Richard Dawkins
Dawkins at a lecture in Reykjavík, Iceland, June 24, 2006. For the Greater Reykjavík Area see the Greater Reykjavík Area. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
Born	March 26, 1941 (1941-03-26) (age 67) Nairobi, Kenya
Residence	Oxford, England
Nationality	British
Fields	Ethologist and evolutionary biologist
Institutions	University of California, Berkeley University of Oxford
Alma mater	Balliol College, Oxford
Doctoral advisor	Nikolaas Tinbergen
Doctoral students	Alan Grafen Mark Ridley
Known for	Advocacy of atheism and rationalism Criticism of religion Gene-centred view of evolution Introduction of meme concept
Notable awards	Zoological Society Silver Medal (1989) Faraday Award (1990) Kistler Prize (2001)
Religious stance	Atheist
Notes Fellow of the Royal Society Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nairobi (naɪˈroʊbɪ is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ethology ( from Greek ἦθος ethos, "character" and λόγος logos, "knowledge") is the scientific study of Animal Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of Biology concerned with the origin of Species from a Common descent, and Descent of species The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Balliol College (ˈbeɪlɪəl founded in 1263 is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. A doctorate is an Academic degree that indicates the highest level of academic achievement Nikolaas "Niko" Tinbergen ( April 15, 1907 &ndash December 21, 1988) was a Dutch ethologist and Ornithologist Alan Grafen is a Scottish ethologist and evolutionary biologist. Mark Ridley (born 1956 is a British zoologist and writer on Evolution. Atheism In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 Criticism of religion involves Criticism of the concept of Religion, the validity of religion the practice of religion and the consequences of religion The gene-centered view of evolution, gene selection theory or selfish gene theory holds that Natural selection acts through differential survival of competing A meme (miːm consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation The Zoological Society of London (sometimes known by the abbreviation ZSL) is a Learned society founded in London in April 1826 by Sir Thomas Stamford The Michael Faraday Prize is a Science Award given annually by the Royal Society. 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 Atheism The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain " The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain " Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ethology ( from Greek ἦθος ethos, "character" and λόγος logos, "knowledge") is the scientific study of Animal Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of Biology concerned with the origin of Species from a Common descent, and Descent of species For the 1935-1949 film series see Popular Science (film. Popular Science is an American monthly Magazine founded in 1872 He holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford and is a professorial fellow of New College, Oxford. Charles Simonyi (Simonyi Károly born September 10 1948 is a Hungarian Computer software executive who as head of Microsoft 's application software The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ^[1][2]

Dawkins came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centered view of evolution and introduced the term meme. The gene-centered view of evolution, gene selection theory or selfish gene theory holds that Natural selection acts through differential survival of competing A meme (miːm consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation In 1982, he made a widely cited contribution to evolutionary biology 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 the bodies of other organisms. The Extended Phenotype (subtitled "The Gene as the Unit of Selection" and later "The Long Reach of the Gene" is a 1982 book by Richard A phenotype is any observable characteristic of an Organism, such as its morphology, Development, biochemical or physiological properties

In addition to his biological work, Dawkins is well-known for his views on atheism, evolution, creationism, intelligent design, and religion. Atheism eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. Intelligent A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos He is a prominent critic of creationism and intelligent design. In his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker, he argued against the watchmaker analogy, an argument for the existence of a supernatural creator based upon the observed complexity of living organisms, and instead described evolutionary processes as being analogous to a blind watchmaker. 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 The watchmaker analogy, or watchmaker Argument, is a Teleological argument for the Existence of God. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. He has since written several popular science books, and made regular appearances on television and radio programmes, predominantly discussing the aforementioned topics.

Dawkins is an atheist;^[3][4][5] a freethinker, secular humanist, sceptic, scientific rationalist,^[6] and supporter of the Brights movement. Atheism Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that Beliefs should be formed on the basis of Science and Logic and should not be influenced Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds Reason, Ethics and Justice, and specifically rejects the Supernatural Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism ( also spelled scepticism) sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific or practical In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 ^[7] He has widely been referred to in the media as "Darwin's Rottweiler",^[8][9] by analogy with English biologist T. H. Huxley, who was known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of natural selection. Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895 was an English Biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy Natural selection is the process by which favorable Heritable traits become more common in successive Generations of a Population of In his 2006 book The God Delusion, Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that religious faith qualifies as a delusion—as a fixed false belief. The God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed False Belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false fanciful or derived from Deception ^[10] As of November 2007, the English language version had sold more than 1. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States 5 million copies and had been translated into 31 other languages,^[11] making it his most popular book to date.

Biography

Richard Dawkins was born on March 26, 1941, in Nairobi, Kenya. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nairobi (naɪˈroʊbɪ is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south ^[12] His father, Clinton John Dawkins, was a soldier who moved to Kenya from England during the Second World War to join the Allied Forces. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. ^[13] Both of his parents were interested in natural sciences, and they answered Dawkins' questions in scientific terms. In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of ^[14]

Dawkins describes his childhood as "a normal Anglican upbringing", but reveals that he began doubting the existence of God when he was about nine years old. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. He later reconverted because he was persuaded by the argument from design, an argument for the existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order, purpose, design or direction—or some combination of these—in nature. A teleological argument, or argument from design, is an Argument for the Existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order purpose design Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers theologians and others However, 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. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Later, when he better understood the process of evolution, his religious position again changed, because he felt that natural selection could account for the complexity of life in purely material terms, rendering a supernatural designer unnecessary. In general usage complexity often tends to be used to characterize something with many parts in intricate arrangement ^[15] Dawkins moved to England with his parents at age eight in 1949. ^[13]

