Darwin's dangerous idea
evolution and the meanings of life
by Daniel C. Dennett · first published 1995
53% recommend43% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Readable, broad account of evolution as variation and selection, and of what a blind mechanistic process implies for minds and design. Suits curious general readers and those wrestling with naturalism, though dense.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In this groundbreaking and very accessible book, Daniel C. Dennett, the acclaimed author of Consciousness Explained, demonstrates the power of the theory of natural selection and shows how Darwin's great idea transforms and illuminates our traditional view of our place in the universe. Following Darwinian thinking to its logical conclusions is a risky business, with pitfalls for everybody. Creationists and others who reject evolution are not the only ones to fall into the traps. Many who accept the validity of Darwin's conclusions hesitate before their implications and distort his theory, fea
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
Real Happy Pill
Anders Hansen
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2021–2024Opening the heart of compassion
Martin Lowenthal
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2008–2024Misquoting Jesus
Bart D. Ehrman
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 84 recommend · 8 mention4 recommend · 84 recommend
2008–2024Breaking the spell
Daniel C. Dennett
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 117 recommend · 11 mention7 recommend · 117 recommend
Kingdom of God Is Within You
graf Tolstoy
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1811 recommend · 18 mention11 recommend · 1811 recommend
2012–2026Letter to a Christian Nation
Sam Harris
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 74 recommend · 7 mention4 recommend · 74 recommend
2010–2021How to live on 24 hours a day
Arnold Bennett
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 129 recommend · 12 mention9 recommend · 129 recommend
2013–2025The first and last freedom
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 43 recommend · 4 mention3 recommend · 43 recommend
…works, and why it is completely blind, is not something for the size constraints of a HN comment. I'd recommend books like Dawkin's "The Blind Watchmaker" or "Climbing Mount Improbable", or Dennett's "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" for good, readable descriptions.
on “On anthropomorphism in science (1985)” ↗+1 for Pinker, though I'd pick The Language Instinct first, by a nose. +1 for Dawkins. Also: Daniel Dennett, Darwin's Dangerous Idea.
on “Ask HN: Books That Gratify One's Intellectual Curiosity?” ↗Darwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett, one of the two most important (IMHO, of course) books I've read (Thinking, Fast and Slow is the other, already recommended, below. Dennett is a practical philosopher of science; the…
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗…not something skimmable), but still readable on an e-reader such as Kindle (so equations should be very scarce, and the book should be available in a reflowable format such as EPUB). Some examples: * Darwin‘s Dangerous Idea (and other books by Dennett) * Thinking, Fast and Slow * Norton’s Introduction to Philosophy * Lesswrong’s sequences and The Codex (generally, most equation-less Lesswrong posts fit the bill) * Most Programming…
on “Ask HN: Technical-ish books that are readable on Kindle?” ↗Good article. If you want more, rather than reading Darwin, I suggest Dennett's Darwin's Dangerous Idea, which gives a broader, more modern view of the importance of evolution. Especially of "variation and selection", the core ideas of Darwin, and without a lot of frequently irrelevant, for the general…
on “Rereading Darwin” ↗Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. Should be read by all who wonder how our minds work - and how much happens "behind the scenes", "under the covers". Darwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett. Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution (hint: think about what came before life). The Mating Mind, by Geoffrey Miller. Must-read for…
on “Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?” ↗Dennett talks about this sort of thing in broad outline in Darwin's Dangerous Idea, which is aimed at the layperson (though fairly dense and demanding). I'm not sure if it's mathematically detailed enough for what you seek, but it might be worth a look.
on “Mysterious DNA sequences, known as ‘Borgs,’ recovered from California mud” ↗…actually wrestles with the philosophical implications of the scientific revolution, rather than rejecting scientific naturalism basically because it doesn't "feel right". From Dennett's work I recommend Darwin's Dangerous Idea, especially the discussion of "cranes" and "skyhooks". Dennett says that, according to evolutionary theory, the complex structure of the world is built from the bottom up by a sequence of cranes (upon…
on “Thomas Nagel: Thoughts Are Real (2013)” ↗…and I have read many of them, but in retrospect these 3 titles have had the greatest effect on me: The End of Faith by Sam Harris: Crystallized a lot of things I have been thinking about over the years. Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett: Really delved deep into what evolution is and the way it affects how everything in the world works. Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life by Jon Kabat…
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett, when I was 15, 25 years ago. I was already less than sympathetic to the whole God idea, but that book was the revelation that made it all click. I still remember the moment, p.53 or…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗…dispute this precisely because it feels scary that we might merely be such a thing, and we need to reserve some extra special thing, some form of magic, in order to differentiate ourselves as special. Darwin's Dangerous idea by Daniel Dennett is one of my favorite books because it tackles this very idea.
on “And yet It Understands” ↗There's a great book with that very phrase in its title: Darwin's Dangerous Idea. I actually got to speak to the author, Daniel Dennett! I told him it was one of the few books where, when I got to the end, I wanted to immediately read it again. He said, "I'm not sure if that's a…
on “What Is Your Dangerous Idea? (2006)” ↗…sad. I was on the team that brought him to Google, and my task was to get his signature on the video release form. Here's the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q_mY54hjM0 I told him that his book Darwin's Dangerous Idea was one of the few where, when I got to the end, I immediately wanted to go back to the beginning and read it again. He said, "I'm not sure that's a good thing."
on “Daniel Dennett has died” ↗…Slaughterhouse Five are some of my favorite books of his. As an adult, I've been very influenced by the late Daniel Dennett and his naturalist philosophy. Books like From Bacteria to Bach and Back or Darwin's Dangerous Idea.
on “Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?” ↗Darwin's Dangerous Idea
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