Richard Dawkins - Too much Sherry

aardvark · 21 Dec 2015 at 10:45

ChroniC said:
I've never understood why people think he's a dick. I suppose it stems from anyone who speaks out about a certain point with passion. I have never ever witnessed him push anything that wasn't true. He doesn't go out of his way to belittle people, he just points out why they evidently wrong. That's why I think people don't like him, cause they hate being made to look stupid.

I think he's great.

100% agree with this

boxman2000 · 21 Dec 2015 at 10:52

jsmoke said:
Dawkins is a walking breathing delusion, send him over to Syria and he would be crying out like a baby for God in no time.

LOL, I couldn't agree more.

The guy is a grade A loon.

Hades · 21 Dec 2015 at 10:56

I mentioned his name in casual conversation at work recently and got a tirade of abuse back from someone. I realised afterwards that the person giving the abuse was a grade A sky pixie nutter. I couldn't be bothered to argue as I am a firm believer in allowing everyone to come to their own theories of how the universe works.

Zefan · 21 Dec 2015 at 10:57

Ayahuasca said:
Dawkins is a boss, will never tire of videos of him and Hitchens schooling people.

I love both of them.

Craig R · 21 Dec 2015 at 11:02

Say what you like about Dawkins, but at least he only talks in facts. I like fact-pushers far more than myth-peddlers.

Spook187 · 21 Dec 2015 at 11:12

boxman2000 said:
The guy is a grade A loon.

Why do you say that, he has far more intelligence than you will ever have.

Nitefly · 21 Dec 2015 at 11:20

ChroniC said:
I've never understood why people think he's a dick. I suppose it stems from anyone who speaks out about a certain point with passion. I have never ever witnessed him push anything that wasn't true. He doesn't go out of his way to belittle people, he just points out why they evidently wrong. That's why I think people don't like him, cause they hate being made to look stupid.

I think he's great.

I think he's a bit of a dick because his passion doesn't seem to be in the truth, but rather that people are wrong. I'll concede, I haven't read his God books but that's the view I get every time I see a clip of him. Incidently I think the Darwin fish sticker on cars is a bit of a dick move too. In essence:

"Hurr look at these guys how wrong they are let's ridicule and mock them because that's a great way of getting them to see our point of view."

Again, he's a total boss of a scientist but I think he'd come across better if he was more tolerant about things that, in actuality, have little consequence.

Criticism of organised religion itself though isn't difficult, nor particularly objectionable to me!

Edinho · 21 Dec 2015 at 11:24

boxman2000 said:
LOL, I couldn't agree more.

The guy is a grade A loon.

#15

Hades said:
I mentioned his name in casual conversation at work recently and got a tirade of abuse back from someone. I realised afterwards that the person giving the abuse was a grade A sky pixie nutter. I couldn't be bothered to argue as I am a firm believer in allowing everyone to come to their own theories of how the universe works.

God is merciful. But you'll burn in hell if you don't believe in him. Errr ok then.... :confused:

Yaayuh! · 21 Dec 2015 at 11:24

I'm an atheist and Richard Dawkins can go **** himself sideways.

BusError · 21 Dec 2015 at 11:41

Rossi~ said:
I'm an atheist and Richard Dawkins can go **** himself sideways.

It's because Dawkins is not an atheist, he is an anti-theist. He is a bit rabid -- in a slightly fanatical way.

I'm an atheist, I wouldn't care less what people believe in. I find it /bizarre/ that they'd like a sky fairy, but then again as long as they don't mess with me, I don't care.

Yaayuh! · 21 Dec 2015 at 11:44

BusError said:
He is a bit rabid -- in a slightly fanatical way.

Indeed!

ChroniC · 21 Dec 2015 at 12:14

Nitefly said:
I think he's a bit of a dick because his passion doesn't seem to be in the truth, but rather that people are wrong. I'll concede, I haven't read his God books but that's the view I get every time I see a clip of him. Incidently I think the Darwin fish sticker on cars is a bit of a dick move too. In essence:

"Hurr look at these guys how wrong they are let's ridicule and mock them because that's a great way of getting them to see our point of view."

Again, he's a total boss of a scientist but I think he'd come across better if he was more tolerant about things that, in actuality, have little consequence.

Criticism of organised religion itself though isn't difficult, nor particularly objectionable to me!

I do understand this point of view but I believe this, because he is trying to do the right thing, in the sense of "enemies of reason" aka things that cause problems in the world. He can't exactly just do it silently as it wouldn't work. Being a pacifist when trying to exact change is impossible.

