
The Magic of Reality
How We Know What's Really True
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Narrated by:
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Richard Dawkins
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Lalla Ward
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By:
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Richard Dawkins
About this listen
Richard Dawkins, the world’s most famous evolutionary biologist, presents a gorgeously lucid, science book examining some of the nature’s most fundamental questions both from a mythical and scientific perspective.
Science is our most precise and powerful tool for making sense of the world. Before we developed the scientific method, we created rich mythologies to explain the unknown. The pressing questions that primitive men and women asked are the same ones we ask as children. Who was the first person? What is the sun? Why is there night and day? The myths that address these questions are beautiful, but in every case their beauty is exceeded by the scientific truth.
With characteristic clarity and verve, Dawkins answers these big questions. Looking first at some of the myths that arose to answer the question, he then, dazzles us with the facts. He looks at the building blocks of matter, the first humans, the sun - explaining the life and death of stars; why there’s a night and a day - ranging from our solar system to the inner workings of our planet; what a rainbow really is—going from the rainbow in your backyard to the age of the universe; and finally, he poses a question that still baffles scientists: When did everything begin?
©2011 Richard Dawkins, Ltd. (P)2011 Simon & Schuster, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Part 1 of Godless, "Rejecting God", tells the story of how I moved from devout preacher to atheist and beyond. Part 2, "Why I Am an Atheist", presents my philosophical reasons for unbelief. Part 3, "What's Wrong with Christianity", critiques the bible (its reliability as well as its morality) and the historical evidence for Jesus. Part 4, "Life Is Good!", comes back to my personal story, taking a case to the United States Supreme Court, dealing with personal trauma, and experiencing the excitement of Adventures in Atheism.
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
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Overall
-
Performance
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Story
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Overall
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Performance
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Overall
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Performance
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Critic reviews
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Please do an unabridged version!
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-
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- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
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Overall
-
Performance
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Story
Part 1 of Godless, "Rejecting God", tells the story of how I moved from devout preacher to atheist and beyond. Part 2, "Why I Am an Atheist", presents my philosophical reasons for unbelief. Part 3, "What's Wrong with Christianity", critiques the bible (its reliability as well as its morality) and the historical evidence for Jesus. Part 4, "Life Is Good!", comes back to my personal story, taking a case to the United States Supreme Court, dealing with personal trauma, and experiencing the excitement of Adventures in Atheism.
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good writing, irritating narration
- By Amazon Customer on 03-23-16
By: Dan Barker, and others
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The Four Horsemen
- The Conversation That Sparked an Atheist Revolution
- By: Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and others
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Daniel C. Dennett, Sam Harris, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2007, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett filmed a landmark discussion about modern atheism. The video went viral. Now, the transcript of their conversation is illuminated by new essays from three of the original participants and an introduction by Stephen Fry.
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Short
- By Cole Brandon Eckhardt on 03-22-19
By: Christopher Hitchens, and others
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Books Do Furnish a Life
- An Electrifying Celebration of Science Writing
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Books Do Furnish a Life is divided by theme, including celebrating nature, exploring humanity, and interrogating faith. For the first time, it brings together Richard Dawkins's forewords, afterwords and introductions to the work of some of the leading thinkers of our age - Carl Sagan, Lawrence Krauss, Jacob Bronowski, Lewis Wolpert - with a selection of his reviews to provide an electrifying celebration of science writing, both fiction and non-fiction. It is also a sparkling addition to Dawkins's own remarkable canon of work.
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Loved it!
- By Rebekah on 11-03-23
By: Richard Dawkins
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Flights of Fancy
- Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The wonder of flight. The science of evolution. From both, Richard Dawkins weaves a fascinating account of how nature and humans have learned to overcome the pull of gravity and take to the skies. Have you ever dreamt you could fly? Or imagined what it would be like to glide and swoop through the sky like a bird? Do you let your mind soar to unknown, magical spaces?