Dawkins attended Oundle School from 1954 to 1959. Oundle School is a public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. He studied zoology at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was tutored by Nobel Prize-winning ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen, graduating in 1962. Zoology (from Greek ζῷον, zoon, "animal" + λόγος, " Logos " "knowledge" is the branch of Balliol College (ˈbeɪlɪəl founded in 1263 is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature Nikolaas "Niko" Tinbergen ( April 15, 1907 &ndash December 21, 1988) was a Dutch ethologist and Ornithologist He continued as a research student under Tinbergen's supervision at the University of Oxford, receiving his M.A. and D.Phil. degrees in 1966, while staying as a research assistant for another year. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts ( MA) is awarded to Bachelors "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. ^[12] Tinbergen was a pioneer in the study of animal behaviour, particularly the questions of instinct, learning and choice. ^[16] Dawkins' research in this period concerned models of animal decision making. ^[17]

From 1967 to 1969, Dawkins was an assistant professor of zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley During this period, the students and faculty at UC Berkeley were largely opposed to the ongoing Vietnam War, and Dawkins became heavily involved in the anti-war demonstrations and activities. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The term anti-war usually refers to the opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. ^[18] He returned to the University of Oxford in 1970 taking a position as a lecturer, and—in 1990—a reader, in zoology. In the academic hierarchy in the United Kingdom and some universities in Australia and New Zealand, reader is the rank between Senior lecturer In 1995, he was appointed Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, a position that had been endowed by Charles Simonyi with the express intention that the holder "be expected to make important contributions to the public understanding of some scientific field". Charles Simonyi (Simonyi Károly born September 10 1948 is a Hungarian Computer software executive who as head of Microsoft 's application software ^[19] Since 1970, he has been a fellow of New College, Oxford. New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ^[20]

In the 1970s Dawkins turned to explaining the life sciences to a popular audience, beginning with his well-known and influential, 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. ^[16]

Dawkins 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 (2004), and Tanner Lectures (2003). Henry Sidgwick ( May 31, 1838 – August 28, 1900) was an English Utilitarian Philosopher. Erasmus Darwin (12 December 1731&ndash18 April 1802 was an English Physician, natural philosopher physiologist inventor and poet Michael Faraday, FRS ( September 22 1791 – August 25 1867) was an English Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895 was an English Biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy 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 ^[12] In 1991, he gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for Children (released on DVD in 2007 as Growing Up in the Universe^[21]). The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures have been held in London annually since 1825 Growing Up in the Universe was a series of lectures given by Richard Dawkins as part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, in which he discussed He has also served as editor of a number of prominent journals, and has acted as editorial advisor to Encarta Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Evolution. Encarta is a Digital Multimedia Encyclopedia published by Microsoft Corporation. The Encyclopedia of Evolution is a print Encyclopedia of Evolutionary biology, edited by Mark Pagel. He is a senior editor of the Council for Secular Humanism's Free Inquiry magazine, for which he also writes a column. The Council for Secular Humanism (originally the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, or CODESH) is a secular humanist organization headquartered Free Inquiry is a bi-monthly Journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, which is part He has been a member of the editorial board of Skeptic magazine since its foundation. ^[22]

He has sat on numerous judging panels for awards as diverse as the Royal Society's Faraday Award and the British Academy Television Awards,^[12] and has been president of the Biological Sciences section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 The Michael Faraday Prize is a Science Award given annually by the Royal Society. The British Academy Television Awards, also known as the BAFTAs &mdash or to differentiate them from the BAFTA Film Awards, the BAFTA Television Awards In 2004, Balliol College, Oxford instituted the Dawkins Prize, awarded for "outstanding research into the ecology and behaviour of animals whose welfare and survival may be endangered by human activities". Balliol College (ˈbeɪlɪəl founded in 1263 is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. ^[23]

In September 2008, Dawkins is due to retire from his post as Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, due to reaching the university's mandatory retirement age. ^[24][25]

In 1967, Dawkins married fellow ethologist Marian Stamp, and they divorced in 1984. Marian E Stamp Dawkins is professor for Animal behaviour at the University of Oxford, where she heads the Animal Behaviour Research Group and currently vice-principal Later that year, Dawkins married Eve Barham—with whom he had a daughter, Juliet Emma Dawkins—but they too divorced, and Barham died of cancer in early 1999. ^[26] In 1992, he married actress Lalla Ward. Lalla Ward (born Sarah Ward 28 June 1951) also known as The Honourable Sarah Ward, is an English actress author and illustrator ^[27] Dawkins had met her through their mutual friend Douglas Adams, who worked with Ward on the BBC science-fiction television programme Doctor Who. Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Ward has illustrated over half of Dawkins' books and co-narrated the audio versions of two of his books, The Ancestor's Tale and The God Delusion. The Ancestor's Tale (subtitled A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life) is a 2004 Popular science Book by Richard Dawkins The God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding

Work

Evolutionary biology

Dawkins at the 34th annual conference of American Atheists on March 21, 2008. American Atheists is an organization in the United States dedicated to defending the Civil liberties of atheists and advocating for the complete Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Further information: Gene-centered view of evolution

In his scientific works, Dawkins is best known for his popularisation of the gene-centered view of evolution. The gene-centered view of evolution, gene selection theory or selfish gene theory holds that Natural selection acts through differential survival of competing This view is 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". The Extended Phenotype (subtitled "The Gene as the Unit of Selection" and later "The Long Reach of the Gene" is a 1982 book by Richard Natural selection is the process by which favorable Heritable traits become more common in successive Generations of a Population of In his role 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. History See also History of genetics The existence of genes was first suggested by Gregor Mendel (1822-1884 who in the 1860s studied inheritance A unit of selection is a biological entity within the hierarchy of biological organisation (e eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008

