Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins lecturing on his book, The God Delusion.
Born	March 26, 1941 (1941-03-26) (age 66) Nairobi, Kenya
Nationality	British (English)
Field	Evolutionary biology
Institutions	Oxford University
Academic advisor	Niko Tinbergen
Notable prizes	Zoological Society Silver Medal (1989) Faraday Award (1990) Kistler Prize (2001)
Fellow of the Royal Society.

Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 473 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (808 × 1024 pixel, file size: 417 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Richard Dawkins giving a lecture based on his book, The God Delusion. ... The God Delusion is a book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Nairobi (pronounced IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Nikolaas Tinbergen (April 15, 1907 - December 21, 1988) was a noted ethologist and ornithologist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Karl Von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz for their discoveries concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behaviour patterns. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Zoological Society of London (sometimes known by the abbreviation ZSL) is a learned society founded in April 1826 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Lord Auckland, Sir Humphry Davy, Joseph Sabine, Nicholas Aylward Vigors and other eminent naturalists. ... The Michael Faraday Award (sometimes referred to as the Faraday Award) is the top prize awarded by the Royal Society for exemplary communication of science to the United Kingdom audiences. ... The Kistler Prize (created 1999) is awarded annually to recognize original contributions to the understanding of the connection between human heredity and human society, and includes a cash award of US $100,000 and a 200-gram gold medallion. ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... The Fellowship of the Royal Society was founded in 1660. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour (particularly of social animals such as primates and canids), and is a branch of zoology. ... Evolutionary biology is a subfield of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change over time, i. ... This article is not about the magazine, Popular Science Popular science is interpretation of science intended for a general audience, rather than for other scientists or students. ... Charles Simonyi (Hungarian: Simonyi Károly; born September 10, 1948, Budapest) is a computer software executive who, as head of Microsofts application software group, oversaw the creation of Microsofts flagship office applications. ... The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

Dawkins first came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centered view of evolution and introduced the term meme, helping found the field of memetics. In 1982, he made a widely-cited contribution to the science of evolution with the theory, presented in his book The Extended Phenotype, that phenotypic effects are not limited to an organism's body but can stretch far into the environment, including into the bodies of other organisms. He has since written several best-selling popular books, and appeared in a number of television and radio programmes, concerning evolutionary biology, creationism, and religion. Original book cover from the painting The Expectant Valley by zoologist Desmond Morris The Selfish Gene is a very popular and somewhat controversial book on evolutionary theory by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. ... The gene-centered view of evolution, gene selection theory or selfish gene theory holds that natural selection acts through differential survival of competing genes, increasing the frequency of those alleles whose phenotypic effects successfully promote their own propagation. ... For other uses, see Meme (disambiguation). ... Memetics is an approach to evolutionary models of information transfer based on the concept of the meme. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... A cathedral termite mount – a small animal with a very noticeable extended phenotype The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene is a 1982 book by British ethologist Richard Dawkins. ... The phenotype of an individual organism is either its total physical appearance and constitution, or a specific manifestation of a trait, such as size or eye color, that varies between individuals. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Creationism is a religious belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe were created in their original form by a deity or deities (often the Abrahamic God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam), whose existence is presupposed. ...

Dawkins is an outspoken antireligionist, atheist, secular humanist, and sceptic, and he is a supporter of the Brights movement.^[1] In a play on Thomas Huxley's epithet "Darwin's bulldog", Dawkins' impassioned advocacy of evolution has earned him the appellation "Darwin's rottweiler".^[2] Antireligion is opposition to some or all religions in some or all contexts. ... “Atheist” redirects here. ... Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice, and specifically rejects the supernatural and the spiritual as warrants of moral reflection and decision-making. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Symbol of the brights The brights movement was started by Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell in 2003 to provide a positive-sounding umbrella term, bright, to describe various types of people who have a naturalistic worldview, without casting that worldview as a negative response to religion (as the terms atheist... Thomas Henry Huxley, FRS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) [1] was an English biologist, known as Darwins Bulldog for his advocacy of Charles Darwins theory of evolution. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ...

Personal life

Dawkins was born on March 26, 1941 in Nairobi, Kenya, and named Clinton Richard Dawkins.^[3] His father, Clinton John Dawkins, was a farmer and former wartime soldier called up from colonial service in Nyasaland (now Malawi).^[4] Dawkins' parents came from an affluent upper-middle class background – the Dawkins name was described in Burke's Landed Gentry as "Dawkins of Over Norton". His father is a descendant of the Clinton family which held the Earldom of Lincoln, and his mother is Jean Mary Vyvyan Dawkins, née Ladner. Both were interested in the natural sciences, and answered the young Dawkins' questions in scientific terms.^[5] March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Nairobi (pronounced IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Landed gentry is a term traditionally applied in Britain to members of the upper class with country estates often (but not always) farmed on their behalf by others, and who might be without a peerage or other hereditary title. ... The title of Earl of Lincoln was probably created around 1143, but reverted several times back to the Crown. ... The French word née (feminine) or né (masculine) (or the English word nee) is still commonly used in some newspapers when mentioning the maiden name of a woman in engagement or wedding announcements. ... The Michelson–Morley experiment was used to disprove that light propagated through a luminiferous aether. ...

Dawkins describes his childhood as "a normal Anglican upbringing",^[6] but reveals that he began doubting the existence of God when he was about nine years old. He was later reconverted because he was persuaded by the argument from design, though he began to feel that the customs of the Church of England were absurd, and had more to do with dictating morals than with God. When he better understood evolution, at age sixteen, his religious position again changed because he felt that evolution could account for the complexity of life in purely material terms, and thus that a designer was not necessary.^[6] He married Marian Stamp in 1967, and they divorced in 1984. Later that year, Dawkins married Eve Barham – with whom he had a daughter, Juliet Emma Dawkins, but they too divorced. He married actress Lalla Ward in 1992.^[7] Dawkins had met her through their mutual friend Douglas Adams, who worked with Ward on the BBC TV science-fiction series Doctor Who. Ward has illustrated over half of Dawkins' books and co-narrated the audio versions of two of his books. A teleological argument (or an argument from design) is an argument for the existence of God based on evidence of design in nature. ... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Complexity in general usage is the opposite of simplicity. ... Marian E. Stamp Dawkins is professor for animal behaviour at the University of Oxford, where she heads the Animal Behaviour Research Group. ... Lalla Ward (born Sarah Ward, June 28, 1951) is an English actress and illustrator best known for playing the part of Romana in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... This article is about the television series. ...

