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Richard Dawkins

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Clinton Richard Dawkins DSc, FRS, FRSL (known as Richard Dawkins; born March 26, 1941) is an eminent British ethologist and popular science writer. He holds the Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford.

Dawkins first came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene which popularised the gene-centric view of evolution, and introduced the terms meme and memetics into the lexicon. He has since written several best-selling books and appeared in a number of television programmes on evolutionary biology, creationism and religion. He is an atheist, humanist and "bright" and as a commentator on science, religion and politics he is amongst Britain's best known public intellectuals. In a play on Thomas Huxley's epithet "Darwin's bulldog", Dawkins' outspoken manner has led him to be dubbed Darwin's Rottweiler[1].

Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins

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Personal life

Dawkins was born in Nairobi, Kenya, where his father, Clinton John Dawkins, was a farmer and former wartime soldier, called up from colonial service in Nyasaland (now Malawi)[2]. Dawkins' parents came from an upper-middle class background; the Dawkins name was described in Burke's Landed Gentry as "Dawkins of Over Norton". His father was a descendant of the Clinton family which held the Earldom of Lincoln and his mother was Jean Mary Vyvyan Dawkins, née Ladner. Both were interested in the natural sciences and answered the young Dawkins' questions in more scientific than anecdotal supernatural terms [3].

Dawkins describes his childhood as a "a normal Anglican upbringing"[4] but reveals he began doubting the existence of God when he was about nine years old. He was later reconverted because he was persuaded by the argument from design; though he began to feel the customs of the Church of England were "absurd" and had more to do with dictating morals than with God. When he was taught about evolution at the age of sixteen his religious position changed as he felt Evolution explained the illusion of design.

He married Marian Stamp on August 19, 1967. They divorced in 1984. Later that year, Dawkins married Eve Barham – with whom he had a daughter, Juliet – but they too subsequently divorced. He married his third wife, actress Lalla Ward, in 1992. Dawkins had met her through mutual friend Douglas Adams, who worked with Ward on the BBC TV sci-fi series Doctor Who.

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Career

Dawkins moved to England with his parents when he was eight and attended Oundle School. He then studied zoology at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was tutored by Nobel Prize-winning ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen. He gained a second class BA degree in zoology in 1962, followed by an MA and DPhil degree in 1966[5].

Between 1967 and 1969, Dawkins was an assistant professor of zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1970 he was appointed a lecturer and then in 1990 a reader in zoology at the University of Oxford, before becoming the University's first Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science in 1995. He has been a fellow of New College, Oxford, since 1970[6].

Dawkins has been editor of four Journals, and founded the Episteme Journal in 2002, as well as acting as editorial advisor for nine publications, including Encarta Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Evolution. He writes a column for the Council for Secular Humanism's Free Inquiry magazine and serves as a Senior Editor. Since May 2005, Dawkins has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post. He was formerly president of the Biological Sciences section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and serves as advisor for several other organisations. He has sat on several judging panels for awards such as the Faraday Award and the British Academy Television Awards. In 2004 the Dawkins Prize - awarded for "outstanding research into the ecology and behaviour of animals whose welfare and survival may be endangered by human activities" [7] was initiated by Oxford's Balliol College.

In 2005 Discover Magazine described Dawkins as "Darwin's Rottweiler"[1], later adopted by the Radio Times[8] and Channel 4, recalling the epithet "Darwin's Bulldog" given to Darwin's nineteenth-century advocate Thomas Henry Huxley. It also suggests comparison with Pope Benedict XVI, who, as Cardinal Ratzinger, was known as "God's Rottweiler".

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Work

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Evolutionary biology

Dawkins is probably best known for his popularisation of the concept of the selfish gene. This view is most clearly demonstrated in his books The Selfish Gene (1976), where he notes that "all life evolves by the differential survival of replicating entities", and The Extended Phenotype (1982) which describes natural selection as "the process whereby replicators out-propagate each other." As an ethologist, interested in animal behaviour and its relation to natural selection, he popularised the idea that the gene is the principal unit of selection in evolution. This gene point of view also provides a basis for understanding kin selection which was formulated by his friend, Bill Hamilton.

Other critics of Dawkins' approach suggest that the gene as the unit of selection is misleading, but that the gene could be described as a unit of evolution. The reasoning being that in a selection event an individual either succeeds or fails to survive and reproduce, but over time proportions of alleles in a population changes[9]. However, in The Selfish Gene Dawkins explains that he is using George C. Williams' definition of gene as "that which segregates and recombines with appreciable frequency"[10], rather than the now common molecular biology usage.