Dawkins has consistently been 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. Spandrel is a term used in evolutionary biology describing a phenotypic characteristic that is considered to have developed during Evolution as a side-effect Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science Richard Charles "Dick" Lewontin (born March 29, 1929) is an American Evolutionary biologist He is particularly sceptical about the practical possibility or importance of group selection as a basis for understanding altruism. 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 Altruism is selfless concern for the welfare of others It is a traditional Virtue in many cultures and central to many religious traditions ^[28] This behaviour appears at first to be an evolutionary paradox, since helping others costs precious resources and decreases one's own fitness. Fitness (often denoted w in Population genetics models is a central concept in evolutionary theory. Previously, many had interpreted this as an aspect of group selection: individuals were doing what was best for the survival of the population or species as a whole, and not specifically for themselves. British evolutionary biologist W. D. Hamilton had used the gene-centred view to explain altruism in terms of inclusive fitness and kin selection—that individuals behave altruistically toward their close relatives, who share many of their own genes. William Donald Hamilton, FRS ( 1 August 1936 &mdash 7 March 2000) was a British Evolutionary biologist There are a few definitions of Inclusive fitness (IF but one (that according to Oli 2003 is not consistent with W From the time of antiquity field biologists have observed that some organisms tend to exhibit strategies that favor the reproductive success of their relatives even at a cost to their own survival ^[29][a] Similarly, Robert Trivers, thinking in terms of the gene-centred model, developed the theory of reciprocal altruism, whereby one organism provides a benefit to another in the expectation of future reciprocation. Robert L Trivers, (born 19 February 1943, ˈtrɪvɚz is an American Evolutionary biologist In Evolutionary biology and Evolutionary psychology, reciprocal altruism is a form of Altruism in which one organism provides a benefit to another without ^[30] Dawkins popularised these ideas in The Selfish Gene, and developed them in his own work. ^[31]

Critics of Dawkins' approach suggest that taking the gene as the unit of selection—of a single event in which an individual either succeeds or fails to reproduce—is misleading, but that the gene could be better described as a unit of evolution—of the long-term changes in allele frequencies in a population. History See also History of genetics The existence of genes was first suggested by Gregor Mendel (1822-1884 who in the 1860s studied inheritance An allele (ˈæliːl (UK /əˈliːl/ (US (from the Greek αλληλος allelos, meaning each other) is one member of a pair or series of different forms ^[32] In The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains that he is using George C. Williams' definition of the gene as "that which segregates and recombines with appreciable frequency". Professor George Christopher Williams (b May 12 1926 is an American Evolutionary biologist. ^[33] Another common objection is that genes cannot survive alone, but must cooperate to build an individual, and therefore cannot be an independent "unit". ^[34] In The Extended Phenotype, Dawkins suggests 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. Genetic recombination is the process by which a strand of genetic material (usually DNA; but can also be RNA) is broken and then joined to a different DNA molecule The Evolution of sexual reproduction is a major puzzle The first Fossilized evidence of sexually reproducing Organisms is from Eukaryotes of the Stenian

Advocates for higher levels of selection such as Richard Lewontin, David Sloan Wilson and Elliot Sober suggest that there are many phenomena (including altruism) that gene-based selection cannot satisfactorily explain. Richard Charles "Dick" Lewontin (born March 29, 1929) is an American Evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson (1949-) is an American Evolutionary biologist. Elliott Sober is Hans Reichenbach Professor and William F Vilas Research Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The philosopher Mary Midgley, whom Dawkins has intermittently debated since the late 1970s,^[35][36] has criticised gene selection, memetics and sociobiology as being excessively reductionist. Mary Midgley, née Scrutton (born September 13, 1919) is an English moral philosopher. ^[37]

In a set of controversies over the mechanisms and interpretation of evolution (the so-called "Darwin Wars"),^[38] one faction was often named after Dawkins and its rival after American biologist Stephen Jay Gould, reflecting the pre-eminence of each as a populariser of pertinent ideas. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science In particular, Dawkins and Gould have been prominent commentators in the controversy over sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, with Dawkins generally approving and Gould generally critical. Sociobiology is a neo-Darwinian and Socialism Synthesis of Scientific disciplines that attempts to explain Social behavior Evolutionary psychology ( EP) attempts to explain mental and psychological traits ��such as Memory, Perception, ^[39] A typical example of Dawkins' position was his scathing review of Not in Our Genes by Steven Rose, Leon J. Kamin and Richard C. Not in Our Genes Biology Ideology and Human Nature is a 1984 Book authored by evolutionary geneticist Richard Lewontin, neurobiologist Steven P Rose (born July 4 1938 in London, United Kingdom is a Professor of Biology and Neurobiology at the Open Leon J Kamin (born December 29, 1928 in Taunton Massachusetts) is an American Psychologist who chaired Lewontin. ^[40] Two other thinkers on the subject often considered to be in the same camp as Dawkins are Steven Pinker and Daniel Dennett; Dennett has promoted a gene-centric view of evolution and defended reductionism in biology. Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18 1954 is a prominent Canadian - American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and author Daniel Clement Dennett (born March 28 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a prominent American philosopher whose research Reductionism can either mean (a an approach to understanding the nature of complex things by reducing them to the interactions of their parts or to simpler or more fundamental things ^[41] Despite their academic disagreements, Dawkins and Gould did not have a hostile personal relationship, and Dawkins dedicated a large portion of his 2003 book A Devil's Chaplain to Gould. A Devil's Chaplain, subtitled Reflections on Hope Lies Science and Love is a 2003 book of selected Essays and other writings

Meme

Main article: Meme

Dawkins coined the term meme (the cultural equivalent of a 'gene') to describe how Darwinian principles might be extended to explain the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. A meme (miːm consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation ^[42] This has spawned the field of memetics. Dawkins used the word meme to refer to any cultural entity which an observer might consider a replicator. He hypothesised that people could view many cultural entities as capable of such replication, generally through exposure to humans, who have evolved as efficient (although not perfect) copiers of information and behaviour. Memes are not always copied perfectly, and might indeed become refined, combined or otherwise modified with other ideas, resulting in new memes, which may themselves prove more, or less, efficient replicators than their predecessors, thus providing a framework for a hypothesis of cultural evolution, analogous to the theory of biological evolution based on genes. Sociocultural evolution(ism is an umbrella term for theories of cultural evolution and Social evolution, describing how Cultures and societies ^[43] Since originally outlining the idea in his book The Selfish Gene, Dawkins has largely left the task of expanding upon it to other authors such as Susan Blackmore. Susan Jane Blackmore (born 29 July, 1951) is an English Freelance writer, Lecturer, and broadcaster on Psychology ^[44]

