Sam Harris & Richard Dawkins: Who Says Science has Nothing to Say About Morality?

Richard Dawkins & PZ Myers

A few friends and I went to see a discussion between Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers hosted by the British Humanist Association. The event was marred slightly by some people protesting about things entirely irrelevant to the talk (see videos below).

A recording of the event is available here thanks to the Pod Delusion: PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins in Conversation.

Perhaps the most annoying thing however is the number of bad/banal questions. It would perhaps have been better to have people write questions down and then select from those ones which are interesting (and ideally related to the talk).

Rational Mantis

Combining my love of insects with a passion for reason. Awesome.

O'Reilly vs Dawkins

Dawkins sometimes get accused of being an evangelical atheist. In this interview however he just comes across as the voice of reason. Science classrooms should be full of science. Period.

The interview was meant to be about RD's latest book, The Greatest Show on Earth, a topic deftly missed by O'Reilly. Indeed O'Reilly winds himself up into such a state that he shouts and calls Dawkins a fascist for saying Jesus should stay out of science lessons.

At least we don't get this nonsense in the UK!

Richard Dawkins interviews Derren Brown

I like Derren Brown, he is an entertainer who admits that what he does is entirely rational. In this interview he comes across well, but is slightly reluctant to criticize psychics in their entirety.

Dawkins in Oklahoma

What I find most shocking about this is the state legislature trying to censor who can talk to university students - who are more than capable (perhaps uniquely in Oklahoma) be able to listen to an idea and choose whether to adopt it, or not, based upon evidence.

Christian Bus Campaign

It seems that the Christians got a bit peeved by the atheist bus campaign. The Christian Party, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Trinitarian Bible Society. I find this quite amusing, the original atheist bus campaign was a response to Christian advertising and it's message that non believers will go to hell.

So what do these organisations have to say?

The Christian Party: "There definitely is a God. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life." That's very definite, if, I believe, almost certainly wrong. I have huge issues with bringing religion into politics, so I will refuse the offer to join their party.

The Russian Orthodox Church: "There IS a God, BELIEVE. Don't worry and enjoy your life." Unfortunately believing in the Christian god requires worry, and more often than not fear. Not for me either.

The Trinitarian Bible Society: "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God," I take exception to being called a fool.

Oh well, looks like I'm going to be a godless heathen for a while longer, damn!

P.S. Have you notice how terrible all three of those websites are? The TBS even refers to Richard Dawkins as an 'atheist'. Do the quote marks indicate they know something we don't?

Atheist Busses

Video from the Telegraph:



Richard Dawkins comes across well, unlike the Christian guy. I really don't get how what he said related to the advertising campaign.

Wrecking Britain?

Quentin Letts thinks that Richard Dawkins is one of the top 50 people who have wrecked Britain, giving his reasons as follows:

"Anti-religionist Dawkins, the best-known English dissenter since Darwin, is the merciless demander of provable fact.

He is the Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and tours the world lecturing the elites of the West that they are stupid to believe in any god.

He proselytises against the proselytisers, most of his targets wishing they had a fraction of his apparent certainty.

He is the anti-preacher whose sermons are designed to erode churchgoing and, with that, weaken our happiness.

A man less obsessed with himself and with the narrow calculations of men in white coats might realise that religion, although never offering proof of God's existence, can sugar catastrophe and brighten chasms.

In times of turbulence, the human being is little different from the vole or the dormouse. It will take shelter where it can.

No amount of superior lecturing from an anti-Christ, not even one with so important a title as his, will alter that."

I would argue that religion can create catastrophe and create chasms. As for "demand[ing] provable fact" I would much rather base my life on things that are true than folly.

Religious people more moral?

Check out this example from the post-bag of Richard Dawkins.

Dawkins banned in Turkey

Another example of 'they've got a better argument then we have, better censor them', again taken from the Guardian. You don't get many atheists trying to censor religious works, probably because most atheists have an intellectual freedom that is unchallenged by dogma.

Jesus Camp

I finally got round to watching this film in some free time I had this morning. For those of you who haven't seen or heard about it, it follows a few kids attending a 'Jesus Camp' run by a larger than life evangelical woman. It really does ram home the problem of religion.

Most of the kids are home-schooled, apparently on religious grounds. The lessons seem to make a complete mockery of science, evolution, and who knows what else. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole of history was rewritten to support the Bible.

The camp itself used evocative music, dance, speech, lighting, etc to enchant the children and draw them into the fold. These tactics wouldn't be out of place in the arsenal of many a dictator, and the conviction of the speaker, and her eagerness to convert the people to believe her world-view reminded me of Adolf Hitler than the biblical accounts of Jesus of Nazareth.

That made me angry, but the anger was overcome by sadness for the children. For those of you who doubted Richard Dawkins claim that this form of indoctrination is child abuse you need look no further. The children seem to be converted not just for their own good, but to be soldiers for the cause of evangelism.