who so often simply deride him without trying to argue against the points he makes, Dawkins takes critisms made against his work and systematically disproves them. And therein lies his appeal, Dawkins has no blind faith, or fear of the unknown. He approachs the complexities of life as we find it from a rational view point and gradually applies the knowledge available to him from the biologists of the past two centuries to try and understand the underlying principles behind life. Another great book from Dawkins, but the Selfish Gene remains a more complete analysis of evolution.