Although Dawkins coined the term meme independently, he has never claimed that the idea itself was entirely a new one—there had been similar expressions for similar ideas in the past. John Laurent, in The Journal of Memetics, has suggested that the term may have derived from the work of the little-known German biologist Richard Semon. Richard Wolfgang Semon ( August 22 1859 &ndash December 12 1918) was a German zoologist and evolutionary biologist who believed in the ^[45] In 1904, Semon published Die Mneme (which appeared in English in 1924 as The Mneme). Semon's book discussed the cultural transmission of experiences, with insights parallel to Dawkins'. Laurent also found the term mneme used in Maurice Maeterlinck's The Life of the White Ant (1926), and highlighted the similarities to Dawkins' concept. Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Count Maeterlinck ( August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian Poet, Playwright, ^[45]

Criticism of creationism

Dawkins is a prominent critic of creationism, the religious belief that humanity, life and the universe were created by a deity. "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Life is a state that distinguishes Organisms from non-living objects such as non-life and dead organisms being manifested by growth through Metabolism The Universe is defined as everything that Physically Exists: the entirety of Space and Time, all forms of Matter, Energy See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always He has described it as a "preposterous, mind-shrinking falsehood"^[46], and his 1986 book, The Blind Watchmaker, contains a sustained critique of the argument from design, an important creationist argument. 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 A teleological argument, or argument from design, is an Argument for the Existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order purpose design In the book, Dawkins argued against the watchmaker analogy made famous by the 18th-century English theologian William Paley in his book Natural Theology. The watchmaker analogy, or watchmaker Argument, is a Teleological argument for the Existence of God. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective William Paley (July 1743 &ndash 25 May 1805) was a British Christian apologist, Philosopher, and utilitarian. Paley argued that, just as a watch is too complicated and too functional to have sprung into existence merely by accident, so too must all living things, with their far greater complexity, be purposefully designed. According to Dawkins, however, natural selection is sufficient to explain the apparent functionality and non-random complexity of the biological world, and can be said to play the role of watchmaker in nature, albeit as an automatic, nonintelligent, blind watchmaker. ^[47]

In 1986, Dawkins participated in the Oxford Union's Huxley Memorial Debate, in which he and English biologist John Maynard Smith debated Young Earth creationist A. E. Wilder-Smith and Edgar Andrews, president of the Biblical Creation Society. Status and membership The Oxford Union is an Unincorporated association, holding its property in trust in favour of its objectives and members and governed The Huxley Memorial Debate took place on February 14, 1986 under the auspices of the Oxford Union, a student debating club of Oxford University. Maynard Smith redirects here -- for other uses see Maynard Smith (disambiguation Professor John Maynard Smith, F Young Earth creationism (YEC is the religious belief that Heaven, Earth, and Life on Earth were created by a direct act of God dating Arthur Ernest Wilder-Smith (1915 - 1995 more commonly known as A ^[b] In general, however, Dawkins has followed the advice of his late colleague Stephen Jay Gould and refused to participate in formal debates with creationists because doing so would give them the "oxygen of respectability" they crave. He suggests 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. "^[48]

In a December 2004 interview with American journalist Bill Moyers, Dawkins said that "among the things that science does know, evolution is about as certain as anything we know". Bill Moyers (born June 5, 1934, as William Donald "Billy Don" Moyers) is an American Journalist and public commentator When Moyers questioned him on the use of the word theory, Dawkins stated that "evolution has been observed. Evolution is both Theory and Fact. This statement or something similar is frequently seen in biological literature It's just that it hasn't been observed while it's happening. " He added that "it is rather like a detective coming on a murder after the scene. . . the detective hasn't actually seen the murder take place, of course. But what you do see is a massive clue . . . Huge quantities of circumstantial evidence. It might as well be spelled out in words of English. "^[49]

Dawkins has ardently opposed the inclusion of intelligent design in science education, describing it as "not a scientific argument at all, but a religious one". Intelligent ^[50] He has been a strong critic of the British organisation Truth in Science, which promotes the teaching of creationism in state schools, and he plans—through the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science—to subsidise the delivering of books, DVDs, and pamphlets to schools, in order to counteract what he has described as an "educational scandal". Truth in Science is a United Kingdom -based organization which promotes the " Teach the Controversy " campaign The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science ( RDFRS or RDF) is a Non-profit organization founded by Biologist Richard Dawkins DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is A pamphlet is an unbound Booklet (that is without a hard cover or binding) ^[51]

Atheism and rationalism

Dawkins lecturing on his book The God Delusion, June 24, 2006. The God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Dawkins is an outspoken atheist and a prominent critic of religion. Atheism Criticism of religion involves Criticism of the concept of Religion, the validity of religion the practice of religion and the consequences of religion He is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society,^[52] a vice-president of the British Humanist Association (since 1996),^[12] a Distinguished Supporter of the Humanist Society of Scotland,^[53] a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism,^[54] and a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation which promotes Secularism, the separation of Church and State to make society fair for everyone 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 The Council for Secular Humanism (originally the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, or CODESH) is a secular humanist organization headquartered The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ( CSI) formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal ( CSICOP) is a ^[55] In 2003, he signed Humanism and Its Aspirations, published by the American Humanist Association. Humanism and Its Aspirations subtitled Humanist Manifesto III a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933 is the most recent of the Humanist Manifestos The American Humanist Association (AHA is an educational organization in the United States that advances Humanism. ^[56]

Dawkins believes that atheism is the logical extension of understanding evolution^[57] and that religion is incompatible with science. ^[58] In his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker, Dawkins wrote:

