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Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | Reason : Interviews | print version Print | Comments

Audio Interview with Richard Dawkins

John Oakley 640AM Toronto, Richard Dawkins

windowsMedia Click here for the Windows Media Player audio file. Download the free Windows Media Player here.

: 14:12
Reposted from:
http://www.640toronto.com/john_oakley/john_oakley.cfm

9:42 GUEST Richard Dawkins - Professor of the Public Understanding of Science @ Oxford University, Author of "The God Delusion". In his book, Professor Dawkins contends that belief in a supernatural creator qualifies as a delusion, which he defines as a persistent false belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence.
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1. Comment #50742 by heathen2 on June 19, 2007 at 7:09 pm

avatarI liked this interview, especially the way Professor Dawkins aggressively answered the woman who said Darwin had a deathbed conversion and knew it was true because she read it.

I wish he had had time to answer her original question about why he bothered to write the book at all, although he has answered that numerous times before.

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2. Comment #50743 by Roland Deschain on June 19, 2007 at 7:10 pm

God-darn-it, why do people think that if Darwin renounced his theory, it must automatically be void.

Next up, it is found that Newton had doubts about his three laws and renounced them in the last 10 minutes of his life in a delusional fervor, therefore the last 300 years of physics are null and we have to go back to God Did It.

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3. Comment #50748 by heathen2 on June 19, 2007 at 7:27 pm

avatarThat bothers me too Roland, that no matter how many times Dawkins, Harris and even Hitchen hit home the point that our gap in knowledge does not mean that God is the answer, people still don't get it.
It's so logical, reasonable, stunningly simple and true. What bothers me most is that otherwise reasonable or well educated people refuse to see the point. I've been fascinated and curious in an academic way with this point for many years now, but now it just makes me frustrated and mad.

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4. Comment #50755 by Zaphod on June 19, 2007 at 8:14 pm

avatarHad to be one idiot claiming it takes faith not to believe in something. Also the claim she made about Darwin disavowing evolution on his death bed is utterly disgusting and cowardly. This is how they fight against atheists, this is how strong their faith is. It is so strong that they have to make up lies in order to protect it. Make up lies to re-enforce the original lies.

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5. Comment #50759 by WorldCitizen on June 19, 2007 at 9:11 pm

Can someone please post this in a format that works? I have a Mac and although I normally have no problem viewing Windows Media files, this one doesn't load. Thanks.

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6. Comment #50760 by 82abhilash on June 19, 2007 at 9:26 pm

Dawkins could have answered one question better I feel. About whether it is possible that there might be some omnipotent intelligence that is beyond the capacity of present day science to uncover. A better answer could have been,' I think anyone making that extra-ordinary claim must commit oneself to an extra-ordinary burden of proof and so far, they have all shied away from that. In fact they have gone on to claim the opposite which is not asking for proof or accepting limited proof is a virtue'

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7. Comment #50761 by 82abhilash on June 19, 2007 at 9:39 pm

'What is your need to take science to discredit God...and constantly mention Darwinism..?'

Well because religion is threatening the free world, and discouraging thoughts for free enquiry and reason. Because theocracy is trying to take roots in the developed world. Because Pseudo-intellects and pseudo-scientists are trying to teach garbage to children in PUBLIC schools. You would think it is time someone said enough is enough. YOUR GOD IS NOT IMMUNE TO MY CRITICISM. History shows me that he has a lousy record.

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8. Comment #50773 by Liveliest Crib on June 20, 2007 at 12:10 am

What amazes me about people like the lady who tried to perpetuate the lie about Darwin's renunciation is not so much that they make these silly arguments to cling to their faith, but that they appear to believe that Dawkins has never heard their silly arguments before.

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9. Comment #50774 by appaZ on June 20, 2007 at 12:24 am

Enjoyed it immensly as usual. I would have liked a few more questions from the audience. Quite often thats the funniest part.

I am not a scientist, I do not have a university education, I didn't have much of an education at all ( it was on offer, I simply declined to partake due to the fact that at 17 I was somewhat pre-occupied with lifes more selfish quests ) Many years later and now living in the country, I can look up on a clear night and see a million stars. Though my understanding of the universe is somewhat basic and I constantly wonder at what was filling up all that space prior to the big bang, I will be damned if I will ever give in to " The Big Guy in the Clouds " theory as I believe it is an insult to even my limited inteligence.

And to those folk on the other side of the debate I would say - " Thank god for Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and the like!! "

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10. Comment #50778 by wezza_ on June 20, 2007 at 12:46 am

Very good interview,
I hate that line of argument that the female caller tried to use, the 'leap of faith', once again it shows how allot of religious people think that its on the atheists to disprove God, when really the own is on them.
This assumption that God exists is always a line of arguing that cannot be excused

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11. Comment #50779 by sapiens on June 20, 2007 at 12:47 am

Hej WorldCitizen download the Flip4Mac WMV plug-in from macupdate.com. Once it is installed you can double click the file (download it first by ctrl-clicking and choosing Download Linked File) to open it in Quicktime and listen. I just did and it works fine

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12. Comment #50787 by doodinthemood on June 20, 2007 at 1:46 am

"It is true. I read it."

Unfortunately, that may possibly be the only thing I remember from this.

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13. Comment #50789 by scooternyc on June 20, 2007 at 2:12 am

avatarThe months on this site and others has brought me much laughter and education with regards to how best to argue these points, I'm grateful for everyone's input.

"YOUR GOD IS NOT IMMUNE TO MY CRITICISM. History shows me that he has a lousy record."

Great statement.

