The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins is back with Taryn Southern to answer your questions now with an AI Assistant, this time in a physical studio in the UK. Stay tuned for Richard’s insightful answers, and to see if the AI can compare!

Richard Dawkins, a groundbreaking evolutionary biologist and author, discusses captivating topics with Taryn Southern. He sheds light on innate animal behaviors, showing how genetics, rather than learning, shapes actions. Dawkins explores the origins of life through self-replicating RNA, raising ethical questions about humanity's role in creation. The conversation also ventures into how genomes reflect ancestral environments, revealing the tale of evolution through adaptations. As Dawkins prepares for his last tour, he engages with curious fans eager to challenge his views.

Lawrence Krauss, a renowned physicist and cosmologist, joins Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and acclaimed author, for an engaging dialogue. They delve into the critical role of science communication and the public's misconceptions about evolution. The duo passionately discusses the relationship between faith and scientific understanding, emphasizing the importance of education in bridging the gap. They also reflect on public discourse surrounding skepticism and the transformative impact of embracing scientific inquiry, challenging beliefs while fostering open dialogue.

The Reverend Michael Bray is a leading advocate of murdering abortion doctors. He also takes biblical literalism to the extreme of advocating the death penalty for adultery and homosexuality. His friend and coconspirator, the Reverend Paul Hill, was executed for murdering an abortion doctor and his bodyguard. Bray strongly defends Hill’s action and thinks he’s now being rewarded in heaven. Bray himself served 46 months of a 10-year jail sentence for conspiracy and possession of illicit explosives. What follows is an audio recording of a long conversation I had with him in a public park in Colorado. He struck me as a deeply confused individual but at the same time sincere, a mind addled and perverted by religious faith, walking evidence of Steven Weinberg’s well-known aphorism, which I quote at the end of this recording: for good people to do evil things, it takes religion.

Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker engage in a thought-provoking discussion on topics such as the evolution of pain, fear, and language. They explore evolutionary explanations for human behavior, the genetic basis of language, and the roots of fears and phobias. The conversation also touches on animal communication, learning processes in children, and the enriching experience of conversations between like-minded individuals.

The savage missiles hurled at Kathleen Stock in the stocks of Sussex University gives the lie to the pretense that her tormentors should be pitied as an oppressed minority who just want to peacefully get on with their life. I’ve long admired her gentle courage in the face of vicious bullying. When we finally met at the Dissident Dialogues Conference in New York this May, I felt an instant affinity. It was a pleasure to conduct the following interview.Join Substack: https://richarddawkins.substack.com/ Subscribe to Poetry of Reality Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmwfdgHA_R9fzr1L0_hxdVw Follow: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.poetry.of.reality/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardDawkinsBooks Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThePoetryofReality

Derren Brown, a mentalist, and Richard Dawkins discuss the deception of fraudulent psychics, exposing cold reading techniques. They explore the evolution of the psychic industry, cultural attitudes toward science, and the influence of TV on beliefs in psychics. The podcast exposes psychic fraud and promotes skepticism towards paranormal industries.

Environmental advocate Satish Kumar discusses holistic living and spirituality with Richard Dawkins, prompting a debate on the interconnectedness of matter and spirit, intrinsic qualities in rocks, and the concept of spiritual environmentalism, urging open-mindedness.

World authority on linguistics, John McWhorter, discusses the origin of language and his controversial book 'Woke Racism' with Richard Dawkins. They delve into the topic of cultural Christianity, contrasting it with Islam and 'Wokism', and explore the influence of mosques on youth ideologies.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a hero, a staunch fighter against the violent intolerance and bossy control freakery of Islamism. She is also a personal friend of whom I am very fond. When she recently announced her conversion to Christianity, I assumed that she must be no more than a political Christian, regarding Christianity as a bulwark against Islam. I have some sympathy with the view that if you must have a religion at all, Christianity is hugely better than the leading alternative. In Hilaire Belloc’s words, “Always keep a-hold of Nurse for fear of finding something worse.”I agreed to have a public conversation with her in New York, in which I was all prepared to emphasize the distinction between a political Christian and a true believing Christian, who actually thinks Jesus was born of a virgin and rose from the dead. I think the distinction is a really important one. I don’t think a political Christian is a real Christian, any more than the kind of cultural Christian I am myself.When we met on the stage at the Dissident Dialogues meeting in New York, I was wrongfooted when Ayaan began with a personal statement which seemed to suggest that she really is a believing Christian, not just a political Christian. Well, her form of words was “I choose to believe.” I’m not sure what to make of that. Anyways, see what you think; here is the recording of our New York meeting.