Stephen Moss introduces a debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/audio/2008/feb/14/richard.dawkins
Stephen Moss introduces a debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/audio/2008/feb/14/richard.dawkins
The preeminent scientist Richard Dawkins is Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. Discover magazine recently dubbed him "Darwin’s Rottweiler" for his fierce defense of evolution and Prospect magazine placed him among the top three public intellectuals (with Noam Chomsky and Umberto Eco) worldwide. His award-winning books include The Selfish Gene, in which he first introduced the concept of the "meme," and The Blind Watchmaker, a convincing account of neo-Darwinian theory. In The God Delusion, Dawkins asserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has done society, from the Crusades to 9/11.
Subjects Discussed: The audience for The God Delusion, comparing an atheistic text to Satan, evolutionary biology and religion, charitable religious-based organizations, Mother Teresa, whether imaginary constructs are a bad thing, living in the real world, the assassination of Harvey Milk, Twinkies, “In God We Trust” and the American zeitgeist, on Dawkins being “a university person” speaking to university crowds, politics and atheism, Stephen Jay Gould and non-overlapping magisteria, language and religion, Marilynne Robinson’s review, logical positivism, love and perception, sexual lust, on deists being fools, the susceptibility of children, the advertising industry vs. religion, Jesus Camp, and extremists vs. everyday religious people.
Richard Dawkins urges all atheists to openly state their position — and to fight the incursion of the church into politics and science. A fiery, funny, powerful talk.
http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_on_militant_atheism.html