An atheist before Darwin could have said, following Hume: "I have no explanation for complex biological design. All I know is that God isn't a good explanation, so we must wait and hope that somebody comes up with a better one. " I can't help feeling that such a position, though logically sound, would have left one feeling pretty unsatisfied, and that although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist. ^[59]

In his 1991 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 religions, such as the belief that punishment awaits non-believers. " Viruses of the Mind " (1991 is an essay by Richard Dawkins using Memetics and analogies with biological and Computer viruses and with This article is related to the study of self-replicating units of culture not to be confused with Mimetics Memetics is a neo-Darwinian approach According to Dawkins, faith—belief that is not based on evidence—is one of the world's great evils. He claims it to be analogous to the smallpox virus, though more difficult to eradicate. ^[60] Dawkins is well-known for his contempt for religious extremism, from Islamist terrorism^[61] to Christian fundamentalism; but he has also argued with liberal believers and religious scientists, from biologists Kenneth Miller^[62] and Francis Collins^[63] to theologians Alister McGrath and Richard Harries. Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and Kenneth R Miller (born 1948 is a Biology Professor at Brown University. Francis S Collins (born April 14, 1950) MD, PhD, is an American Physician - Geneticist, noted for his landmark Alister E McGrath (born January 23, 1953) is a Christian theologian, with a DPhil in Molecular biophysics, noted for his work on Richard Douglas Harries Baron Harries of Pentregarth (born June 2 1936) is a retired Bishop of the Church of England, and was the 41st ^[64] Dawkins has stated that his opposition to religion is twofold, claiming it to be both a source of conflict and a justification for belief without evidence. ^[65] However, he describes himself as a "cultural Christian",^[66] and proposed the slogan "Atheists for Jesus". ^[67]

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when asked how the world might have changed, Dawkins responded:

Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that. Revealed faith is not harmless nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives people unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it gives them false courage to kill themselves, which automatically removes normal barriers to killing others. Dangerous because it teaches enmity to others labelled only by a difference of inherited tradition. And dangerous because we have all bought into a weird respect, which uniquely protects religion from normal criticism. Let's now stop being so damned respectful!^[68]

Dawkins has especially risen to prominence in contemporary public debates relating science and religion since the publication of his 2006 book The God Delusion, which has achieved greater sales figures worldwide than any of his other works to date. Its success has been seen by many as indicative of a change in the contemporary cultural zeitgeist, central to a recent rise in the popularity of atheistic literature. Zeitgeist ( pronounced) is a German language expression literally translated Zeit time; Geist spirit, meaning "the ^[69][70] The God Delusion was praised by many intellectuals including the Nobel laureate chemist Sir Harold Kroto, psychologist Steven Pinker, and the Nobel laureate biologist James D. Watson. Sir Harold (Harry Walter Kroto, FRS (born 7 October, 1939) is an English chemist and one of the 3 recipents to share the 1996 Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18 1954 is a prominent Canadian - American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and author ^[71] In the book, Dawkins argued that atheists should be proud, not apologetic, because atheism is evidence of a healthy, independent mind. ^[72] He sees education and consciousness-raising as the primary tools in opposing what he considers to be religious dogma and indoctrination. Consciousness raising (often abbreviated cr) is a form of Political activism, pioneered by United States radical feminists in the late 1960s ^[18][73][3] These tools include the fight against certain stereotypes, and he has adopted the term Bright as a way of associating positive public connotations with those who possess a naturalistic worldview. Philosophical naturalism has been described in various ways In its broadest and strongest sense naturalism is the metaphysical position that "nature is all there is ^[73] Dawkins notes that feminists have succeeded in arousing widespread embarrassment at the routine use of "he" instead of "she". Similarly, he suggests, a phrase such as "Catholic child" or "Muslim child" should be considered just as socially absurd as, for instance, "Marxist child": children should not be classified based on their parents' ideological beliefs. ^[73] According to Dawkins, there is no such thing as a Christian child or a Muslim child. ^[72]

In January 2006, Dawkins presented a two-part television documentary entitled The Root of All Evil?, addressing what he sees as the malignant influence of religion on society. The Root of All Evil? is a television documentary, written and presented by Richard Dawkins, in which he argues that humanity would be better off without The title itself is one with which Dawkins has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction. ^[74] Critics have said that the programme gave too much time to marginal figures and extremists, and that Dawkins' confrontational style did not help his cause;^[75][76] 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. ^[77] The unedited recordings of Dawkins' conversations with Alister McGrath and Richard Harries, including material unused in the broadcast version, have been made available online by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science ( RDFRS or RDF) is a Non-profit organization founded by Biologist Richard Dawkins ^[78]

Oxford theologian Alister McGrath maintains that Dawkins is "ignorant" of Christian theology, and therefore unable to engage religion and faith intelligently. Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument ^[79] In reply, Dawkins asks "do you have to read up on leprechology before disbelieving in leprechauns?",^[80] and—in the paperback edition of The God Delusion—he refers to the American biologist PZ Myers, who has satirized this line of argument as "The Courtier's Reply". In Irish mythology, a leprechaun (leipreachán The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers (born March 9, 1957) is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM and Pharyngula is a Blog on ScienceBlogs run by PZ Myers. In 2006 the science journal Nature listed it as the top-ranked blog written ^[81] Dawkins had an extended debate with McGrath at the 2007 Sunday Times Literary Festival. The Sunday Times is a Sunday Broadsheet Newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. ^[82]