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Thank God for Richard Dawkins!
- By aaron on 12-19-21
By: Richard Dawkins
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All That's Wrong with the Bible
- Contradictions, Absurdities, and More
- By: Jonah David Conner
- Narrated by: James R. Cheatham
- Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Written by a linguist, ex-fundamentalist graduate of Liberty University, this book goes straight to the evidence and presents a concise case-by-case analysis of the most salient problems in the Christian Scriptures. With insightful commentary concerning frequent rebuttals used by apologists, it makes a solid case against evangelical claims to inerrancy.
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Connor is Not Great
- By Tahoe on 03-28-24
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God
- The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction
- By: Dan Barker
- Narrated by: Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins, Buzz Kemper
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Originally conceived as a joint presentation between influential thinker and best-selling author Richard Dawkins and former evangelical preacher Dan Barker, this unique book provides an investigation into what may be the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Barker combs through both the Old and New Testaments (as well as 13 different editions of the "Good Book"), presenting powerful evidence for why Scripture shouldn't govern our everyday lives.
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good, but not recommended for bible-aware atheists
- By Jared on 10-15-16
By: Dan Barker
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Letter to a Christian Nation
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Jordan Bridges
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next 50 years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this...should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
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the examined life
- By Stanley on 12-20-06
By: Sam Harris
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Mortality
- By: Christopher Hitchens
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Throughout the course of his ordeal battling esophageal cancer, Christopher Hitchens adamantly and bravely refused the solace of religion, preferring to confront death with both eyes open. In this riveting account of his affliction, Hitchens poignantly describes the torments of illness, discusses its taboos, and explores how disease transforms experience and changes our relationship to the world around us. By turns personal and philosophical, Hitchens embraces the full panoply of human emotions as cancer invades his body and compels him to grapple with the enigma of death.
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Death IS the DARK backing
- By Darwin8u on 09-05-12
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Why Evolution Is True
- By: Jerry A. Coyne
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Why evolution is more than just a theory: it is a fact. In all the current highly publicized debates about creationism and its descendant "intelligent design", there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned: the evidence, the empirical truth of evolution by natural selection.
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As great as everyone says it is
- By Joseph on 12-01-10
By: Jerry A. Coyne
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An Appetite for Wonder
- The Making of a Scientist
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In his first memoir, Richard Dawkins shares a rare view into his early life, his intellectual awakening at Oxford, and his path to writing The Selfish Gene. This is an intimate memoir of the childhood and intellectual development of the evolutionary biologist and world-famous atheist and how he came to write what is widely held to be one of the most important books of the 20th century.
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The Memoir of a Genius
- By Wurm on 09-25-13
By: Richard Dawkins
What listeners say about The Magic of Reality
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- Justin
- 07-25-12
Brilliant Bully
What did you love best about The Magic of Reality?
Dawkins does a wonderful job walking the reader through the basics of science. Even if you're familiar with all the concepts it's still fun to review.
Any additional comments?
However, Dawkins seems to have a need to bully any religious faith. That position subtracted from the enjoyment of the book.
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- Heather
- 08-01-15
Very good overview
Although I found some segments oversimplified, this book provides very good explanations for those with a poor understanding of scientific concepts. unfortunately I'm not sure it will reach those who would benefit most. I did enjoy the comparisons of myth to science-based facts, very much, however a religious person would probably be infuriated by them, even though the science is explained in ways much better than I could convey to someone who doesn't understand something like evolution. I also enjoyed the dual narrators. The change in voices helps to hold attention especially while performing other tasks during which your mind might wander.
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- D. Jones
- 09-03-12
Excellent!
What made the experience of listening to The Magic of Reality the most enjoyable?
All of it was excellent!
What did you like best about this story?
The information was excellent for a general review! Would be a great listen for those looking for a quick explanation!
What does Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Liked the accents.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
None
Any additional comments?
None
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- John
- 12-04-16
Dawkins is too cool for school
This should be studied in high school.
