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The God Delusion
- Narrated by: Lalla Ward, Richard Dawkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Abridged Audiobook
- Categories: Religion & Spirituality, Atheism
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Summary
Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Book of the Year, 2007.
Longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, 2007.
Richard Dawkins was recently voted one of the world's top three intellectuals (alongside Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky) by Prospect magazine. As the author of many classic works on science and philosophy, he has always asserted the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm it has inflicted on society. He now focuses his fierce intellect exclusively on this subject, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes.
While Europe is becoming increasingly secularized, the rise of religious fundamentalism, whether in the Middle East or Middle America, is dramatically and dangerously dividing opinion around the world. In America and elsewhere, a vigorous dispute between "intelligent design" and Darwinism is seriously undermining and restricting the teaching of science. In many countries religious dogma from medieval times still serves to abuse basic human rights, such as those of women and gay people � and all from a belief in a God whose existence lacks evidence of any kind.
Dawkins attacks God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed, cruel tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign, but still illogical, Celestial Watchmaker favoured by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the ultimate improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry and abuses children. In The God Delusion, Dawkins presents a hard-hitting, impassioned rebuttal of religion of all types and does so in the lucid, witty and powerful language for which he is renowned. It is a brilliantly argued, fascinating polemic that will be required listening for anyone interested in this most emotional and important subject.
This is an abridged edition.
Critic reviews
"Everyone should read it. Aethists will love Mr Dawkins's incisive logic and rapier wit...." ( The Economist)
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What listeners say about The God Delusion
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Robert
- 18-08-11
Why bring out the abridged version first!!
Oh dear! Now dont get me wrong I really liked this book have listened to it multiple times, but am sad to see that the full audio book is now available on audible over one year after I purchased the original abridged book. If I had known this I would have waited for the full version which is 3 hours longer. I will now have to re-purchase the book to listen to the extra 3 hours missing. :-( feel as though I've wasted an audible credit.
4 people found this helpful
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- Neil
- 23-12-09
Enjoy your life as the fantastic person you are !!
What a scholarly work this is !! What a joy to hear Richard's dulcet tones soothe away the unbridled fear and angst that goes with worrying about whether Mr. God is angry at your feelings or thoughts. How wonderful to listen to a gentle voice of reason explain that, as a human being you are entirely responsible for your own actions, and that there is no pretend person judging your every thought, waiting to pounce and brutally punish you endlessly for all eternity, should you transgress outdated Bronze Age laws or taboos. Worry no more about whether you are worshipping in the "one true, God approved" flavour of your chosen or inherited faith. Richard gives you the tools to realise that every human is so much more than a pawn in a pointless game of supernatural chess.
All people interested in religion whether believers, agnostic or athiest should listen to this book and honestly, openly ask themselves some very pertinent, searching questions !!
A fantastic achievement that transforms the whole idea of religion into an easy to digest laxative, so that you may flush all of it out from your system (and without the need for self flagellation)!!.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- E. J. Lizier
- 26-07-07
Listen to Dawkins to be REALLY reborn
This is a great book, worthy of all the praise it gets.
The audio book's not available in Italy, where I live and I had to buy a hard copy in Britain. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Running scared, are they? So they should be.
As Dawkins so rightly points out, so many religious people haven't even read their own religion's 'sacred' texts and don't even understand their religion in the slightest and, indeed, have never questioned it, but merely follow theocratic dogma blindly.
I urge everyone to read, or listen to, this book. It will, at the very least, make religious people examine themselves and their religion and will help atheists and would-be atheists understand just how very dangerous religion, and especially blind faith, really are and how all our lives are affected negatively by religion and ?faith-heads? on a daily basis.
I congratulate and thank Richard Dawkins.