Another Christian philosopher, Keith Ward, explores similar themes in his 2006 book Is Religion Dangerous?, arguing against the view of Dawkins and others that religion is socially dangerous. 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?" Criticism of The God Delusion has come from philosophers such as Professor John Cottingham of the University of Reading. The University of Reading is a University in the English town of Reading Berkshire ^[83] Other commentators, including ethicist Margaret Somerville,^[84] have suggested that Dawkins "overstates the case against religion",^[85] particularly its role in human conflict. An ethicist is one whose judgment on Ethics and Ethical codes has come to be trusted by a specific Community, and (importantly is expressed in some way Margaret Anne Ganley Somerville, AM, FRSC (born April 13, 1942) is an Australian Canadian Ethicist and academic Many of Dawkins' defenders, however, claim that critics generally misunderstand his real point. During a debate on Radio 3 Hong Kong, David Nicholls, writer and president of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, reiterated Dawkins' sentiments that religion is an "unnecessary" aspect of global problems. The Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc was established in South Australia in 1970 when The Rationalist Association of South Australia decided upon a name change to better ^[86]

Dawkins argues that "the existence of God is a scientific hypothesis like any other". ^[87] He disagrees with Stephen Jay Gould's principle of nonoverlapping magisteria (NOMA). Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science In an interview with Time magazine, Dawkins said:

I think that Gould's separate compartments was a purely political ploy to win middle-of-the-road religious people to the science camp. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and But it's a very empty idea. There are plenty of places where religion does not keep off the scientific turf. Any belief in miracles is flat contradictory not just to the facts of science but to the spirit of science. ^[88]

Astrophysicist Martin Rees has suggested that Dawkins' attack on mainstream religion is unhelpful. Martin John Rees Baron Rees of Ludlow, OM, PRS (born 23 June 1942 in York) is an English cosmologist ^[89] Regarding Rees' claim in his book Our Cosmic Habitat that "such questions lie beyond science", Dawkins asks "what expertise can theologians bring to deep cosmological questions that scientists cannot?"^[90][91] Elsewhere, Dawkins has written that "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. "^[60] As examples of "good scientists who are sincerely religious", Dawkins names Arthur Peacocke, Russell Stannard, John Polkinghorne and Francis Collins, but says "I remain baffled . The Reverend Canon Arthur Robert Peacocke MBE ( 29 November 1924 - 21 October 2006) was a British theologian and scientist Russell Stannard is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Open University. John Polkinghorne, Francis S Collins (born April 14, 1950) MD, PhD, is an American Physician - Geneticist, noted for his landmark . . by their belief in the details of the Christian religion. "^{[92][93][94][95][96]} He has said that the publication of The God Delusion is "probably the culmination" of his campaign against religion. ^[97]

In 2007, Dawkins founded the Out Campaign to encourage atheists worldwide to declare their stance publicly and proudly. The Out Campaign is a public awareness initiative for Freethought and Atheism. ^[98] Inspired by the gay rights movement, Dawkins hopes that atheists' identifying of themselves as such, and thereby increasing public awareness of how many people hold these views, will reduce the negative opinion of atheism among the religious majority. Gay Liberation is the name used to describe the radical Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s ^[4][99]

Richard Dawkins Foundation

Main article: Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science

In 2006, Dawkins founded the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS), a non-profit organization. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science ( RDFRS or RDF) is a Non-profit organization founded by Biologist Richard Dawkins A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage The foundation is in developmental phase. It has been granted charitable status in the United Kingdom and the United States. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the RDFRS plans to finance research on the psychology of belief and religion, finance scientific education programs and materials, and publicise and support secular charitable organizations. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. The definition of charitable organization, and of charity varies according to the country and in some instances the region of the country in which the charitable organization operates The foundation also offers humanist, rationalist, and scientific materials and information through its website. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding ^[100]

Other fields

Dawkins talking at Kepler's Books, Menlo Park, California, October 29, 2006. Kepler's Books is an Independent bookstore in Menlo Park California. Menlo Park is an affluent City in San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

In his role as professor for public understanding of science, Dawkins has been a critic of pseudoscience and alternative medicine. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional Medicine. His 1998 book Unweaving the Rainbow takes John Keats' accusation that, by explaining the rainbow, Isaac Newton had diminished its beauty, and argues for the opposite conclusion. Unweaving the Rainbow (subtitled "Science Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder" is a 1998 book by Richard Dawkins, discussing the relationship between A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of Light to appear in the Sky when the Sun Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements He suggests that deep space, the billions of years of life's evolution, and the microscopic workings of biology and heredity contain more beauty and wonder than do "myths" and "pseudoscience". ^[101] 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 from more successful, conventional treatments, and gave people false hopes. John Diamond ( 10 May, 1953 - 2 March, 2001) was a British broadcaster and Journalist ^[102] Dawkins states that "there is no alternative medicine. There is only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't work. "^[103]

Dawkins has expressed concern about the growth of the planet's human population, and about the matter of overpopulation. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Overpopulation refers to a condition where an Organism 's numbers exceed the Carrying capacity of its Habitat. ^[104] In The Selfish Gene, he briefly mentions population growth, giving the example of Latin America, whose population, at the time the book was written, was doubling every 40 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 in the form of starvation. Family planning is frequently used to mean that people plan when to have children using Birth control, preconceptional counseling. Population control is the practice of limiting population increase usually by reducing the Birth rate. Birth control, sometimes synonymous with contraception, is a regimen of one or more actions devices or Medications followed in order to deliberately prevent Starvation (also called inanition) is a severe reduction in Vitamin, Nutrient, and Energy intake and is the most extreme form of ^[105]

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. The Great Ape Project (GAP founded in 1993 is an international organization of Primatologists Psychologists Ethicists and other experts who advocate A right is a legal or moral Entitlement or Permission. Rights are of vital importance in theories of Justice and deontological ethics Paola Cavalieri is an Italian philosopher most known for her work arguing for extension of human rights to the other Great apes. Peter Albert David Singer (born July 6, 1946 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian philosopher. In this essay, he criticises contemporary society's moral attitudes as being based on a "discontinuous, speciesist imperative". Speciesism involves assigning different values or rights to beings on the basis of their Species membership ^[106]

