By Cameron Bird

Writing in this week’s New York Times Book Review, Jim Holt takes on Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion. His analysis is both respectful and critical, calling the Oxford evolutionary biologist the leader in his field, but arguing that he bypasses “the intellectual hard work” in attempting to debunk arguments for the existence of God.

Holt joins a growing list of journalists who have come armed with challenging questions for Dawkins on his book tour. On October 6, NPR’s Joe Palka discussed with the author the possibility of a “totalitarian” attitude toward religious people if the tables were turned and Darwinism became the established “religion” of the land. In Salon’s lengthy interview on October 13, Dawkins is approached with the charge that his scientific worldview “discounts the mystical experiences that people talk about.” Even Steven Colbert, weaving in and out of satire, asked Dawkins about the natural processes that caused him to come into being and “intelligently design” his book.

The controversy of Dawkins’ message hasn’t been lost on the media, which seems to be doing a decent job carrying on a lively conversation about science and religion. Holt’s piece is a fitting addition to this discourse, but more importantly, it poses plenty of observant questions a reporter should carry in his or her notebook.

Cameron Bird is a student at the University of Southern California.