Everything about The Blind Watchmaker totally explained
The Blind Watchmaker is a 1986 book by
Richard Dawkins in which he presents an explanation of, and argument for, the theory of
evolution by means of
natural selection. He also presents arguments to refute certain criticisms made on his previous book
The Selfish Gene. (Both books are intended to popularise the
gene-centric view of evolution.)
In his choice of the title for this book, Dawkins makes reference to the
watchmaker analogy made famous by
William Paley in his book
Natural Theology. Paley, arguing more than fifty years before
Charles Darwin published
The Origin of Species, held that the complexity of living organisms was evidence of the existence of a
divine creator by drawing a parallel with the way in which the existence of a watch compels belief in an intelligent watchmaker. Dawkins, in contrasting the differences between human design and its potential for planning with the workings of natural selection, therefore dubbed evolutionary processes as analogous to a blind watchmaker.
In developing his argument that natural selection can explain the complex adaptations of organisms, Dawkins' first concern is to illustrate the difference between the potential for the development of complexity of pure randomness as opposed to that of randomness coupled with cumulative selection. He demonstrates this by the example of the
Weasel program. Dawkins then describes his experiences with a more sophisticated
computer model of artificial selection implemented in a program also called
The Blind Watchmaker, which was sold separately as a teaching aid.
In an appendix to a later edition of the book (1996), Dawkins explains how his experiences with computer models led him to a greater appreciation of the role of
embryological constraints on natural selection. In particular, he recognised that certain patterns of embryological development could lead to the success of a related
group of species in filling varied
ecological niches, though he continued to maintain that this shouldn't be confused with the ideas associated with group selection. He dubbed this insight
the evolution of evolvability.
After arguing that evolution is capable of explaining the origin of complexity, near the end of the book Dawkins uses this to argue against the existence of
God: "a deity capable of engineering all the organised complexity in the world, either instantaneously or by guiding evolution, . . . must already have been vastly complex in the first place . . ." He calls this "postulating organised complexity without offering an explanation."
In its preface, Dawkins states that he wrote the book "to persuade the reader, not just that the Darwinian world-view
happens to be true, but that it's the only known theory that
could, in principle, solve the mystery of our existence."
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Blind Watchmaker'.
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