In the controversy over interpretations of evolution (the so-called Darwin Wars), one faction is often named for Dawkins and its rival for Stephen Jay Gould. This reflects the pre-eminence of each as a populariser of contesting viewpoints, rather than because either is the more substantial or extreme champion of these positions. A typical example of Dawkins' position is his scathing review (published in January 1985) of Not in Our Genes by Rose, Kamin and Lewontin[11]. Two other thinkers often considered to be in the same camp as Dawkins are Steven Pinker and Daniel Dennett.

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Memetics

Dawkins coined the term meme to explain how ideas spread, which spawned the theory of memetics. This has been criticised as being overly-reductionist, for example by the philosopher Mary Midgley with whom Dawkins has debated since the late 1970s[12]. Midgley described debating Dawkins as unnecessary as to "break a butterfly upon a wheel."[13] Dawkins replied that it would be "hard to match, in reputable journals, for its patronizing condescension toward a fellow academic."[14]

Although Dawkins coined the term independently, he has never claimed that the idea of the meme was new; there had been similar terms for similar ideas in the past. John Laurent, in The Journal of Memetics, has suggested that the term "meme" itself may have derived from the work of the little-known German biologist Richard Semon. In 1904, Semon published Die Mneme (which was published in English, as The Mneme, in 1924). His book discussed the cultural transmission of experiences with insights parallel to those of Dawkins. Laurent also found the use of the term "mneme" in The Soul of the White Ant (1927), by Maurice Maeterlinck, and highlighted its similarities to Dawkins' concept. The key distinction of Dawkins' formulation, ironically paralleling the insights provided by memetics, is that it caught on and thus became dominant.

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Creationism and religion

Dawkins is an established critic of creationism, describing it as a "preposterous, mind-shrinking falsehood."[15] His book The Blind Watchmaker is a critique of the argument from design, and his other popular-science work often touch on the topic. On the advice of his late colleague Stephen Jay Gould, Dawkins refuses to participate in debates with creationists because doing so would give them the "oxygen of respectability" that they want with the public; Dawkins argued that creationists "don't mind being beaten in an argument. What matters is that we give them recognition by bothering to argue with them in public."[16] Dawkins did take part in the Oxford Union's 1986 Huxley Memorial Debate, in which he and John Maynard-Smith defeated their creationist counterparts by 198 votes to 115.

In a December 2004 interview with Bill Moyers Dawkins stated, "But, among the things that science does know, evolution is about as certain as anything we know." When Moyers later asked, "Is evolution a theory, not a fact?", Dawkins replied, "Evolution has been observed. It's just that it hasn't been observed while it's happening."[17]

Dawkins is an ardent and outspoken atheist, an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and vice-president of the British Humanist Association. In his essay "Viruses of the Mind," he uses memetics theory to explain the phenomenon of religious belief and the various characteristics of organised religions, such as the common belief in punishments awaiting non-believers. The Atheist Alliance instituted the Richard Dawkins Award in 2003 in his honour. Dawkins is known for his contempt for religious extremism, from Islamic terrorism to Christian fundamentalism, but he has also argued fiercely with liberal believers and religious scientists[4], including many who otherwise champion his science and fight creationism alongside him, from biologist Ken Miller[1] to Bishop of Oxford Richard Harries[18].

Dawkins continues to be a prominent figure in contemporary public debate on issues related to science and religion. He sees education and consciousness-raising as the primary tools in opposing what he considers religious dogma. These tools include the fight against certain stereotypes. Dawkins notes that feminists have succeeded in making us feel embarrassed when we use "he" when it could be "she." Similarly, he suggests, a phrase like "Catholic child" or "Muslim child" should be seen just as improper as "Marxist child" or "Neo-Libertarian child." Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when asked if the world had changed, and if it had, how had it changed, Dawkins responded:

Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that. Revealed faith is not harmless nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives people unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it gives them false courage to kill themselves, which automatically removes normal barriers to killing others. Dangerous because it teaches enmity to others labelled only by a difference of inherited tradition. And dangerous because we have all bought into a weird respect, which uniquely protects religion from normal criticism. Let's now stop being so damned respectful! [19]

Dawkins has expressed a Malthusian concern over the exponential growth of human population and the issue of overpopulation, though his proposed solutions can be described as typically Humanist. He is critical of Catholic attitudes to family planning and population control.

As a supporter of the Great Ape Project, a movement to extend human rights to all great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans), he contributed an article to the Great Ape Project book entitled "Gaps In The Mind". In this article, he criticised contemporary society's moral attitudes which are based on a "discontinuous, speciesist imperative."[20]

In January 2006, Dawkins presented a two-part Channel 4 documentary, The Root of All Evil?, addressing the malign influence of organized religion in society. It included excerpts from his discussions with various religious individuals. Critics claimed the programme gave too much time to marginal figures and extremists, and that Dawkins' confrontational style did not help his cause[21][22]; Dawkins' however rejects these claims[23].

