Talk Back

[mle292]

Richard Dawkins is a biology professor at Oxford, and a prominent atheist. Some of the earliest essays in the book are frustrating because I agree with what he has to say and when I'm feeling ranty, I just want some brilliant, *pithy* quips. Except that life isn't really all that unsophisticated. From the perspective of a biologist, life is the antithesis of reducing the world to unsupported evangelism. There are definitely places where he gets justifiably irritated with dogmatic irration, but it is clearly only out of reverence for knowledge and the essays are organized and structurally sound.

From the chapeter titled Dolly And The Cloth Heads:

Out of good manners I shall not mention names, but during the admirable Dolly's week of fame I took part in broadcast or televised discussions of cloning with several prominent religious leaders, and it was not edifying. One of the most eminent of these spokesmen, recently elevated to the House of Lords, got off to a flying start by refusing to shake hands with the women in the telvision studio, apparently for fear they might be menstruating or otherwise 'unclean'. They took the insult more graciously than I would have, and with the 'respect' always bestowed on religious prejudice - but no other kind of prejudice.

There's a long rant I could write here, but I wouldn't say it as well as someone like Dawkins...

The book is a collection of essays, many (but not all) previously published in magazines, journals or newspapers. Like Carl Sagan's writing, much of this book is philosophy from a scientific perspective. Sections of the book are devoted to scientific reason, frustrations with pseudo-science, book reviews and eulogys. There's a beautiful Douglas Adams quote that sums up so much of the philosophy that I want to share:

It all fell into place. It was a concept of such stunning simplicity, but it gave rise, naturally, to all of the infinite and baffling complexity of life. The awe it inspired in me made the awe that people talk about in respect of religious experience seem, frankly, silly beside it. I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day.