Join legendary evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, renowned for his influential work "The Selfish Gene," and Alex O’Connor, a philosophy YouTuber with a knack for deep discussions, as they dissect the impact of memes and archetypes on culture. They explore the dynamic tension between scientific truth and biblical narratives, particularly through the lens of stories like Cain and Abel. Delve into the therapeutic dimensions of confronting fears through ancient tales, and how these narratives evolve, echoing both psychological growth and cultural evolution.

Dr. Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, theorist, and one of the world’s foremost atheists.In this episode, Dr. Dawkins and I discuss religion, psychedelics, consciousness, symbolism, postmodernism, and the importance of objective truth.Links:To follow Dawkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkinsWebsite: https://richarddawkins.com/Read Dawkins’ articles: https://richarddawkins.com/articlesTo donate to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science: https://richarddawkins.net/donate/Show Notes:[0:00] Intro[1:30] Jordan’s rise to fame, Bill C-16, and Free Speech[5:30] Intimidation and fear of speaking out against the far left[9:10] Micro retreats[11:40] Dawkins’ paper about the organism as a model[18:30] Female sexual selection[21:10] Differences between Jordan and Dr. Dawkins' thinking[24:00] Jeffrey Gray, his work on modeling, Psychedelics, and Anxiety[30:00] Psychedelics, Symbolism, and Consciousness[41:00] Jordan’s experiences with psilocybin and yoga[45:40] Postmodernism, Lacan, Foucault, and Mikhaila’s Oxford Union debate[52:30] Jordan addresses Dawkins' assertion that despite being against postmodernist thinking he at times utilizes symbolism to speculate in a way which is similar to them.[53:50] Finding commonality between myths and symbols across cultures[55:50] False pattern recognition and revelatory thoughts[59:20] Objective truth and the scientific process[1:07:10] Unpleasant or dangerous truths[1:08:10] The metaphysical vision of the redeeming power of truth[1:10:10] Jordan and Dawkins discuss the idea that a narrative drives the process of inquiry, even in regards to objective truth[1:12:50] Humans’ ability to understand difficult concepts on a biological level[1:16:10] Question: Do you identify the religious impulse or even the religious phenomenon with the totalitarian proclivity for dogmatic certainty and the potential acceleration of aggression and atrocity as a consequence?[1:20:10] Question: To what degree do you think that consciousness operates as a fundamental mechanism of selection and shaping?[1:23:00] Artificial intelligence and the metaphysical significance of consciousness

Richard Dawkins, an influential evolutionary biologist and author, shares insights from his final live tour. He discusses the rise of cultural Christianity, questioning its appeal against a backdrop of secularism. Dawkins unpacks misconceptions about heredity and evolution, while examining race as a genetic spectrum. The conversation shifts to identity politics as a substitute for religious meaning, and reflects on the evolving landscape of modern relationships. He also explores human evolution through fossils and the significance of consciousness in survival.

Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, and author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The God Delusion, The Magic of Reality, The Greatest Show on Earth, and his latest Outgrowing God. He is the originator and popularizer of a lot of fascinating ideas in evolutionary biology and science in general, including funny enough the introduction of the word meme in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which in the context of a gene-centered view of evolution is an exceptionally powerful idea. He is outspoken, bold, and often fearless in his defense of science and reason, and in this way, is one of the most influential thinkers of our time. Support this podcast by signing up with these sponsors: – Cash App – use code “LexPodcast” and download: – Cash App (App Store): https://apple.co/2sPrUHe – Cash App (Google Play): https://bit.ly/2MlvP5w EPISODE LINKS: Richard’s Website: https://www.richarddawkins.net/ Richard’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins Richard’s Books: – Selfish Gene: https://amzn.to/34tpHQy – The Magic of Reality: https://amzn.to/3c0aqZQ – The Blind Watchmaker: https://amzn.to/2RqV5tH – The God Delusion: https://amzn.to/2JPrxlc – Outgrowing God: https://amzn.to/3ebFess – The Greatest Show on Earth: https://amzn.to/2Rp2j1h This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon. Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. OUTLINE: 00:00 – Introduction 02:31 – Intelligent life in the universe 05:03 – Engineering intelligence (are there shortcuts?) 07:06 – Is the evolutionary process efficient? 10:39 – Human brain and AGI 15:31 – Memes 26:37 – Does society need religion? 33:10 – Conspiracy theories 39:10 – Where do morals come from in humans? 46:10 – AI began with the ancient wish to forge the gods 49:18 – Simulation 56:58 – Books that influenced you 1:02:53 – Meaning of life

Evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins discusses Christianity, the benefits of religion, the success of Darwin's theory, analyzing views on religion and free speech, the privileged status of Christian theology, the nature of debates, and arguments on God's existence.

Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett discuss the rise and fall of New Atheism, questioning its direction and impact. They explore the aggressive nature of the movement and its use of mockery and ridicule. The podcast also highlights the negative effects of this approach, leading to a resurgence in belief in God and a reconsideration of Christianity by secular thinkers. The flaws in the New Atheist argument and the disappointment with Richard Dawkins are also discussed.

On Nov 15th and 16th, 2022, The Origins Project Foundation hosted their first public events in North America at the beautiful Orpheum Theater in Phoenix, AZ (we had hosted an event in Iceland in September during our Greenland-Iceland Travel Adventure). There was no better way to begin this new series than with a dialogue onstage with Richard Dawkins, and that was the substance of our first night’s event. As all those who have followed us will know, Richard and I have done many dialogues together, onstage and online, and so it was important that this dialogue be new and different. Richard had just published a new book entitled “Books do Furnish a Life”, which is a compilation of essays he had written about other scientists and writers, and also transcripts of dialogues he had had with numerous people, including me. I decided this new book would provide a wonderful opportunity to jump off in new directions, and it turned out to be just that. The response from the audience and from those who had seen many of our previous dialogues was very positive, and we came off stage feeling like it was one of the best public conversations we have had. I hope those of you who watch it, or listen to it, here will agree. Following our 90 minute dialogue onstage we asked for questions from the audience, and after an intermission, we answered many of these. This Q&A will be offered as an exclusive post for Critical Mass paid subscribers, to thank you for your support of our efforts. It will remain behind the Critical Mass paywall for 1 month, and then will be released to the general public. I hope all of you enjoy this conversation, and Richard’s remarkable enthusiasm about science and writing, and his insights about the world. In a future post, we will release the video record of the second night’s conversation, a panel discussion with leading physicists about the current state of cosmology. Finally, later this month we will open our newest travel adventure, a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Island, for booking for the general public. Critical Mass subscribers will have an advance opportunity to book one of the 36 berths on this voyage. Stay tuned.As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers. Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well. Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe

Richard Dawkins needs no introduction. He is one of the world’s most well known scientists and science writers. He is also a good friend and colleague. As many of you may know, Richard and I have toured much of the world together on stage, often in dialogues about our disciplines, our views of the world, and of course the conflict between science and religion. When we decided to create The Origins Podcast, it was natural to consider early on having a dialogue between Richard and me. One fateful day, our crew headed to Oxford. As we began our journey, our car was broken into and much equipment stolen. Then we had a small car accident later. We finally got to Richard’s late in the day, in time to begin a dialogue, but not long enough to complete it. I wanted to hold on to that snippet for the right time, so that Richard and I could continue our conversation by touching something new, something we had not talked about before onstage. The release of two new books over the past year provided just such an opportunity. Richard and I were able to discuss Flights of Fancy, his latest book, about flight in the animal kingdom and beyond. It is a beautiful book to read and look at, with delightful illustrations by Jana Lenzova. I had assumed I knew everything that was in it, as Richard and I had talked about the physics of flying early on when he was writing it. But I was wrong. It is a wonderful compendium of fascinating stories about how nature, and evolution, conspired to harness physics to escape, at least temporarily, they tyranny of gravity. We used the book as a launching point to discuss science more generally. It was an enjoyable tour from The Selfish Gene to his, and my, most recent thinking about nature. I hope you enjoy it. As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers . Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well. Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe

Famed atheist Richard Dawkins discusses being a 'cultural Christian,' the need for faith in upholding values, and the impact of rejecting Judeo-Christian roots on civilization. Also, analysis of Israeli airstrike in Syria, White House recognition of Trans Day of Visibility, and controversy over Al Jazeera's biased reporting.

Two formidable minds, Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins, delve into philosophy, science, and the intersection of both fields. They discuss topics such as the dangers of AI manipulation, the potential consequences of AI-generated counterfeit people, the power of intuition pumps, humor in philosophical books, meme gene co-evolution, and the origin and evolution of language.