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Awards and recognition

Dawkins holds honorary doctorates in science from the University of Westminster and University of Hull, and is honorary doctor of the Open University[5]. He also holds honorary doctorates of letters from the University of St Andrews and Australian National University, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1997 and Royal Society in 2001[5]. He is Vice-President of the British Humanist Association and honorary patron of the Trinity College University Philosophical Society.

Other awards include the Royal Society Literature Award (1987), Los Angeles Times Literary Prize (1987), Zoological Society of London Silver Medal (1989), Michael Faraday Award (1990), Nakayama Prize (1994), Humanist of the Year Award (1996), the fifth International Cosmos Prize (1997), Kistler Prize (2001), Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic (2001), Bicentennial Kelvin Medal (2002)[5]. In 2005 the Hamburg-based Alfred Toepfer Stiftung organization awarded him their Shakespeare Prize in recognition of his "concise and accessible presentation of scientific knowledge" [24].

Dawkins topped Prospect magazine's 2004 list of the top 100 public British intellectuals, as decided by the readers, receiving twice as many votes as the runner-up[25]. Additionally, in 1995 Dawkins was invited on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4[5].

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Bibliography

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Books by Dawkins

Since 2004 Dawkins has been working on a new book, tentatively titled The God Delusion[26].

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Books about Dawkins

See also Books by and about Richard Dawkins and Richard Dawkins Bibliography, these links are useful but no longer maintained.

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Essays by Dawkins

See also Papers and commentary by Richard Dawkins, no longer maintained.

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Documentaries

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External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
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Official websites

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Interviews and feature articles

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Dawkins in the news

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Creationist websites critical of Dawkins

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Other

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Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c Stephen S. Hall, 2005. "Darwin's Rottweiler." Discover Magazine.
  2. ^ John Catalano, 1995. Biography of Richard Dawkins. World Of Dawkins. Accessed 2006-01-29.
  3. ^ BBC News Online, 2001-10-12. "Richard Dawkins: The foibles of faith". Accessed 2006-01-29.
  4. ^ a b Jonathan Miller, Richard Dawkins & Richard Denton (director), 2003. The Atheism Tapes: Richard Dawkins. BBC Four television. Unofficial transcript.
  5. ^ a b c d e Richard Dawkins, 2006 Curriculum Vitae (PDF).
  6. ^ Simonyi Professorship, 2006. Prof. Richard Dawkins. Accessed 2006-01-29.
  7. ^ Balloil College News The Dawkins Prize. Accessed 2006-0206.
  8. ^ Radio Times, 2006-01-02 p27.
  9. ^ Gabriel Dover, 2000. Dear Mr Darwin. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN 0753811278.
  10. ^ George C. Williams, 1966. Adaptation and Natural Selection. Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-02615-7.
  11. ^ Richard Dawkins, 1985. "Sociobiology: the debate continues", New Scientist January, 24, 1985
  12. ^ Mary Midgeley, 2000. Science and Poetry. Routledge.
  13. ^ Mary Midgley, 1979. "Gene Juggling." Philosophy 54, no. 210, pp. 439-458
  14. ^ Ophelia Benson, 2003. "About Butterflies and Wheels." ButterfliesAndWheels.com.
  15. ^ Richard Dawkins, 2002. "A Scientist's View." The Guardian.
  16. ^ Richard Dawkins, 2003. A Devil's Chaplain. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, p. 256.
  17. ^ Bill Moyers et al, 2004. "Now with Bill Moyers". PBS. Accessed 2006-01-29.
  18. ^ Richard Dawkins, 2006. The Root of All Evil?.
  19. ^ The Guardian, 2001-10-11 "Has the world changed?". The Guardian. Accessed 2006-01-29.
  20. ^ Richard Dawkins, 1993. "Gaps In The Mind." In The Great Ape Project, Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer eds. London: Fourth Estate. [1]
  21. ^ Howard Jacobson, 2006. "Nothing like an unimaginative scientist to get non-believers running back to God." The Independent.
  22. ^ Ron Ferguson, 2006. "What a lazy way to argue against God." The Herald.
  23. ^ Richard Dawkins, 2006. "Diary." New Statesman.
  24. ^ British Embassy in Berlin, 2005. "Shakespeare Prize for Richard Dawkins." Accessed 2006-01-29.
  25. ^ David Herman, 2004. "Public Intellectuals Poll." Prospect Magazine.
  26. ^ Gordy Slack, 2004-04-30. "The Atheist. Salon.com. Accessed 2006-01-29.


Richard Dawkins
The Selfish Gene - The Extended Phenotype - The Blind Watchmaker - River Out Of Eden - Climbing Mount Improbable - Unweaving the Rainbow - A Devil's Chaplain - The Ancestor's Tale - The Root of All Evil?
See also: W. D. Hamilton - Gene-centric view of evolution - Atheism - Humanism - Evolution - Memetics - Lalla Ward
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins"
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