Career

Richard Dawkins at a lecture in Reykjavík, Iceland, June 24, 2006

Dawkins moved to England with his parents at the age of eight, and attended Oundle School. He then studied zoology at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was tutored by Nobel Prize-winning ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen. He graduated in 1962, achieving MA and D.Phil. degrees in 1966, followed by a D.Sc. in 1989.^[3] Photo by his wife, Lalla Ward, taken from his website. ... Photo by his wife, Lalla Ward, taken from his website. ... Location in Iceland Coordinates: , Constituency Government  - Mayor (Borgarstjóri) Dagur B. Eggertsson Area  - City 274. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Oundle School is a famous public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. ... Zoology (from Greek: ζῴον, zoion, animal; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... and of the Balliol College College name Balliol College Named after John de Balliol Established 1263 Sister college St Johns College, Cambridge Master Andrew Graham JCR President Helen Lochead Undergraduates 403 MCR President Chelsea Payne Graduates 228 Location of Balliol College within central Oxford , Homepage Boatclub Balliol College (pronounced... The Nobel Prize (Swedish: ) was established in Alfred Nobels will in 1895, and it was first awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace in 1901. ... Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour (particularly of social animals such as primates and canids), and is a branch of zoology. ... Nikolaas Niko Tinbergen (April 15, 1907 – December 21, 1988) was a Dutch ethologist and ornithologist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Karl von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz for their discoveries concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behaviour patterns in animals. ... In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, the degree of Master of Arts (MA) is awarded to Bachelors of Arts of those universities on application after seven years seniority as members of the university. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ... D.Sc. ...

From 1967 to 1969, Dawkins was an assistant professor of zoology in the University of California, Berkeley. In 1970 he was appointed a lecturer, and in 1990 a reader in zoology at the University of Oxford. In 1995, he was appointed Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, a position endowed by Charles Simonyi with an express intention that Dawkins be its first holder.^[8] He has been a fellow of New College, Oxford since 1970.^[9] He has delivered a number of inaugural and other notable lectures, including the Henry Sidgwick Memorial Lecture (1989), first Erasmus Darwin Memorial Lecture (1990), Michael Faraday Lecture (1991), T.H. Huxley Memorial Lecture (1992), Irvine Memorial Lecture (1997), Sheldon Doyle Lecture (1999), Tinbergen Lecture (2000), and the Tanner Lectures (2003).^[3] In 1991 he gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for Children (recently released on DVD as Growing Up In The Universe). Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... In the academic hierarchy in the United Kingdom and some universities in Australia and New Zealand, Reader is the rank between senior lecturer (or principal lecturer in the New Universities) and professor. ... The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Charles Simonyi (Hungarian: Simonyi Károly; born September 10, 1948, Budapest) is a computer software executive who, as head of Microsofts application software group, oversaw the creation of Microsofts flagship office applications. ... and of the New College College name New College of St Mary Latin name Collegium Novum Oxoniensis/Collegium Sanctae Mariae Wintoniae Named after Mary, mother of Jesus Established 1379 Sister college Kings College, Cambridge Warden Prof. ... Henry Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (May 31, 1838–August 28, 1900) was an English philosopher. ... This article is about Erasmus Darwin who lived 1731–1802; for his descendants with the same name see Erasmus Darwin (disambiguation). ... Michael Faraday, FRS (September 22, 1791 – August 25, 1867) was an English chemist and physicist (or natural philosopher, in the terminology of that time) who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. ... Thomas Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley F.R.S. (May 4, 1825 - June 29, 1895) was a British biologist, known as Darwins Bulldog for his defence of Charles Darwins theory of evolution. ... The Tanner Lectures on Human Values is a multi-university lecture series in the humanities, founded on July 1, 1978, at Clare Hall, Cambridge University, by the American scholar Obert Clark Tanner. ... Growing Up in the Universe is a series of lectures given by Richard Dawkins as part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, where he discusses the evolution of life in the universe. ...

In 1996, Charles Simonyi referred to Dawkins as "Darwin's rottweiler",^[2] a description later adopted by Discover magazine,^[10] and the Radio Times.^[11] He has also been called "the nearest thing to a professional atheist we have had since Bertrand Russell"^[12] and compared to Ernst Haeckel.^[13] Discover is a science magazine that publishes articles about science for a general audience. ... Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ... Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970), was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, advocate for social reform, and pacifist. ... Ernst Haeckel. ...

Dawkins has edited a number of journals and has acted as editorial advisor for several publications, including Encarta Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Evolution. He writes a column for the Council for Secular Humanism's Free Inquiry magazine and serves as a senior editor. He has also been president of the Biological Sciences section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, is a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism, a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal and serves as advisor for several other organisations. He has sat on numerous judging panels for awards as diverse as the Royal Society's Faraday Award and the British Academy Television Awards.^[3] In 2004, the Dawkins Prize – awarded for "outstanding research into the ecology and behaviour of animals whose welfare and survival may be endangered by human activities"^[14] – was initiated by Oxford's Balliol College. Encarta Dictionary Technology (to be written) Encarta made use of various Microsoft technologies. ... The Encyclopedia of Evolution is a print encyclopedia of evolutionary biology, edited by Mark Pagel. ... The Council for Secular Humanism (originally the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, or CODESH) regards itself as the only exclusively secular humanist organization in the USA. In 1980 CODESH issued A Secular Humanist Declaration. ... Free Inquiry is a bi-monthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary, published by the Council for Secular Humanism. ... The British Association or the British Association for the Advancement of Science or the BA is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating intercourse between scientific workers. ... The Council for Secular Humanism (originally the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, or CODESH) is a secular humanist organization headquartered in Amherst, New York. ... The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, or CSICOP, is a U.S. organization founded to encourage the critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view and disseminate factual information about the results of such inquiries to the scientific... The Michael Faraday Award (sometimes referred to as the Faraday Award) is the top prize awarded by the Royal Society for exemplary communication of science to the United Kingdom audiences. ... The British Academy Television Awards, also known as the BAFTAs or, to differentiate them from the BAFTA Film Awards, the BAFTA Television Awards, are the most prestigious awards given in the British television industry, analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States. ... Full name Balliol College Motto - Named after John de Balliol Previous names - Established 1263 Sister College St Johns College, Cambridge Master Andrew Graham (academic) Location Broad Street Undergraduates 403 Graduates 228 Homepage Boatclub Balliol College, founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford...