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14. Comment #50810 by tieInterceptor on June 20, 2007 at 3:50 am

avatarDamned, Can't play the link!

anyone's got an alternate link or something?

pretty please?

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15. Comment #50819 by KRKBAB on June 20, 2007 at 4:48 am

goddidit-god of the gaps-goddidit-god of the gaps-goddidit-god of the gaps-goddi...That's mainly what I keep hearing from people interviewing the new atheists. They always think there asking such a profound question that's ACTUALLY going to trip up Dawkins! What happenned BEFORE the big bang smart guy? HUH? Well? What about THAT?!?! Sheesh, is this as far as we're going to get in the dialogue? Can't we have some even SLIGHTLY more challenging questions? A caller then states that it takes MORE faith to believe that god DOESN'T exist! WTF! Really! What kind of statement is that?

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16. Comment #50830 by adamello on June 20, 2007 at 5:49 am

"What bothers me most is that otherwise reasonable or well educated people refuse to see the point. I've been fascinated and curious in an academic way with this point for many years now, but now it just makes me frustrated and mad."

Karl Marx said that religion is the opium of the people. I always thought it was about creating delusion, but now I see that it's also about addiction.

My only addiction ever used to be smoking. I remember how comforting it was to see that I was not ruining my health alone, and how I took any stupid reason or excuse to continue smoking seriously.

The same must be true with religion. My wife was raised Catholic. Now, she doesn't go to church, is pro choice, pro birth control, gay marriage etc. She will criticize bishops and priests. But she won't hear or read anything negative about god, pope John Paul II or Mother Theresa. I'm pretty sure she'll never read the translated "God Delusion" I bought her. This is because she wants to believe that certain people or ideas are good, and that's it.

I'm pretty sure that if the Pope were ever to say "Sorry folks, but we've been lying to you all along", a lot of Catholics wouldn't believe him.

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17. Comment #50842 by waxwings on June 20, 2007 at 7:18 am

avatar"5. Comment #50759 by WorldCitizen on June 19, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Can someone please post this in a format that works? I have a Mac and although I normally have no problem viewing Windows Media files, this one doesn't load. Thanks."

Microsoft has discontinued Windows Media support for the Mac, but there is an excellent third party solution that works with your QuickTime software called "Flip4Mac WMV". You can download it at: http://www.flip4mac.com/download.htm

Heh, always enjoyable to hear Prof. Dawkins lay the smack down on ignorance.

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18. Comment #50843 by PeterK on June 20, 2007 at 7:19 am

So where did the universe 'come from'? It still remains a mystery! Even to most theists, a good part of God himself remains a mystery. So why not attempt to solve one myastery with another mystery?
I would say to believe as such would be not an exercise of faith, but rather an exercise of lunacy.

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19. Comment #50848 by djosephallen on June 20, 2007 at 7:39 am

Darwin converted on his deathbed. I read It. It must be true. Oh boy.........

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20. Comment #50850 by Benjamin Michael on June 20, 2007 at 7:43 am

avatarappaZ, I enjoyed reading your post. It reminds me that it does not take a complex investigation of science and philosophy to arrive at a non god conclusion - it simply requires brief but clear rational thought on the observable reality... and a little cosmic perspective.

adamello, your last paragraph reminds of both of "The Life of Brian" as a parody, and the real world Lubavitcher Rebbe who lived last century in New York and passed away in the 90s. This is a man who always denied he was anything more than just a rabbi even though his followers were convinced he was the jewish messiah. After his death, there is still a large movement within the Lubavitch Jews who believe him to be the messiah and leave written prayers by his grave for him to answer. No amount of renunciation by the man himself would sway the minds of those followers who had deluded themselves and continue to brainwash their children and their children's children.

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21. Comment #50942 by ricey on June 20, 2007 at 3:06 pm

The woman who "read about" the deathbed conversion of Darwin makes a salutary point; we all beleive things we read in books - text books, books by Richard Dawkins, etc ... .

The trick is to cross reference your sources; something I have been guilty of neglecting in the past.

All sources, even those that support our own opinions, need to be cross-referenced in this way to be validated.

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22. Comment #50998 by TIKI AL on June 21, 2007 at 1:39 am

Elizabeth Hope, a devout evangelist, told the recantation whopper in a 1915 speech at an evangelical school in a town in Mass.USA 33 years after Darwin's death. It was refuted as pure fantasy by Darwin's children and other well documented eyewitness accounts of his death. Just google "Darwin's deathbed".

On the other hand, it is true that during his last hours on the cross Jesus recanted being God's son and rambled on in tongues about quantum mechanics while engaged in a masturbatory frenzy.

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23. Comment #51108 by LearningToThink on June 21, 2007 at 1:54 pm

One bit from this interview that really struck a chord with me was when, in response to the interviewer's thought re since science can't explain what happened before the big bang, what's wrong with believing gawd did it, Dawkins replied with something along the lines of - just because science can't (yet) explain everything doesn't mean that it is logical to postulate a "giant human" created the universe.

I just love that phrase "giant human"...I have before thought of believers' gawd as a sort of anthropomorphic personification or projection...but really that is just the same as a giant invisible mysterious human (or emotionally unstable toddler as in the old testament) in the sky.

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25. Comment #53314 by robotaholic on June 30, 2007 at 6:39 pm

avatarhahahaha, I love when Richard says "some great big giant human" =))!!!! GREAT I love how intolerant and rude Richard is becoming, keep it coming (rude not in any sense a bad thing to me at least)! xoxox he's just proving religion should be up to the same scrutiny that everything else is.

love john

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26. Comment #146016 by MichelleZB on March 18, 2008 at 1:39 pm

This clip isn't working anymore.

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