16 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Robert
- 25-06-07
good for dawkins
its an excellent book, i only wish more people would read it, maybe the world would be a better place. he has one of those very listenable voices too. I hope they put the rest of his work onto audio books.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Kindle Customer
- 26-04-09
Great read
I loved this book, everyone can see where religion is taking us, and it's not a good place, this book helps sort out where we should be going with science rather than dogma. I read one review put on this site and just felt I had to answer, if the reviewer had actually read and digested this book then the reviewer would not be quite as blinded as they are. In a nutshell, if you want to definately win an argument against a religious fanatic, then this is the book for you, of course the fanatic won't let you win as they tend not to listen, but hey, you tried.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 07-04-11
Terrible dross
One of the laziest treatments of theism around, it shows a crass disregard for scholarship of any kind. To give a specific example, where I have some expertise, his section on Pascal's Wager is the worst I have seen in six years of doctoral study (and I've read over 150 different essays on it). Simply type 'Pascal's Wager' into Google and you will see much better treatments by atheists like Alan Hajek, or agnostics like Grahaam Oppy. Dawkins did not perform even the most perfunctory research (such as actually reading the text of Pascal's Wager), but trades upon his false reputation as an Oxford academic.
It is a book of claptrap, so full of errors as to be a positive embarrassment to serious scholars on both sides of the religious divide. It is popular, because it appeals directly to the redneck atheist who buys into the thesis without any desire to actually check any of the details. It is merely an example of the fundamentalism that it affects to decry.
If you must buy it, then make sure to read 'The Devil's Delusion' by David Berlinski (a secular Jew) as a counter-balance.
3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 02-05-21
Interesting
Would have been interesting to hear more detail on the opposing arguments for the more rational reasons behind religion.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-03-20
Enlightening
Asks so many great questions, and posits many possible answer. The paperback book, and this Audible presentation is perfect for those of us who started life as a child of Christian parents (other religions are available) but through years of continued education and re-evaluation of life, have come to the conclusion that the early year’s teachings, although quaint in places and scary in others, are not the path we wish to follow.
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- david
- 03-01-19
The good decision
all good stuff just a little easy to fall asleep listening to it...
forty two
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- George Swift
- 23-09-16
Dawkins being Dawkins.
If you love Dawkins you'll love this. The same wonderful logic and unashamedly put together science, thoughts, insights and perspective.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-08-18
Terrible!
Even though I agree with the theory, the manner in which it was written and narrated is terrible. Sarcasm does not make the evidence or facts ‘more’ correct. Unintentionally it actually makes one wonder why, if it is based on facts, the author need to be so intensely sarcastic and loathing of opposite views. Surely as scientists keeps in mind the opposite views in order to proof and validate their own theories by keeping it in sight and respectfully disagree.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 27-02-12
awesome, i listened to it 3 times in a row!
What did you love best about The God Delusion?
I loved the arguments, the thoroughness with which Richard Dawkins approaches the religion and 'god' debate and the language that draws you in. I also loved the readers both Richard and Lalla, they showed excellent inflection and are very engaging in their reading.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
bible references are really creepy, the argument for 'being good because of god', arguments for/against god and religion, the issue of children's brainwashing.. everything was great really
What does Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
their emotions and passion for the subject, I have more of Richard Dawkins books but this is the first one i listened to, i'm now hooked. am buying more audio books read by him. He's a real presenter, it's a pleasure listening to Richard and Lalla.
If you could give The God Delusion a new subtitle, what would it be?
What you must consider if you want to talk or think about religion and god.
Any additional comments?
brilliant
1 person found this helpful
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Overall

- Ross
- 24-07-11
Perhaps the quintessential book on atheism
This book is fantastic, and outlines some of the most interesting points of the debate on theism. Dawkins has written a brilliant book, and he and Lalla Ward have read it here really well. I was drawn in at every turn, and I'd gladly listen to this more than once.
When I first downloaded this version, I didn't realise it was abridged, so I'm not sure how much of the unabridged version we're missing here. Nevertheless as it stands here, this book is a really great listen, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone.
1 person found this helpful