Work

Evolutionary biology

In his scientific works, Dawkins is best known for his popularisation of the gene-centered view of evolution – a view most clearly set out in his books The Selfish Gene (1976), where he notes that "all life evolves by the differential survival of replicating entities", and The Extended Phenotype (1982), in which he describes natural selection as "the process whereby replicators out-propagate each other". As an ethologist, interested in animal behaviour and its relation to natural selection, he advocates the idea that the gene is the principal unit of selection in evolution. The gene-centered view of evolution, gene selection theory or selfish gene theory holds that natural selection acts through differential survival of competing genes, increasing the frequency of those alleles whose phenotypic effects successfully promote their own propagation. ... Original book cover from the painting The Expectant Valley by zoologist Desmond Morris The Selfish Gene is a very popular and somewhat controversial book on evolutionary theory by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. ... A cathedral termite mount – a small animal with a very noticeable extended phenotype The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene is a 1982 book by British ethologist Richard Dawkins. ... For other uses, see Natural selection (disambiguation). ... Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour (particularly of social animals such as primates and canids), and is a branch of zoology. ... For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ...

Dawkins has been consistently sceptical about non-adaptive processes in evolution (such as spandrels described by Gould and Lewontin) and about selection at levels "above" that of the gene. He is particularly sceptical about the practical possibility or importance of group selection.^[15] A spandrel (less often spandril or splaundrel) is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... Richard Lewontin Richard Charles Dick Lewontin (born March 29, 1929) is an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and social commentator. ... In evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups, regardless of the fitness of individuals within that group. ...

The gene-centred view also provides a basis for understanding altruism. Altruism appears at first to be a paradox, as helping others costs precious resources – possibly even one's own health and life – thus reducing one's own fitness. Previously this had been interpreted by many as an aspect of group selection, that is, individuals were doing what was best for the survival of the population or species. But W. D. Hamilton used the gene-centred view to explain altruism in terms of inclusive fitness and kin selection, that is, individuals behave altruistically towards their close relatives, who share many of their own genes.^[16] (Hamilton's work features prominently in Dawkins' books, and the two became friends at Oxford; following Hamilton's death in 2000 Dawkins wrote his obituary and organised a secular memorial service).^[17] Similarly, Robert Trivers, thinking in terms of the gene-centred model, developed the theory of reciprocal altruism, where one organism provides a benefit to another in the expectation of future reciprocation.^[18] For the ethical doctrine, see Altruism (ethics). ... In evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups, regardless of the fitness of individuals within that group. ... W. D. Hamilton William Donald Bill Hamilton, F.R.S. (1 August 1936 — 7 March 2000) was a British evolutionary biologist, considered one of the greatest evolutionary theorists of the 20th century. ... Inclusive fitness encompasses conventional Darwinian fitness with the addition of behaviors that contribute to an organism’s individual fitness through altruism. ... In evolutionary biology, kin selection refers to changes in gene frequency across generations that are driven at least in part by interactions between related individuals, and this forms much of the conceptual basis of the theory of social evolution. ... This article is about secularism. ... Robert L. Trivers, (born 19 February 1943) is an American evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist, most noted for proposing the theories of reciprocal altruism (1971), parental investment (1972), and parent-offspring conflict (1974). ... In evolutionary biology, reciprocal altruism is a form of altruism in which one organism provides a benefit to another in the expectation of future reciprocation. ...

Critics of Dawkins' approach suggest that taking the gene as the unit of selection — a single event in which an individual either succeeds or fails to reproduce – is misleading, but that the gene could be described as a unit of evolution – the long-term changes in allele frequencies in a population.^[19] In The Selfish Gene, however, Dawkins explains that he is using George C. Williams' definition of gene as "that which segregates and recombines with appreciable frequency".^[20] Another common objection is that genes cannot survive alone, but must cooperate to build an individual, and therefore can not be an independent "unit".^[21] However, in The Extended Phenotype, Dawkins argues that because of genetic recombination and sexual reproduction, from an individual gene's viewpoint, all other genes are part of the environment to which it is adapted. Recombination is a process that occurs during meiosis in which pairs of chromosomes cross over to swap segments of DNA. These sections are the "genes" to which Dawkins and Williams refer. Advocates for higher levels of selection such as Lewontin, Wilson and Sober also argue that there are many instances of phenomena (including altruism) that gene-based selection cannot satisfactorily explain. For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). ... For the hard rock band, see Allele (band). ... Original book cover from the painting The Expectant Valley by zoologist Desmond Morris The Selfish Gene is a very popular and somewhat controversial book on evolutionary theory by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. ... George Williams Professor George Christopher Williams (b. ... A cathedral termite mount – a small animal with a very noticeable extended phenotype The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene is a 1982 book by British ethologist Richard Dawkins. ... Genetic recombination is the process by which a strand of DNA is broken and then joined to the end of a different DNA molecule. ... Sexual reproduction is a union that results in increasing genetic diversity of the offspring. ... For the figure of speech, see meiosis (figure of speech). ... A scheme of a condensed (metaphase) chromosome. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... Richard Lewontin Richard Charles Dick Lewontin (born March 29, 1929) is an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and social commentator. ... David Sloan Wilson (1949- ) is an American evolutionary biologist. ... Elliott Sober -- Hans Reichenbach Professor and William F. Vilas Research Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University of Wisconsin. ...

In a set of controversies over the mechanisms and interpretation of evolution (the so-called "Darwin Wars"),^[22] one faction was often named after Dawkins and its rival after Stephen Jay Gould, reflecting the pre-eminence of each as a populariser of relevant ideas. In particular, Dawkins and Gould have been prominent commentators in the controversy over sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, with Dawkins generally approving and Gould critical.^[23] A typical example of Dawkins' position is his scathing review of Not in Our Genes by Rose, Kamin and Lewontin.^[24] Two other thinkers often considered to be in the same camp as Dawkins are Steven Pinker and Daniel Dennett, who has promoted a gene-centric view of evolution and defended reductionism in biology.^[25] Dawkins and Gould, however did not have a hostile relationship, and Dawkins dedicated a large portion of his book A Devil's Chaplain to Gould. This article is about evolution in biology. ... Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Evolutionary psychology (abbreviated EP) is a theoretical approach to psychology that attempts to explain mental and psychological traits—such as memory, perception, or language—as adaptations, i. ... Cover of Not in our Genes. ... Steven P. Rose (born July 4, 1938 in London, United Kingdom) is a Professor of Biology and Neurobiology at the Open University and University of London. ... Leon J. Kamin (born December 29, 1927 in Taunton, Massachusetts) is an American psychologist. ... Richard Charles Lewontin (born March 29, 1929) is an evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and social commentator at Harvard University. ... Steven Pinker Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18, 1954) is a prominent Canadian-born American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and popular science writer known for his spirited and wide-ranging advocacy of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind. ... Daniel Clement Dennett (born March 28, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a prominent American philosopher whose research centers on philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. ... A Devils Chaplain (Phoenix, 2003, ISBN 0753817500) is a book collecting selected essays and other writings by the British zoologist Richard Dawkins. ...