Dawkins also regularly comments in newspapers and weblogs on contemporary political questions; his opinions include opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq,^[107] the British nuclear deterrent, and the actions of U. A blog (a contraction of the term " Web log " is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary descriptions of The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The UK Trident programme is the United Kingdom 's Trident missile -based nuclear weapons programme. S. President George W. Bush. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. ^[108] Several such articles were included in A Devil's Chaplain, an anthology of writings about science, religion and politics. A Devil's Chaplain, subtitled Reflections on Hope Lies Science and Love is a 2003 book of selected Essays and other writings

In the 2007 TV documentary The Enemies of Reason,^[109] Dawkins discusses what he sees as the dangers of abandoning critical thought and rationale based upon scientific evidence. For the Frantics album see Enemies of Reason. The Enemies of Reason is a two-part Television documentary, written He specifically cites astrology, spiritualism, dowsing, alternative faiths, alternative medicine, and homeopathy. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems Spiritualism is a Religion founded in part on the writings of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772 Dowsing, sometimes called doodlebugging, divining or water witching, is a practice whereby dowsers attempt to locate hidden Water wells The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional Medicine. This article has been the subject of edit wars and has been placed on probation He also discusses how the Internet can be used to spread religious hatred and conspiracy theories with scant attention to evidence-based reasoning. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks

Awards and recognition

Dawkins receiving the Deschner Prize in Frankfurt, October 12, 2007, from Karlheinz Deschner. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Karl Heinrich Leopold Deschner (born on May 23 1924 in Bamberg, Germany) is a German researcher and writer who has achieved public attention in Europe for his thorough

Dawkins was awarded a Doctor of Science by the University of Oxford in 1989. DSc ScD SD, or DrSc are common abbreviations for the Latin Scientiæ Doctor, meaning Doctor of Science. He holds honorary doctorates in science from the University of Westminster, Durham University,^[110] and the University of Hull, and an honorary doctorate from the Open University and from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa ( Latin: 'for the sake of the honour' is an Academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding 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 Durham University is a University in Durham, England. It was founded as the University of Durham (which remains its official and legal name The University of Hull, also known as Hull University, is an English University, founded in 1927 located in Hull (or Kingston upon Hull) a Open University is also the name of other institutions See Distance education or the Open Universities category for a list The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a Flemish University located in Brussels, Belgium. ^[12] He also holds honorary doctorates of letters from the University of St Andrews and the Australian National University, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1997 and the Royal Society in 2001. The University of St Andrews is the oldest University in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public Research university situated in Canberra, Australia. The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain " The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 ^[12]

In 1987, Dawkins received a Royal Society of Literature award, and a Los Angeles Times Literary Prize for his book, The Blind Watchmaker. The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain " The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed In the same year, he received a Sci. Tech Prize for Best Television Documentary Science Programme of the Year, for the BBC Horizon episode entitled The Blind Watchmaker. Horizon is a current and long-running BBC popular Science and Philosophy documentary programme ^[12]

His other awards have included the Zoological Society of London Silver Medal (1989), the Michael Faraday Award (1990), the Nakayama Prize (1994), the Humanist of the Year Award (1996), the fifth International Cosmos Prize (1997), the Kistler Prize (2001), the Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic (2001), and the Bicentennial Kelvin Medal of The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow (2002). The Zoological Society of London (sometimes known by the abbreviation ZSL) is a Learned society founded in London in April 1826 by Sir Thomas Stamford The Michael Faraday Prize is a Science Award given annually by the Royal Society. The International Cosmos Prize is a prize awarded annually by the Expo 90 Commemorative Foundation for research work that has achieved excellence and is 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 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 The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow was established in 1802 and is a Learned society. ^[12]

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. Not to be confused with The American Prospect magazine Prospect is a monthly British general interest Magazine ^[111][112] He has been short-listed as a candidate in their 2008 follow-up poll. ^[113] In 2005, the Hamburg-based Alfred Toepfer Foundation awarded him its Shakespeare Prize in recognition of his "concise and accessible presentation of scientific knowledge". Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung FVS is a German foundation established in 1931 by the Hamburg merchant Alfred Toepfer. The Shakespeare Prize was an annual prize for writing or performance awarded to a British citizen by the Hamburg Alfred Toepfer Foundation. He won the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science for 2006 and the Galaxy British Book Awards Author of the Year Award for 2007. The Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science, named for its first recipient Lewis Thomas, is an annual literary prize awarded by Rockefeller University The British Book Awards are given annually and promoted by the UK Publishing industry trade journal Publishing News. ^[114] In the same year, he was listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007,^[115] and was awarded the Deschner Prize, named after Karlheinz Deschner. Karl Heinrich Leopold Deschner (born on May 23 1924 in Bamberg, Germany) is a German researcher and writer who has achieved public attention in Europe for his thorough ^[116]

Since 2003, the Atheist Alliance International has awarded a prize during its annual conference, honoring an outstanding atheist whose work has done most to raise public awareness of atheism during that year. Atheist Alliance International (AAI is an alliance of 58 atheist organizations around the World, 48 of which are located in the United States. It is known as the Richard Dawkins Award, in honor of Dawkins' own work. Atheist Alliance International (AAI is an alliance of 58 atheist organizations around the World, 48 of which are located in the United States. ^[117]

Publications

As sole author

• The Selfish Gene, Oxford University Press, 1976, ISBN 0-19-286092-5 
• The Extended Phenotype, Oxford University Press, 1982, ISBN 0-19-288051-9 
• The Blind Watchmaker, W. W. Norton & Company, 1986, ISBN 0-393-31570-3 
• River out of Eden, Basic Books, 1995, ISBN 0-465-06990-8 
• Climbing Mount Improbable, New York: W. The Extended Phenotype (subtitled "The Gene as the Unit of Selection" and later "The Long Reach of the Gene" is a 1982 book by Richard 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 W W Norton & Company is an American book publishing company that has remained independent since its founding River out of Eden (subtitled "A Darwinian View of Life" is a 1995 Popular science book by Richard Dawkins. Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1952. It publishes books in the fields of Psychology, Philosophy, Economics, Science, Climbing Mount Improbable is a 1996 Popular science Book by Richard Dawkins. W. Norton & Company, 1996, ISBN 0-393-31682-3 
• Unweaving the Rainbow, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998, ISBN 0-618-05673-4 
• A Devil's Chaplain, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003, ISBN 0-618-33540-4 
• The Ancestor's Tale, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004, ISBN 0-618-00583-8 
• The God Delusion, Bantam Books, 2006, ISBN 0-618-68000-4 