Perfect introduction to what is meant by, evolution theory
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- mrcornet
- 10-19-17
Well done basic introduction to science
This would be a good book for preteens. Easy to understand not to technical maybe a little too elementary for adults.
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- Anne
- 03-08-12
Wonderful
I have read three of Richard Dawkins' books, so I know what to expect and those expectations are high. This book is written for young people, clearly. But I enjoyed it very much. He doesn't talk down to them, nor does he "preach." The book simply addresses many of humankind's myths that have developed over humanity's history to explain what was at one time unexplainable. Then he explains the facts as well as how and why we know what we know about those facts.
I think the book will fascinate young people who have a decent level of curiosity about science. I think it may also speak to the adult layperson if for no other reason than that it will not only tell delightful myths from across time and across the Earth, but it places them in the context of what we know now.
Dawkins and Lalla Ward did the same excellent job with narration that they did with "The Greatest Show on Earth", his adult book about the evolution of species.
Recommend.
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- Jarrett P Thomas
- 11-29-12
The Best Book of Real Magic I have seen
Would you listen to The Magic of Reality again? Why?
I have listed to it twice. The topics covered are so widespread over the body of scientific knowledge that they would peek the interest of anyone that I know. Even if a person has little or no interest in any field of science, the principles and ideas in this book are worth it just for the sense of wonder you get when you see reality again.
What about Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward ’s performance did you like?
Both Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward read well throughout the book and maintain both a very calming yet interested tone. You can at times almost feel when they are about to deliver a good point. I do like the idea of having them both read as it provides variety.
Any additional comments?
This is really a book of wonder and magic. Its finest quality comes from the idea that it does not present the magic of things you cannot see or understand, but it is the magic of things that you can see and experience. This book opens the world and I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially to all children and parents.
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- Michael
- 04-23-14
A magical experience
Richard Dawkins creates a sense of awe and wonder of the universe that we live in, while dispelling the many myths and fairytales that have crept up over the history of humanity. The true story is far more exciting than the false myths that are perpetuated throughout societies.
The narration is outstanding and is among the most professional that I have heard. Richard and Lalla are an excellent team and a true joy to listen to.
This book covers a range of subjects such as evolution, what a rainbow is, how we know the distance to different stars and more. Several myths are examined as well, but there is no actual "magic" here. Rather, Dawkins masterfully shows how everything has a natural and rational explanation behind it.
I absolutely enjoyed this audiobook and recommend it listeners of all ages.
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- Vrad
- 04-20-12
Appreciate the World Around You
What did you love best about The Magic of Reality?
This captures a lot of what I have always felt. People see magic behind the beauty and intricacy of everything around us. I just see the beauty of science as it helps us appreciate the existence of the universe and everything within it. Putting magic behind it can't possibly give people the same sense of appreciation as when you force the brain to think and have it come to strunning realizations. It's like living inside the matrix, which is just a smoke screen. But unlike the matrix, the world outside is much more amazing than inside. Come join me outside of the matrix :)
What did you like best about this story?
This is a book that adults and even early teenagers can really get into. It gives a great biology background and also delves into other sciences (although Dawkins discloses that biology is his real expertise). Instead of magical, you realize that the existence of the universe and everything within it is amazing and consistent with known sciences (without a need to resort to magic or pseudo-sciences).
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- Mary Anne Clark
- 03-21-12
Maybe OK as a children's book.
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
No. There is nothing new in this book, it is very basic and simplistic. It is clearly intended for children, although I'm not sure how the patronizing narration would go over even by children. Maybe especially by children.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Didn't finish it.
What aspect of Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward ???s performance would you have changed?
A more adult style, even if the book is intended for children.
Do you think The Magic of Reality needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Perhaps a version for adults. I like the concept, but the material was just too simplistic.
Any additional comments?
I'm a great fan of Richard Dawkins. I think he's done some great stuff over the years. But this one is a miss.
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