Memetics

Dawkins coined the term meme (analogous to the gene) to describe how Darwinian principles might be extended to explain the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. This spawned the field of memetics. While originally floating the idea in The Selfish Gene, Dawkins has largely left the task of expanding upon it to other authors, such as Susan Blackmore.^[26] Philosopher Mary Midgley, whom Dawkins has debated since the late 1970s, criticises memetics, gene selection, and sociobiology as being excessively reductionist.^[27] Among other exchanges, Midgley stated that to debate Dawkins would be as unnecessary as to "break a butterfly upon a wheel".^[28] Dawkins replied that this statement would be "hard to match, in reputable journals, for its patronising condescension toward a fellow academic".^[29] For other uses, see Meme (disambiguation). ... Memetics is an approach to evolutionary models of information transfer based on the concept of the meme. ... Original book cover from the painting The Expectant Valley by zoologist Desmond Morris The Selfish Gene is a very popular and somewhat controversial book on evolutionary theory by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. ... Susan Jane Blackmore (born July 29, 1951) is a British freelance writer, lecturer, and broadcaster, perhaps best known for her book The Meme Machine. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ... Mary Midgley, née Scrutton, (b. ... Descartes held that non-human animals could be reductively explained as automata — De homines 1622. ... The phrase likely originated from Lucians The Fly, An appreciation[1] where the last sentence reads Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel? is a quotation – sometimes misquoted with on in place of upon – from Alexander Popes Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot of January 1735. ...

Although Dawkins coined the term independently, he has never claimed that the idea of the meme was new – there had been similar terms for similar ideas in the past. John Laurent, in The Journal of Memetics, has suggested that the term "meme" itself may have been derived from the work of the little-known German biologist Richard Semon.^[30] In 1904, Semon published Die Mneme (which was published in English, as The Mneme, in 1924). His book discussed the cultural transmission of experiences, with insights parallel to those of Dawkins. Laurent also found the use of the term "mneme" in The Life of the White Ant (1926), by Maurice Maeterlinck,^[31] and highlighted its similarities to Dawkins' concept. For other uses, see Meme (disambiguation). ... Richard Wolfgang Semon (August 22, 1859 -- December 12, 1918) was a German biologist. ... Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, Belgian author Count Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian poet, playwright, and essayist. ...

Religion

Dawkins is an ardent and outspoken atheist, an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society,^[32] a vice-president of the British Humanist Association and a Distinguished Supporter of the Humanist Society of Scotland. In his essay "Viruses of the Mind" (from which the term "faith-sufferer" originated), he suggested that memetic theory might analyse and explain the phenomenon of religious belief and some of the common characteristics of organised religions, such as the belief that punishment awaits non-believers. In 2003, The Atheist Alliance International instituted the Richard Dawkins Award in his honour. Dawkins is well known for his contempt for religious extremism, from Islamist terrorism to Christian fundamentalism, but he has also argued with liberal believers and religious scientists,^[6] from the biologist Kenneth Miller^[10] to the theologian Alister McGrath and the former Bishop of Oxford, Richard Harries.^[33]. For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... The National Secular Society is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes secularism. ... The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism. ... The Humanist Society of Scotland (HSS) is a Scottish organisation that promotes Humanist views. ... Viruses of the Mind (1993) is a controversial essay by Richard Dawkins using memetics, epidemiology, and an analogy with biological and computer viruses to analyse the propagation of religious beliefs. ... Meme, (rhymes with cream and comes from Greek root with the meaning of memory and its derivative mimeme), is the term given to a unit of information that replicates from brains and inanimate stores of information, such as books and computers, to other brains or stores of information. ... Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is an alliance of atheist organisations around the world. ... The Richard Dawkins Award is a prize awarded annually to a person (or persons) for their outstanding work in the promotion of atheism. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Fundamentalist Christianity is a fundamentalist movement, especially within American Protestantism. ... Ken Miller Kenneth R. Miller (born 1948) is a biology professor at Brown University. ... Alister E. McGrath (b. ... The Bishop of Oxford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury. ... The Rt Revd Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, giving a speech in 2004. ...

Dawkins continues to be a prominent figure in contemporary public debate on issues relating to science and religion, especially since his 2006 book The God Delusion. He sees education and consciousness-raising as the primary tools in opposing what he considers to be religious dogma and indoctrination. These tools include the fight against certain stereotypes, and he has adopted the positive term "Bright", as a way of putting positive connotations on those with a naturalistic world view.^[34] Dawkins notes that feminists have succeeded in making us feel embarrassed when we routinely employ "he" instead of "she"; similarly, he argues, a phrase such as "Catholic child" or "Muslim child" should be seen to be just as improper as, say, "Marxist child". Children should not be classified based on their parents' ideological beliefs.^[35] The God Delusion is a book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ... Symbol of the brights The brights movement was started by Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell in 2003 to provide a positive-sounding umbrella term, bright, to describe various types of people who have a naturalistic worldview, without casting that worldview as a negative response to religion (as the terms atheist...

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when asked how the world might have changed, Dawkins responded: A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly...

In January 2006, Dawkins presented a two-part television documentary entitled The Root of All Evil?, (a title in which Dawkins had no say and with which he has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction)^[37] addressing what he sees as the malignant influence of organised religion in society. Critics said that the programme gave too much time to marginal figures and extremists, and that Dawkins' confrontational style did not help his cause;^[38][39] Dawkins rejected these claims, citing the number of moderate religious broadcasts in everyday media as providing a suitable balance to the extremists in the programmes. He further remarked that someone who is deemed an "extremist" in a religiously moderate country, may well be considered "mainstream" in a religiously conservative one.^[40] The unedited recordings of Dawkins' conversations with Professor McGrath and Bishop Harries, including material unused in the broadcast version, are available online.^[41] The Root of All Evil? is a television documentary, written and presented by Richard Dawkins, in which he argues that the world would be better off without religion. ...

Oxford theologian Alister McGrath, author of Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life and The Dawkins Delusion?, argues that Dawkins is ignorant of Christian theology and thereby fails to engage religion and faith intelligently.^[42] In reply, Dawkins asks, "Do you have to read up on leprechology before disbelieving in leprechauns?",^[43] and in the paperback edition of The God Delusion he refers to PZ Myers, who has satirized this line of argument as "The Courtier's Reply".^[44] Dawkins' position is that Christian theology is vacuous, and that the only area of theology which might command his attention would be the arguments to demonstrate God's existence. Dawkins also criticised McGrath for providing no argument to support his beliefs, other than the fact that they cannot be disproved.^[45] Dawkins had an extended debate with McGrath at the Sunday Times Literary Festival in 2007.^[46] Alister E. McGrath (b. ... The Dawkins Delusion? is a non-fiction book by the biochemist and Christian theologian Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath, written as a critical response to Richard Dawkins book The God Delusion. ... Christian doctrine redirects here. ... In Irish mythology, a leprechaun is a type of elf said to inhabit the island of Ireland. ... Paul Zachary PZ Myers (born March 9, 1957) is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris and a science blogger via his blog, Pharyngula. ... Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, and others. ... The Sunday Times is the name of several Sunday newspapers. ...