As sole editor

• The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing, Oxford University Press, 2008, ISBN 0-199-21680-0 

Dawkins' next book, which will marshal empirical evidence supporting the theory of evolution, is scheduled to be published in the United States by Free Press on November 24, 2009, the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's seminal On the Origin of Species. Unweaving the Rainbow (subtitled "Science Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder" is a 1998 book by Richard Dawkins, discussing the relationship between Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational Publisher in the United States. A Devil's Chaplain, subtitled Reflections on Hope Lies Science and Love is a 2003 book of selected Essays and other writings The Ancestor's Tale (subtitled A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life) is a 2004 Popular science Book by Richard Dawkins The God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding Bantam Books is a major US publishing house owned by Random House and is part of the Bantam Dell Publishing Group The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing is an Anthology of well-respected scientific writings arranged and introduced by Richard Dawkins of the eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Free Press is an American publisher and Imprint of Simon & Schuster that has been in business for over fifty years Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life Charles Darwin 's On the Origin of Species (published 24 November 1859) is a seminal work in Scientific literature and arguably the ^[118]

Further reading

General

• Sexton, Ed (2001). Dawkins and the Selfish Gene. Totem Books. ISBN 1-84046-238-8.  
• Sterelny, Kim (2001). Dawkins vs Gould: Survival of the Fittest. Icon Books. ISBN 1-84046-249-3.  
• Grafen, Alan; Mark Ridley (eds. Alan Grafen is a Scottish ethologist and evolutionary biologist. Mark Ridley (born 1956 is a British zoologist and writer on Evolution. ) (2006). Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think. Richard Dawkins How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think is a Festschrift of 25 essays written in recognition of the life and work of Richard Dawkins Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-929116-0.  

Criticism

• McGrath, Alister (2004). Alister E McGrath (born January 23, 1953) is a Christian theologian, with a DPhil in Molecular biophysics, noted for his work on Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life. Dawkins' God Genes Memes and the Meaning of Life is a book by Alister McGrath, a molecular Biophysicist and theologian who is currently Professor John Wiley & Sons. John Wiley & Sons Inc, also referred to as Wiley, is a global Publishing company that markets its products to professionals and consumers students and instructors ISBN 1-4051-2538-1.  
• Ward, Keith (2006). The Reverend Professor (John Stephen Keith Ward (born 22 August 1938) is a British cleric philosopher theologian and scholar Is Religion Dangerous?. 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?" London: Lion Hudson Plc. ISBN 978-0745952628.  
• McGrath, Alister; Joanna Collicutt McGrath (2007). The Dawkins Delusion?. The Dawkins Delusion?, subtitled Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine is a Book by Christian theologian Alister McGrath Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (earlier known as the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge and more commonly known as SPCK) is the oldest Anglican ISBN 0-281-05927-6.  
• Hahn, Scott; Benjamin Wiker (2008). Scott Hahn (born October 28, 1957) is a contemporary author theologian and Catholic apologist. Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God. Emmaus Road Publishing. ISBN 978-1931018487.  

Documentaries and debates

• Nice Guys Finish First (1987)
• The Blind Watchmaker (1987)
• Growing Up in the Universe (1991)
• Break the Science Barrier (1996)
• The Root of All Evil? (2006)
• The Enemies of Reason (2007)

On September 30, 2007, Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens discussed their views on atheism and religion, amongst themselves. Nice Guys Finish First ( BBC ''Horizon'' television series) is a 1987 documentary by Richard Dawkins which discusses selfishness and cooperation 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 Growing Up in the Universe was a series of lectures given by Richard Dawkins as part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, in which he discussed Break the Science Barrier is a television documentary written and presented by Richard Dawkins, which promotes the viewpoint that scientific endeavour is The Root of All Evil? is a television documentary, written and presented by Richard Dawkins, in which he argues that humanity would be better off without For the Frantics album see Enemies of Reason. The Enemies of Reason is a two-part Television documentary, written Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Daniel Clement Dennett (born March 28 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a prominent American philosopher whose research Sam Harris (born 1967 is an American Non-fiction writer and Philosopher. Christopher Eric Hitchens (born April 13, 1949) is a British Author, Journalist, Literary critic and American Atheism A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The talk was filmed and entitled Discussions with Richard Dawkins, Episode One: The Four Horsemen. ^[119] Episode Two in the series, a short segment of which has already been released,^[120] will feature a 90-minute conversation between Dawkins and PZ Myers. Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers (born March 9, 1957) is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM and

Notes

References

External links

General

• Official website
• The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
• The Current Simonyi Professor: Richard Dawkins
• TED Talks: Richard Dawkins Speech – An atheist's call to arms.
• Richard Dawkins at the Internet Movie Database
• Richard Dawkins Resource Page – links to videos that include Richard Dawkins, with thumbnails and descriptions.
• Livejournal community dedicated to discussing Dawkins' ideas and activities
• Dawkins at the Clinton School – Lecture and Q&A Session

Selected writings

• Viruses of the Mind (1993) – Religion as a mental virus.
• The Real Romance in the Stars (1995) – A critical view of astrology. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems
• The Emptiness of Theology (1998) – A critical view of theology. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective
• Snake Oil and Holy Water (1999) – Dawkins claims that there is no convergence occurring between science and theism.
• What Use is Religion? (2004) – Suggests 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 term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets
• 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.
• Dawkins' Huffington Post articles