The Blind Watchmaker: Why The Evidence Of Evolution Reveals A Universe Without Design

The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design (1986) by British science writer and zoologist Richard Dawkins presents the theory of evolution while arguing for its acceptance by the general public. It may be considered a polemical text in that Dawkins argues that Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection is the only evidence-based explanation of humanity’s origins. While a bestseller and widely praised for its persuasive writing and in-depth research, it has been critiqued for not offering explanations of human consciousness. Dawkins is a widely respected author and scientist; he coined the term “meme” in his 1976 work, The Selfish Gene.

Its themes include scientific discovery, overcoming human cognitive limitations, and the peculiar social stigma against evolution. The title is a response to an 1802 hypothesis held by Theologian William Paley that the complexity of nature suggests an intelligent creator behind it. Paley likens this creator to a watchmaker. Dawkins expands Paley’s analogy and says that with evolution and natural selection, the watchmaker is blind, yet still capable of making complex objects; he writes that the “watchmaker” has no plan for the future or the present.

Dawkins argues that common misperceptions of evolution lead to many social problems, including a devaluation of nature and skepticism toward the efficacy of vaccines. It thus is urgent for society to confront its skepticism of evolution and to understand the evidence thoroughly before making light of it or claiming all the research is bogus. Many people believe they understand Darwin’s theories, Dawkins contends; but they rarely grasp the full implications.



Dawkins looks into public misconceptions of how evolution operates. He highlights that it is an intensely random process. That it gives rise to complex organisms seems counterintuitive, but it becomes more reasonable when one considers this process takes millions and millions of years. With one example, Dawkins looks into how airplanes are built. He admits that it’s extremely unlikely for a plane to be put together by chance when the opportunities are few in number, but when the opportunities for chance to act increases, then the rise of complex organisms isn’t all that surprising. This process is known as gradualism. One can see its work in how the human eye has developed, as well as the echolocation abilities of bats.

On the surface, evolution goes against many religious teachings, especially Christianity, which argue for a supreme, all-knowing being who designed the universe. The implications of evolution—the universe was randomly created—are much harder to accept when coming from such a religion. The author, however, does not see an acceptance of Darwinism to be totally at odds with religious belief; if anything, it may deepen our appreciation for the mystery behind our existence.

Many people also don’t understand just how long it takes for the effects of evolution to appear in any living organism, particularly humans (fruit flies are the exception; with such a short lifespan and rapid development, one can see the effects of evolution with fruit flies in a matter of days). Humans are wired to conceive of time in small increments like months or years. Evolution requires thousands or millions of years to occur. Human common sense alone cannot uncover these effects; more often, one has to rely on empirical methods of testing, such as DNA testing. Dawkins describes in depth his own computer reenactments of DNA replication that provide further evidence for the theory of evolution. With evolution, the complexity of life may be explained by the millions of micro changes over the course of millions of years.



Humans, being rational creatures, often project an intelligent design on random phenomenon; it’s against our natural thought processes to accept random events. But Dawkins goes into depth on how certain species achieved their most prominent features. This includes the peacock tail, which developed to its current form after those males with it were able to attract more female peacocks.

To break down the operation of evolution for his readers, Dawkins presents in-depth computer calculations and discusses the concept of chance. Many people disregard evolution because they consider it to simply be a theory of chance. Actually, Dawkins argues, the “chance” is led by “survival of the fittest,” the concept that those physical traits that enable an organism to thrive in its environment will be passed on to its offspring, while organisms lacking those advantageous traits will not continue into the future.

Unlike most evolution professors, Dawkins is opposed to punctuated equilibrium theory, the idea that species don’t evolve for large swaths of time and then suddenly do. In contrast, Dawkins proposes that evolution happens constantly in small, imperceptible ways.



Concluding his book, Dawkins looks at the nuanced debate within the field of evolution. This includes work by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who proposed that organisms could pass on certain acquired traits to their offspring that they obtained during their lifetime; collectively, these theories are known as Lamarckism. Dawkins also considers creationist theories of life but concludes that none are as comprehensive as the theory of evolution.