Another Christian philosopher, Keith Ward, explores similar themes in his book Is Religion Dangerous?, arguing against the view of Dawkins and others that religion is socially dangerous. Criticism of The God Delusion has also come from professional philosophers such as Professor John Cottingham of the University of Reading.^[47] Other commentators, including Margaret Somerville,^[48] have suggested that Dawkins "overstates the case against religion",^[49] asserting that global conflict would continue without religion from factors such as economic pressures or land disputes. Dawkins' defenders, however, claim that the critics misunderstand Dawkins' point. During a debate on Radio 3 Hong Kong, David Nicholls, president of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, argued that Dawkins does not contend that religion is the source of all that is wrong in the world. Rather, it is an "unnecessary part of what is wrong."^[50] Dawkins himself has said that his objection to religion is not solely that it causes wars and violence, but also because it gives people an excuse to hold beliefs that are not based on evidence.^{[citation needed]} The Reverend Professor (John Stephen) Keith Ward (born 22 August 1938) is a British cleric, philosopher, theologian, and scholar. ... Is Religion Dangerous? is a book by Keith Ward examining the questions: Is religion dangerous? Does it do more harm than good? Is it a force for evil? Looking at the evidence from history, philosophy, sociology and psychology, Ward focuses on the main question at issue: does religion do more... Margaret Anne Ganley Somerville, AM, FRSC (born April 13, 1942) is an Australian/Canadian ethicist and academic. ... The Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc. ...

It has been argued that, as a public intellectual, Dawkins engages in "irresponsible and irrational dogmatism" about things that science does not claim to address, and that his denial of the meaningfulness of the cosmos arises from a simple dogmatic hostility to those who see purpose in the universe itself, or, put more simply, an "animus against religion".^[51] Dawkins responds to such criticism by saying that "the existence of God is a scientific hypothesis like any other."^[52] He disagrees with Stephen Jay Gould's idea of "non-overlapping magisteria" (NOMA) and with similar ideas proposed by Martin Rees regarding the coexistence of science and religion without conflict, calling the former "positively supine" and "a purely political ploy to win middle-of-the-road religious people to the science camp".^[53] Regarding Rees's claim in Our Cosmic Habitat that "Such questions lie beyond science, however: they are the domain of philosophers and theologians," Dawkins replies "What expertise can theologians bring to deep cosmological questions that scientists cannot?".^[54][55] Rees has suggested that Dawkins' attack on even mainstream religion is unhelpful,^[56] and Robert Winston has said that Dawkins "brings science into disrepute".^[57] Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. ... Stephen Jay Gould Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. ... The Right Honourable Martin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, FRS (born 23 June 1942) is a professor of astronomy. ... Professor Robert Winston Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston (born July 15, 1940) is a British scientist, politician, and television presenter. ...

Of "good scientists who are sincerely religious", Dawkins names Arthur Peacocke, Russell Stannard, John Polkinghorne, and Francis Collins, but says "I remain baffled . . . by their belief in the details of the Christian religion".^[58] Dawkins writes, "There's all the difference in the world between a belief that one is prepared to defend by quoting evidence and logic and a belief that is supported by nothing more than tradition, authority, or revelation."^[59] The Rev. ... Russell Stannard is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Open University. ... John Polkinghorne, KBE, FRS, PhD, ScD, MA, (born October 16, 1930 in Weston-super-Mare, England) is a British particle physicist and theologian. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

Creationism

Dawkins is a prominent critic of creationism, describing it as a "preposterous, mind-shrinking falsehood".^[60] His book The Blind Watchmaker contains a critique of the argument from design, and his other popular science works often touch on the topic. In 1986, Dawkins participated in the Oxford Union's Huxley Memorial Debate, in which he and John Maynard Smith debated A. E. Wilder-Smith and Edgar Andrews, president of the Biblical Creation Society.^[61] But on the advice of his late colleague Stephen Jay Gould, Dawkins generally refuses to participate in formal debates with creationists because doing so would give them the "oxygen of respectability" that they want. He argues that creationists "don't mind being beaten in an argument. What matters is that we give them recognition by bothering to argue with them in public."^[62] Creationism is a religious belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe were created in their original form by a deity or deities (often the Abrahamic God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam), whose existence is presupposed. ... Cover illustration by the zoologist Desmond Morris 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. ... A teleological argument (or an argument from design) is an argument for the existence of God based on evidence of design in nature. ... The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a private debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford. ... The Huxley Memorial Debate took place on February 14, 1986 under the auspices of the Oxford Union a student debate club of Oxford University. ... Professor John Maynard Smith[1], F.R.S. (6 January 1920 – 19 April 2004) was a British evolutionary biologist and geneticist. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. ...

Dawkins has ardently opposed teaching intelligent design in science lessons. He has described intelligent design as "not a scientific argument at all but a religious one"^[63] and is a strong critic of the pro-Creationist organisation Truth in Science. Dawkins has said the publication of his September 2006 book, The God Delusion, is "probably the culmination" of his campaign against religion.^[64] Dawkins was a featured speaker at the November 2006 Beyond Belief conference. For other uses, see Intelligent design (disambiguation). ... Creationism is generally the belief that the universe was created by a deity, or alternatively by one or more powerful and intelligent beings. ... Truth in Science is a United Kingdom organisation which deploys teach the controversy, a strategy to get Intelligent Design, a pseudo-scientific theory of origins, taught alongside evolution in school science lessons. ... The God Delusion is a book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ...

In a December 2004 interview with Bill Moyers, Dawkins stated that "among the things that science does know, evolution is about as certain as anything we know." When Moyers later asked, "Is evolution a theory, not a fact?", Dawkins replied, "Evolution has been observed. It's just that it hasn't been observed while it's happening." Dawkins went on to say, "It is rather like a detective coming on a murder after the scene. And you… the detective hasn't actually seen the murder take place, of course. But what you do see is a massive clue ...Circumstantial evidence, but masses of circumstantial evidence. Huge quantities of circumstantial evidence."^[65] Bill D. Moyers (born June 5, 1934 as Billy Don Moyers) is an American journalist and public commentator. ...

The Richard Dawkins Foundation

Main article: Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science

In 2006, Dawkins began a new foundation, the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. This is currently in the development phase, but seeks generally to advance the causes of rationalism and humanism.^[66] As of September 2007, the foundation has obtained full charitable status in the United Kingdom and the United States. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS or RDF) is a non-profit organization founded by biologist Richard Dawkins in 2006. ...

