Richard Dawkins | I Despise Theology | Oxford Union

An extract from Richard Dawkin's open Q&A session at the Oxford Union on 18th February 2014.

ABOUT RICHARD DAWKINS: Clinton Richard Dawkins is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was the University of Oxford's Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 until 2008.

Dawkins came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centred view of evolution and introduced the term meme. In 1982, he introduced into evolutionary biology the influential concept that the phenotypic effects of a gene are not necessarily limited to an organism's body, but can stretch far into the environment, including the bodies of other organisms; this concept is presented in his book The Extended Phenotype.

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[davidrobinson]

But theorizing about a multiverse, now we're really doing science.

[OneLostWalker]

Mr Dawkins make a good living talking about something he doesn't

[zeasdz]

Holy shit the amount of religious sympathisers in this comment section is baffling, how quickly people forget the immense amount of power the Church has had, and still does have, and the amount of ill it had done to this world. 

[johns]

When approached by a religious person who offers to furnish you with spiritual guidance, tell them thanks but no thanks, turn around, and walk away ASAP.

[convanjo]

1:39 check the left corner expressions.

[LtStone]

You can actually see him selecting a word Terminator Style: That kind of Theology I actually. Possible words to fit in: dont like, pity, hate, dislike, dont care for, despise, scorn, contemn, spurn, disrespect ... bliep "despise"

[ryanskol]

"Take away religion, take away philosophy, take away the higher aims of art, and you deprive ordinary people of the ways in which they can represent their apartness. Human nature, once something to live up to, becomes something to live down to instead. Biological reductionism nurtures this 'living down, ' which is why people so readily fall for it. It makes cynicism respectable, and degeneracy chic. It abolishes our kind, and with it our kindness." —Sir Roger Scruton

[timethought]

I found the "Dominus Iluminatio Mea" crest that appeared one second after his comment to be a sweet, sweet irony.

[candeffect]

If criminals harm you, thank them for not thinking and acting as nonrational do-gooder God-honoring Christians.

[quodlibet]

I don't despise theology. It is the only fanfiction that is often better than the original work.

[andresdubon]

The theology he seems to dislike is nothing else than a branch of phylpsophy.
Is philosophy a science?
I don't think so, why should those topics be considered within the realms of science is beyond.
Feels more like a terminology problem.

[mystique-]

Of course he doesn't like theologians (and philosophers), he has to sell his fable of how his interpretation of Christianity is irrational.
Reminds me of how creationists don't like evolutionary biologists.

[lesmccracken]

Dawkins is a genius in explanation. Although I understand how some people need to the grasp of a higher authority just to get them through their daily lives. So, so very sad that that’s the case!

[josephgriffiths]

Why does he talk about disciplines about which he knows nothing?

[alwaysgreatusa]

Because despise is the new reason, and it carries as much weight in a rational discussion as that which it claims to despise for being irrational.

[terrysteven]

Dawkins of course is right. As always.  

[ligerangry]

Very simple .... believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and your household. Acts 16:31....Amen?

[E_]

He despises theology because he’s scared of it. For a man with such disdain for theism you would think that he’d be more than willing to delve into theology and prove its wrongs yet he won’t. His arguments have all been debunked by many great and amateur theologians of our time why doesn’t he delve into their field of study and try and debunk them? It’s not like he’s afraid of tackling questions outside of his expertise, he’s an evolutionary biologist (a brilliant one), whose fame has come from his atheism. All this leads me to believe that his deep hatred for theology is not because it’s inherently wrong but because he’s scared of it, he’s scared that if he does delve into it he will be confronted with the possibility that a significant part of his life’s work has been wrong.

[misscameroon]

In Polish there is saying, I believe prfectly defines the domain of theology:"pierdolednie kotka za pomoca mlotka" which roughly means "fucking /pounding a kitten with the help of the hammer"Please feel free to address this comment

[hammerchisel]

The Noah's Ark story was biologically impossible too.
How were all the animals segregated for their own safety?
Extra animals for the meat eaters to feed on
The hydration of animals was not an issue because of all the rain.