Richard Dawkins book

[Fbody3400]

Has anybody read "The God Delusion"? I'm thinking about picking it up, just wondering if any of you have any opinions on it

[flyfrito_SS]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

What's is it about?

[V6Bob]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

Has anybody read "The God Delusion"? I'm thinking about picking it up, just wondering if any of you have any opinions on it

Haven't read that particular book, but I know about Dawkins. I don't like him.

There is a very unfortunate conflict between science and religion in this country. It's unfortunate, because there is little need for it. Most peoples religious beliefs are not in conflict with science. It's consistent with most peoples religious beliefs that the universe was created billions of years ago, and that man is the result of a long process. They simply embrace a belief about who did it. Nothing in science says they're wrong.

Dawkins is a scientific fundamentalist. By all means, read his book. But I believe he is responsible for bad things, like increasing the number of religious people who reject science because he loudly insists that science conflicts with religion. And so we have things like large numbers of people demanding that schools not teach evolution, even when evolution does not conflict with their particular religious beliefs.

By "speaking for science" Dawkins does actual harm to science. The majority of the country is religious. Which is a better idea for promoting science? Explaining how science and religion are compatible? Or trying to convince the majority of the country that they are delusional?

[Mighty Thor]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

Haven't read that particular book, but I know about Dawkins. I don't like him.

There is a very unfortunate conflict between science and religion in this country. It's unfortunate, because there is little need for it. Most peoples religious beliefs are not in conflict with science. It's consistent with most peoples religious beliefs that the universe was created billions of years ago, and that man is the result of a long process. They simply embrace a belief about who did it. Nothing in science says they're wrong.

Dawkins is a scientific fundamentalist. By all means, read his book. But I believe he is responsible for bad things, like increasing the number of religious people who reject science because he loudly insists that science conflicts with religion. And so we have things like large numbers of people demanding that schools not teach evolution, even when evolution does not conflict with their particular religious beliefs.

By "speaking for science" Dawkins does actual harm to science. The majority of the country is religious. Which is a better idea for promoting science? Explaining how science and religion are compatible? Or trying to convince the majority of the country that they are delusional?

Interesting... Wasn't he in a debate once against a Theologist? I think it was Creationism vs. Evolutionism?

[notsonic]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

dawkins is a huge douchebag.

he believes atheists are smarter than theists. just because.

pretty happy with the way hes being depicted in south park.

[rt1]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

I never learned to read... let me know how it ends.

I just can't get into reading someone's self serving theories. I've been reading mostly NASCAR drivers' autobiographies lately. Read Cheating by ToM Jensen... good stuff.

Rob

[Fbody3400]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

dawkins is a huge douchebag.

he believes atheists are smarter than theists. just because.

pretty happy with the way hes being depicted in south park.

GTFO of my thread if your gonna be a douchebag yourself. I didn't ask your opinion about him, i asked about his book. Thanks ;)

Here is a series that showed on channel 4 in england. He said the TV channel made him call it "the root of all evil" but he doesn't truely believe that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ8_b...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4xIi...elated&search=

[homedog119]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

dawkins is a huge douchebag.

he believes atheists are smarter than theists. just because.

pretty happy with the way hes being depicted in south park.

"I get it now GOD IS A SPAGEHTTI MONSTER it all makes sense"

[V6Bob]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

I didn't ask your opinion about him, i asked about his book. Thanks ;)

Sure, but you can't expect to ask for opinions about the book of such a powerful advocate without getting some opinions about the man.

Here is a series that showed on channel 4 in england. He said the TV channel made him call it "the root of all evil" but he doesn't truely believe that

Maybe not but he insists that science and religion cannot coexist. From Wikipedia:

"He disagrees with Stephen Jay Gould's idea of NonOverlapping MAgisteria (NOMA) and with similar ideas regarding the coexistence of science and religion without mutual conflict, expressed by Martin Rees. He considers NOMA to be "positively supine" and comments on Martin Rees's statement from Our Cosmic Habitat that "Such questions lie beyond science, however: they are the domain of philosophers and theologians" with "What expertise can theologians bring to deep cosmological questions that scientists cannot?"[38][39] Of "good scientists who are sincerely religious" he mentions Arthur Peacocke, Russell Stannard, John Polkinghorne, and Francis Collins, but says "I remain baffled . . . by their belief in the details of the Christian religion"[40]"

The book you inquired about furthers that antireligion argument. As stated above, I believe that to be counterproductive with regard to promoting science, but I am not suggesting that you not read the book. From an editorial review on Amazon:

"For a scientist who criticizes religion for its intolerance, Dawkins has written a surprisingly intolerant book, full of scorn for religion and those who believe."

There is intolerance on both sides, but I believe (with Gould) religion and science can be harmonious, without damage to either. Given the state of acceptance of science in this country (the rest of the civilized world laughs at us about this) I think his ideas are bad for the country.

That's my personal opinion of his book.

You wanted opinions. For other opinions, there are 159 customer reviews on Amazon of that book, average 4 stars:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...nDate&n=283155

[gugdathug3]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

Interesting... Wasn't he in a debate once against a Theologist? I think it was Creationism vs. Evolutionism?

I think your thinking about Charles Darwin.. :)

[notsonic]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

GTFO of my thread if your gonna be a douchebag yourself. I didn't ask your opinion about him, i asked about his book. Thanks ;)

chill out brah.

its not like hes a fiction writer.

his book is going to be about him and his beliefs. so asking about his book can be partially answered by getting information about him.

im just tellin ya dawkins is a douchebag and therefore his book is full of douchebaggery.:)

[Camaro Dom]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

im just tellin ya dawkins is a douchebag and therefore his book is full of douchebaggery.:)

never heard of him... NEXT! no, from what i gather tho its a creationism vs. evolutionist ideal. The best answer in my mind comes from inherit the wind by Robert E. Lee (not the Confederate general):
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/Movi...itthewind.html
^^ link to a site with the audio from the movie... very interesting to hear.

I personally am a mix of both theories. I believe that God did indeed create this universe.... but he did it thru evolution. the bible never said that man magically appeared. I believe that life had to be started by a miracle of God and most likely was some sort of bacteria. After all, He DID create the more simple creatures first and complex humans dead last... After that, nature took its course following the natural laws that He designed into the world. Who says evolution and creationism cant exist hand in hand?

[V6Bob]

Re: Richard Dawkins book

I personally am a mix of both theories. I believe that God did indeed create this universe.... but he did it thru evolution. the bible never said that man magically appeared. I believe that life had to be started by a miracle of God and most likely was some sort of bacteria. After all, He DID create the more simple creatures first and complex humans dead last... After that, nature took its course following the natural laws that He designed into the world. Who says evolution and creationism cant exist hand in hand?

Richard Dawkins. Very loudly.

Good article about this in this months WIRED magazine. The Crusade Against Religion

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71985-0.html

The author is not hard enough on the New Atheists, IMHO. They're just another group of fundamentalists.