Other fields

Richard Dawkins talking at Kepler's Books, Menlo Park, California, October 29, 2006

In his role as professor of the public understanding of science, Dawkins has been a harsh critic of pseudoscience and alternative medicine. His popular work Unweaving the Rainbow takes John Keats' claim – that by explaining the rainbow, Isaac Newton had diminished its beauty – and argues for the opposite conclusion. Deep space, the billions of years of life's evolution, and the microscopic workings of biology and heredity, Dawkins argues, contain more beauty and wonder than myths and pseudoscience.^[67] Dawkins wrote a foreword to John Diamond's posthumously-published Snake Oil, a book devoted to debunking alternative medicine, in which he asserted that alternative medicine was harmful, if only because it distracted patients away from more successful conventional treatments, and gave people false hopes.^[68] Dawkins states, "There is no alternative medicine. There is only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't work."^[69] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 487 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (594 × 731 pixel, file size: 202 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This same image was reviewed by Arniep on a previous date, as this is from the exact same image the review still applies. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 487 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (594 × 731 pixel, file size: 202 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This same image was reviewed by Arniep on a previous date, as this is from the exact same image the review still applies. ... Keplers Books, (1955 - ) is an independent bookstore in Menlo Park, California approximately two miles from the Stanford University campus. ... Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County, California in the United States of America. ... is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A typical 18th century phrenology chart. ... Alternative medicine has been described as any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the United States and Britain.[1] Alternative medicine practices are often based in belief systems not derived from modern science. ... Unweaving the Rainbow (subtitled Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder) is a book by Richard Dawkins, published in 1998 discussing the relationship between science and arts from the perspective of a scientist. ... Keats grave in Rome (left). ... For other uses, see Rainbow (disambiguation). ... Sir Isaac Newton FRS (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, and alchemist. ... For the politician, see John Diamond, Baron Diamond. ...

Dawkins has expressed concern over the exponential growth of human population and the issue of overpopulation.^[70] In The Selfish Gene, he briefly introduced the concept of exponential population growth, with the example of Latin America which, at the time the book was written, had a population that doubled every forty years. He is critical of Roman Catholic attitudes to family planning and population control, stating that leaders who forbid contraception and "express a preference for 'natural' methods of population limitation" will get just such a method – starvation.^[71] In mathematics, exponential growth (or geometric growth) occurs when the growth rate of a function is always proportional to the functions current size. ... Map of countries by population density (See List of countries by population density. ... Original book cover from the painting The Expectant Valley by zoologist Desmond Morris The Selfish Gene is a very popular and somewhat controversial book on evolutionary theory by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Oral contraceptives. ... Population control is the practice of limiting population increase, usually by reducing the birth rate. ...

As a supporter of the Great Ape Project – a movement to extend certain moral and legal rights to all great apes – Dawkins contributed an article entitled "Gaps In The Mind" to the Great Ape Project book edited by Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer. In this essay, he criticises contemporary society's moral attitudes as being based on a "discontinuous, speciesist imperative".^[72] The logo of The Great Ape Project, which aims to expand moral equality to great apes, and to foster greater understanding of them by humans. ... In jurisprudence and law, a right is the legal or moral entitlement to do or refrain from doing something or to obtain or refrain from obtaining an action, thing or recognition in civil society. ... Genera The hominids are the members of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), which includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ... For other persons named Peter Singer, see Peter Singer (disambiguation). ...

Dawkins also regularly comments in the newspapers and weblogs on contemporary political issues; opinions expressed include opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq,^[73] the British nuclear deterrent,^[74] and US President George W. Bush.^[75] Several such articles were included in A Devil's Chaplain, an anthology of articles about science, religion and politics. This article is about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Trident submarine (SSBN) HMS Vanguard Trident, in popular British usage, refers to the the United Kingdoms ballistic missile submarine-based nuclear deterrent. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... A Devils Chaplain (Phoenix, 2003, ISBN 0753817500) is a book collecting selected essays and other writings by the British zoologist Richard Dawkins. ...

In the 2007 TV documentary The Enemies of Reason, Dawkins discusses what he sees as dangers when people abandon critical thought and ideas based on scientific evidence. He specifically talks about astrology, spiritualism, dowsing, alternative faiths, alternative medicine, and homeopathy. He also discusses how the Internet can be used to spread religious hatred and conspiracy theories with scant attention to evidence-based reasoning. For the Frantics album, see Enemies of Reason. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... // By 1853, when the popular song Spirit Rappings was published, Spiritualism was an object of intense curiosity. ... For the English iconoclast, see William Dowsing. ... Alternative medicine has been described as any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the United States and Britain.[1] Alternative medicine practices are often based in belief systems not derived from modern science. ... Homeopathic remedy Rhus toxicodendron, derived from poison ivy. ...

Awards and recognition

Dawkins holds honorary doctorates in science from the University of Westminster, the University of Durham^[76] and University of Hull, and an honorary doctorate from the Open University and from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.^[3] He also holds honorary doctorates of letters from the University of St Andrews and Australian National University, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1997 and Royal Society in 2001.^[3] He is vice-president of the British Humanist Association. An Honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum) is a degree awarded to someone by an institution that he or she may have never attended, it may be a bachelors, masters or doctorate degree - however, the latter is most common. ... The University of Westminster is a university in London, England, formed in 1992 as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992, which allowed the London Polytechnic (Polytechnic of Central London or PCL ) to rename itself as a university. ... Durham University is a university in England. ... The Venn Building The University of Hull, also known as Hull University, is an English university located in Hull (or Kingston upon Hull), a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire. ... Affiliations Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities, European Association of Distance Teaching Universities, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Website http://www. ... The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is a Flemish university situated in Brussels, Belgium. ... St Marys College Bute Medical School St Leonards College[5][6] Affiliations 1994 Group Website http://www. ... The Australian National University, or ANU, is a public university located in Canberra, Australia. ... The Royal Society of Literature is the senior literary organisation in Britain. External link The Royal Society of Literature Categories: Literature stubs | Literature of the United Kingdom ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism. ...