If you can't deny that he's right then berating him for trying to teach to others in the face of constant arguement is a bit harsh. He has a lot more patience than me, I'd for one be shouting a lot louder at some of the people he has dealth with.

TLDR : Is being a dick about something that is wrong and destructive a problem when it can help???

Zatoichi.uK · 21 Dec 2015 at 13:16

I was watching this clip this morning funnily enough where he comments on why people sometimes find him so jarring.

Edit:Just noticed one sweary in case people are offended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hX7t5NMhsQ

He does sometimes seem to say soundbites that may seem intentionally abrasive. He is trying to sell books of course so worth bearing in mind.

dirtychinchilla · 21 Dec 2015 at 13:21

BusError said:
It's because Dawkins is not an atheist, he is an anti-theist. He is a bit rabid -- in a slightly fanatical way.

I'm an atheist, I wouldn't care less what people believe in. I find it /bizarre/ that they'd like a sky fairy, but then again as long as they don't mess with me, I don't care.

He does it because he is the Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, which means that it is his job to ensure that the public is actually receiving a scientific education ie. not based on religion.

His main fight on religious grounds is with America, not the UK. He does this, thankfully, because there are people who think that we should be teaching our children that the world was created 6,000 years ago. Thank goodness someone with a platform has the ability to speak out against the religious figureheads in America, because without them Americans could still be thinking that Adam & Eve is a true story and that dinosaurs are purely ficitonal.

Whether you like him or not (I think he's excellent and hilarious - echo that comment about him and Hitchens kicking people's arses on youtube), he has a very important job to do and he does it very well.

Nitefly · 21 Dec 2015 at 13:27

ChroniC said:
I do understand this point of view but I believe this, because he is trying to do the right thing, in the sense of "enemies of reason" aka things that cause problems in the world. He can't exactly just do it silently as it wouldn't work. Being a pacifist when trying to exact change is impossible.

If you can't deny that he's right then berating him for trying to teach to others in the face of constant arguement is a bit harsh. He has a lot more patience than me, I'd for one be shouting a lot louder at some of the people he has dealth with.

TLDR : Is being a dick about something that is wrong and destructive a problem when it can help???

Believing in a god isn't a problem though. It's having prejudice / discriminating / oppressing / segregating / misinformation in relation to science etc on the basis of mere beliefs / organised religion that's a problem. They aren't the same thing.

Stretch · 21 Dec 2015 at 13:30

jsmoke said:
Dawkins is a walking breathing delusion, send him over to Syria and he would be crying out like a baby for God in no time.

Possibly, but then religion has relied on fear, desperation and threat of physical harm to spread its love ever since its inception.

Fuzz · 21 Dec 2015 at 13:57

Zatoichi.uK said:
I was watching this clip this morning funnily enough where he comments on why people sometimes find him so jarring.

Edit:Just noticed one sweary in case people are offended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hX7t5NMhsQ

He does sometimes seem to say soundbites that may seem intentionally abrasive. He is trying to sell books of course so worth bearing in mind.

Fantastic

=XDC=FluphyBunny · 21 Dec 2015 at 14:11

jsmoke said:
Dawkins is a walking breathing delusion, send him over to Syria and he would be crying out like a baby for God in no time.

Now is that your opinion or did your sky pixies tell you to say that?

boxman2000 · 21 Dec 2015 at 14:28

Spook187 said:
Why do you say that, he has far more intelligence than you will ever have.

Intelligence is subjective.

Plus it's how you act with intelligence that gives me the right to say the guy is a loon.

Johno please? · 21 Dec 2015 at 14:38

dirtychinchilla said:
He does it because he is the Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, which means that it is his job to ensure that the public is actually receiving a scientific education ie. not based on religion.

His main fight on religious grounds is with America, not the UK. He does this, thankfully, because there are people who think that we should be teaching our children that the world was created 6,000 years ago. Thank goodness someone with a platform has the ability to speak out against the religious figureheads in America, because without them Americans could still be thinking that Adam & Eve is a true story and that dinosaurs are purely ficitonal.

Whether you like him or not (I think he's excellent and hilarious - echo that comment about him and Hitchens kicking people's arses on youtube), he has a very important job to do and he does it very well.

Exactly, hes an educator, and when you have people saying stuff like "ITS ONLY A THEORY HERPDERP" Id imagine that gets quite boring quite fast.

Hitchens is far more outspoken, love it.