1. Comment #19920 by MIND_REBEL on January 30, 2007 at 4:33 pm

Great to see Science getting some mainstream press.

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2. Comment #19922 by Zaphod on January 30, 2007 at 4:50 pm

It was 7 years ago.

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3. Comment #19924 by DangerRuss on January 30, 2007 at 4:50 pm

Shame that the interviewer wasn't a little better prepared. One wonders how often any of these people actually read the book before interviewing the author.

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4. Comment #19932 by RickM on January 30, 2007 at 5:44 pm

Sorry to be rude, but Charlie Rose is an idiot.

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5. Comment #19934 by Shine on January 30, 2007 at 6:06 pm

DangerRuss - "Shame that the interviewer wasn't a little better prepared. One wonders how often any of these people actually read the book before interviewing the author."

Perhaps given the demographic of Charlie Rose's show that it's actually a good thing that he sometimes walks into interviews "blind." This way he asks the questions from the perspective of the person watching the show. And I think it's safe to say that the average person who watches Rose's program never heard of Dawkins until that interview.

RickM -"Sorry to be rude, but Charlie Rose is an idiot."

Are you saying that after just watching him in that interview or after watching Charlie Rose over a period of time? I'm not trying to start a flame-war of anything, I'm just curious because I don't watch him that often.

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6. Comment #19941 by Happy Hominid on January 30, 2007 at 7:13 pm

Shine said: "Perhaps given the demographic of Charlie Rose's show that it's actually a good thing that he sometimes walks into interviews "blind." This way he asks the questions from the perspective of the person watching the show. And I think it's safe to say that the average person who watches Rose's program never heard of Dawkins until that interview."

I can't buy into that. I think you prepare yourself as well as possible, while anticipating the level of your audience while asking pertinent questions.

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7. Comment #19947 by Shine on January 30, 2007 at 8:06 pm

Happy Hominid -"I can't buy into that. I think you prepare yourself as well as possible, while anticipating the level of your audience while asking pertinent questions."

I'm certainly not defending his brand of journalism. But you also have to keep in mind is that whatever Rose is selling, we aren't buying (so to speak.)

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8. Comment #19968 by Nazgul on January 30, 2007 at 11:04 pm

For a mainstream show, I thought it was a good interview. I would like to see Mr. Dawkins on that show now... 7 years later, on The God Delusion

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9. Comment #20082 by Kingasaurus on January 31, 2007 at 9:22 am

You can add me to the list of people who usually like the guests on this show a lot more than the hosts.

There are worse people than Charlie Rose, but he's the worst interviewer of all time. A normal interviewer asks a real coherent question, then stops talking and allows the guest to answer. The guest knows when to answer because there is a pregnant pause.

Charlie (on the other hand) usually makes stream-of consciousness statements which never seem to culminate in the end of a sentence, and he hopes the guest will know exactly the right time to jump in and start talking. Horrible. What kind of interviewer often refrains from asking questions and instead expects the other person to respond by helping finish his sentences? He's a notorious interruptor also, which adds insult to injury.

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10. Comment #20084 by Mr. Mark on January 31, 2007 at 9:32 am

I'm not a Charlie Rose fan. The reasons cited above are all valid, IMO.

You can always tell Charlie's beliefs on guests and their issues by the way he interviews. If he agrees with the guest, the questions tend to be short and directed to allow the guest to make their point. He also gives them ample time to make and remake their point. If Charlie disagrees or feels uncomfortable with the guest's views, he asks meandering questions, interrupts the the guest's train of thought, and tries to get the guest off into a sidebar. The more-accomplished guests who suffer through this will often say, "but let me answer your earlier question first," which calls Charlie on his BS.

I remember when Stephen Brill had that short-lived magazine. He had a Charlie Rose counter that kept track of how many minutes Charlie spent asking questions/stalling, and how much time his guests had to reply. Compared to other interviewers, it wasn't pretty.

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11. Comment #20240 by sane1 on February 1, 2007 at 8:38 am

Just reading this book now, so glad to see this interview. I've read many books for the non-scientist explaining the science behind our everyday world, and this one is an inteesting addition to the genre. Not sure its the best one, though. I do appreciate Dawkin's point of view and sensibility to the beauty of science.

Rose is often a decent interviewer, asking interesting unusual questions. More often, he just talks too much.

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12. Comment #20246 by sane1 on February 1, 2007 at 8:54 am

I wonder if RD's thoughs on consciousness have evolved. Has he written on the topic?

The interviews by Pinker in the archives on this topic show Dan Dennett has a very different view.

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13. Comment #21893 by NowlinMD on February 11, 2007 at 1:37 pm

Does anyone have a download link for this video?

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14. Comment #25499 by Tridhos on March 13, 2007 at 7:56 pm

If you go to www.keepvid.com you can download and save the video clip from YouTube

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15. Comment #49785 by cssimeur on June 13, 2007 at 12:35 pm

I have to admit, at least in the States, I'm not sure what shows some of you may be watching where the interviewer is better. I disagree with Rose on issues, but the amount of time and depth that he nearly always gives to his interviewee is not to be found on any network television. He has a wide variety of guests, though admittedly more from the political realm than any other.
Anyway, just my two cents

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16. Comment #64767 by able_walker on August 21, 2007 at 6:09 pm

Yes Charlie Rose is a notorious interrupter and he's never struck me as particularly insightful or intelligent considering the quality of many of the guests he's had on his show.He's been interviewing people for so long people assume he must know what he's doing but this is not the case.

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