Dawkins has won numerous awards, including a Royal Society of Literature award (1987), Los Angeles Times Literary Prize (1987), Zoological Society of London Silver Medal (1989), Michael Faraday Award (1990), Nakayama Prize (1994), Humanist of the Year Award (1996), the fifth International Cosmos Prize (1997), Kistler Prize (2001), Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic (2001), and the Bicentennial Kelvin Medal of The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow (2002).^[3] Dawkins topped Prospect magazine's 2004 list of the top 100 public British intellectuals, as decided by the readers, receiving twice as many votes as the runner-up.^[77] In 2005, the Hamburg-based Alfred Toepfer Foundation awarded him their Shakespeare Prize in recognition of his "concise and accessible presentation of scientific knowledge".^[78] He was the winner of the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science for 2006 and the Galaxy British Book Awards Author of the Year for 2007;^[79] in the same year he was listed in Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007,^[80] and was awarded the Deschner Prize, named after Karlheinz Deschner.^[81] The Royal Society of Literature is the senior literary organisation in Britain. External link The Royal Society of Literature Categories: Literature stubs | Literature of the United Kingdom ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... The Zoological Society of London (sometimes known by the abbreviation ZSL) is a learned society founded in April 1826 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Lord Auckland, Sir Humphry Davy, Joseph Sabine, Nicholas Aylward Vigors and other eminent naturalists. ... The Michael Faraday Prize is a science award given anually by the Royal Society. ... The International Cosmos Prize is a prize awarded annually by the Expo 90 Commemorative Foundation for: The prize, which may be awarded to an individual or team, consists of a commendation, a medallion and a monetary reward, currently 40 million yen. ... The Kistler Prize (created 1999) is awarded annually to recognize original contributions to the understanding of the connection between human heredity and human society, and includes a cash award of US $100,000 and a 200-gram gold medallion. ... The Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic is an award given at the annual conference of the Pio Manzu Institute to about fifteen people nominated by the centers International Scientific Committee, which is headed by former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. ... The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow was established in 1802, and is a learned society. ... Prospect is a left-wing monthly British essay and comment magazine covering a wide range of topics, but specialising in politics and current affairs. ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. is a German foundation established in 1931 by the Hamburg merchant Alfred Toepfer. ... The Shakespeare Prize is an annual prize for writing or performance awarded to a British citizen by the Hamburg Alfred Toepfer Foundation. ... This article lacks information on the subject matters importance. ... The British Book Awards are given annually and promoted by the UK publishing industry trade journal Publishing News. ... “TIME” redirects here. ... Karl Heinrich Leopold Deschner was born on May 23, 1924, in Bamberg, Germany. ...

Since 2003, the Atheist Alliance International has awarded a prize during their annual conferences, honouring an outstanding atheist whose work has done most to raise public awareness of atheism during that year. It is known as the "Richard Dawkins award", in honour of Dawkins' own work.^[82] Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is an alliance of atheist organisations around the world. ...

Publications

Books

• The Selfish Gene (1976, 1989, 2006) ISBN 0-19-286092-5
• The Extended Phenotype (1982, 1999) ISBN 0-19-288051-9
• The Blind Watchmaker (1986, 1991, 2006) ISBN 0-393-31570-3
• River Out of Eden (1995) ISBN 0-465-06990-8; Audio (2000) ISBN 0-7528-3985-3
• Climbing Mount Improbable (1996) ISBN 0-393-31682-3
• Unweaving the Rainbow (1998) ISBN 0-618-05673-4
• A Devil's Chaplain (2003) ISBN 0-618-33540-4
• The Ancestor's Tale (2004) ISBN 0-618-00583-8; Audio (2005) ISBN 0-7528-7321-0
• The God Delusion (2006) ISBN 0-618-68000-4; Audio (2006) ISBN 1-84657-037-9

Original book cover from the painting The Expectant Valley by zoologist Desmond Morris The Selfish Gene is a very popular and somewhat controversial book on evolutionary theory by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. ... A cathedral termite mount – a small animal with a very noticeable extended phenotype The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene is a 1982 book by British ethologist Richard Dawkins. ... Cover illustration by the zoologist Desmond Morris 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. ... River out of Eden (subtitled A Darwinian View of Life) is a 1995 popular science book by Richard Dawkins. ... Climbing Mount Improbable cover Climbing Mount Improbable is a 1996 popular science book by Richard Dawkins. ... Unweaving the Rainbow (subtitled Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder) is a book by Richard Dawkins, published in 1998 discussing the relationship between science and arts from the perspective of a scientist. ... A Devils Chaplain (Phoenix, 2003, ISBN 0753817500) is a book collecting selected essays and other writings by the British zoologist Richard Dawkins. ... The Ancestors Tale cover The Ancestors Tale (subtitled A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life) is a 2004 popular science book by Richard Dawkins, with contributions from Dawkins research assistant Yan Wong. ... The God Delusion is a book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ...

Selected essays

• Viruses of the Mind (online) (1993) – Religion as a mental virus.
• The Real Romance in the Stars (1995) – A critical view of astrology.
• The Emptiness of Theology (1998) – A critical view of theology.
• Snake Oil and Holy Water (1999) – Dawkins' argument that there is no convergence occurring between science and theism.
• Bin Laden's Victory (2003) – The Guardian editorial arguing Osama bin Laden was the real victor of the Iraq War.
• What Use is Religion? (2004) – Argues that religion may have no survival value other than to itself.
• Race and Creation (2004) – On race, its usage and a theory of how it evolved.
• The giant tortoise's tale, The turtle's tale and The lava lizard's tale (2005) – A series of three articles written after a visit to the Galápagos Islands.

See also Papers and commentary by Richard Dawkins (no longer maintained) and Dawkins' Huffington Post articles. Viruses of the Mind (1993) is a controversial essay by Richard Dawkins using memetics, epidemiology, and an analogy with biological and computer viruses to analyse the propagation of religious beliefs. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957[1]), most often mentioned as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden, is a Saudi Arabian militant Islamist and is widely believed to be one of the founders of the organization called al-Qaeda. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Race (disambiguation). ... For the nature documentary series, see Galápagos (TV series). ...

Selected documentaries

• Nice Guys Finish First
• The Blind Watchmaker
• The God Who Wasn't There
• Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief
• The Atheism Tapes
• The Root of All Evil?
• Growing Up In The Universe
• The Enemies of Reason

The documentary Nice Guys Finish First (BBC Horizon television series, 1987) by Richard Dawkins is available on Google Video. ... Cover illustration by the zoologist Desmond Morris 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. ... The God Who Wasnt There is a documentary written and directed by Brian Flemming which questions the existence of Jesus and examines evidence that supports the theory that the historical Jesus did not exist. ... The Atheism Tapes is a BBC TV documentary series by Jonathan Miller. ... The Root of All Evil? is a television documentary, written and presented by Richard Dawkins, in which he argues that the world would be better off without religion. ... Growing Up in the Universe is a series of lectures given by Richard Dawkins as part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, where he discusses the evolution of life in the universe. ... For the Frantics album, see Enemies of Reason. ...

Books about Dawkins and his ideas

• Ed Sexton (2001) Dawkins and the Selfish Gene (ISBN 1-84046-238-8) – A short summary and defence of Dawkins' ideas.
• Kim Sterelny (2001) Dawkins vs Gould: Survival of the Fittest (ISBN 1-84046-249-3) – Debates on evolutionary theory between Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould.
• Alister McGrath (2005) Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life (ISBN 1-4051-2538-1) – A critique of Dawkins' attack on theistic religion.
• Alan Grafen & Mark Ridley (eds.) (2006) Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think (ISBN 0-19-929116-0) – An anthology of 25 essays on Dawkins and his work.
• Keith Ward (2006) Is Religion Dangerous? (ISBN 978-0745952628) – A critique of Dawkins' suggestion that religion does more harm than good.
• Alister McGrath (2007) The Dawkins Delusion? (ISBN 978-0281059270) – A critical response to Dawkins' The God Delusion.
• John Cornwell (2007) Darwin's Angel (ISBN 9781846680489) – "An angelic riposte to The God Delusion."
• David Robertson (2007) The Dawkins Letters (ISBN 978-1845502614) – "Challenging atheist myths."

See also: List of books by and about Richard Dawkins and Richard Dawkins Bibliography at the Richard Dawkins official website.

Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. ... Alister E. McGrath (b. ... Mark Ridley (born 1956) is a United Kingdom zoologist and writer on evolution. ... The Reverend Professor (John Stephen) Keith Ward (born 22 August 1938) is a British cleric, philosopher, theologian, and scholar. ... Is Religion Dangerous? is a book by Keith Ward examining the questions: Is religion dangerous? Does it do more harm than good? Is it a force for evil? Looking at the evidence from history, philosophy, sociology and psychology, Ward focuses on the main question at issue: does religion do more... Alister E. McGrath (b. ... The Dawkins Delusion? is a non-fiction book by the biochemist and Christian theologian Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath, written as a critical response to Richard Dawkins book The God Delusion. ... John Cornwell is an English journalist and writer, known particularly for his science writing and books on the Papacy. ... Darwins Angel (ISBN 9781846680489) is one of several books published in response to Richard Dawkins The God Delusion (2006). ...

References

Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... made up charecter not real. ... Eugène Nielen Marais (9 January, 1871 – 29 March, 1936) was a South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer Eugene Marais – writer, lawyer and naturalist // His early years, before and during the Boer War Marais (Ma-RARE; second part rhymes with chair) was born near Pretoria. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Root of All Evil? is a television documentary, written and presented by Richard Dawkins, in which he argues that the world would be better off without religion. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Alister E. McGrath (b. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 358th day of the year (359th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Pharyngula is a weblog run by PZ Myers, listed by the science journal Nature as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Vol. ... A podcast is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Beliefnet or Beliefnet. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... The Right Honourable Martin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, FRS (born 23 June 1942) is a professor of astronomy. ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see The Independent (disambiguation). ... Today, sometimes referred to as the Today programme to avoid ambiguity, is BBC Radio 4s long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, which is now broadcast from 6am to 9am from Monday to Friday and from 7am to 9am on Saturdays. ... Professor Robert Winston Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston (born July 15, 1940) is a British scientist, politician, and television presenter. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an organization that promotes cooperation between scientists, defends scientific freedom, encourages scientific responsibility and supports scientific education for the betterment of all humanity. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Richard Dawkins

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Richard Dawkins

Websites Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

• The official Richard Dawkins website
  • The Richard Dawkins Foundation
• The Current Simonyi Professor: Richard Dawkins
  • Dawkins FAQs
• The Dawkins Digest from the Times Online
• The World of Richard Dawkins, extensive website on Dawkins.
• The Third Culture: Richard Dawkins, Edge.org profile.

Interviews and feature articles The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... The Edge Foundation is an organization of science and technology intellectuals created in 1988 as an outgrowth of The Reality Club. ...

• "Revolutionary Evolutionist", profile by Michael Schrage, Wired, July 1995.
• "Darwin's dangerous disciple", interview with Frank Miele, Scepsis, 1995.
• "Double-Dealing in Darwin", criticism of Dawkins' atheism and belief in evolution as a 'secular religion', Michael Ruse, Beliefnet, 2000.
• "Darwin's child", profile by Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian, February 10, 2003.
• Belief radio interview, transcript of a BBC radio interview for the Belief series, 2004.
• "The Man Behind the Meme: An interview with Richard Dawkins", interview with Jim Holt, Slate, December 1, 2004.
• "The Atheist", interview with Gordy Slack, Salon.com, April 28, 2005.
• "Richard Dawkins: Beyond belief", profile by John Crace, The Guardian, January 10, 2006.
• "BBC Oxford interview", with Tim Bearder, March 24, 2006.
• "The flying spaghetti monster", interview with Steve Paulson, Salon.com, October 13, 2006.
• "God vs. Science", discussion with Francis Collins, Time, November 13, 2006
• Richard Dawkins interviewed by Laurie Taylor, New Humanist, January/February 2007
• "The God Delusion", interview with George Stroumboulopoulos, The Hour, May 5, 2007
• "God... in other words", interview with Ruth Gledhill, The Times, May 10, 2007

Multimedia This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Michael Ruse (born June 21, 1940 in Birmingham, England) is a philosopher of science, a professor of philosophy and zoology largely concerned with the argument between creationism and evolutionary biology. ... Beliefnet or Beliefnet. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Slate is an online news and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley and owned by Microsoft (as part of MSN). ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Salon. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Salon. ... is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... “TIME” redirects here. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... New Humanist is the leading journal of atheism, secularism and freethought in the UK. It has been published for 120 years, starting out as Wattss Literary Guide in November 1885. ... George Stroumboulopoulos (born August 16, 1972 in Malton, Ontario), commonly nicknamed Strombo, is a Canadian television and radio personality. ... The Hour is a Canadian television newsmagazine broadcast on CBC Television. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Ruth Gledhill (b. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

• Audio and video files featuring Dawkins. (Note: these links also contain media files not directly related to Dawkins personally)
• Richard Dawkins Resource Page — links to videos which include Richard Dawkins with thumbnails and descriptions.
• Richard Dawkins interview by Charlie Rose - video
• "Growing Up in the Universe" 5 part documentary - torrent download

v • d • e Richard Dawkins
Books	The Selfish Gene • The Extended Phenotype • The Blind Watchmaker • River out of Eden • Climbing Mount Improbable • Unweaving the Rainbow • A Devil's Chaplain • The Ancestor's Tale • The God Delusion
Related works	The Atheism Tapes • Beyond Belief • The Root of All Evil? • The Enemies of Reason • Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think • Growing Up in the Universe
See also	Meme • Gerin oil • Foundation for Reason and Science • Lalla Ward