Dawkins / The Root of All Evil (merged) (1 Viewer)

[Corey]

Oih, vhey...

 

[timbot]

I think any of Dawkins pure science books (the Selfish Gene and the Blind Watchmaker) are essential reading. They really just opened my eyes to the full significance of evolution and how it works.
One idea I thought was very interesting was the idea that the unit of evolution is the gene. So Dawkins talks about how we could expect a herbivore to have a set of genes geared towards its lifestyle (flat teeth, digestive system for grass, etc) so a gene not only has to work in the environment it is in but also with other genes in its gene pool. A really useful carnivore gene that might turn up in the antelope genepool will disappear because it is useless in that genepool.
Some of the other books are quite good. Unweaving the rainbow in particular challenges the idea that a scientific understanding of something (like a rainbow) will not lessen your appreciation of the phenomon on other levels (like aesthetic) but will even heighten it (because you can better understand what is going on).
The God delusion is not a great book. Even though I think Dawkins had to write it. While the ideas he puts forth in his book have been implicit in his writing for years (there is no need for a God in our modern world essentially) the way it is written and argued leaves me cold. After God, the second most referenced entity in the whole book is Dawkins which is a bit much. But in a climate where the religion/science debate leaves academia for the school syllabus I think he had to write it.
That = my 2 cents

 

[shitepipe]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/audio/2008/feb/14/richard.dawkins

decent debate here.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Dawkins' programme on Darwin starts in a few minutes on Channel 4

 

[Reets]

ohhhh evolution, my fav fav fav topic, dawkins is amazing he invented the term meme, totally changed how i saw the world, and he influenced Dennett, whos books are a must for anyone with the smallest spark of curiosity, i got a chance to speak to Dawkins a few years ago but was so star struck i just mummbled something generick like i really like your theories, stupid brain, need better memes to nest in there!!!!

 

[Kermit McDermott]

Good ol Dick Dawkins.........I'm going to watch his program on Ch 4 now

 

[Lili Marlene]

ohhhh evolution, my fav fav fav topic, dawkins is amazing he invented the term meme, totally changed how i saw the world, and he influenced Dennett, whos books are a must for anyone with the smallest spark of curiosity, i got a chance to speak to Dawkins a few years ago but was so star struck i just mummbled something generick like i really like your theories, stupid brain, need better memes to nest in there!!!!

read the other thread when you're done with this one

 

[Reets]

read the other thread when you're done with this one

how the fuck can people be so freakin closed off to reality, evolution isnt a theory, iis a fact, Darwin didnt create the theory he just discovered it, kinda like Platos world of the forms, there all along and we are trying to word a theory as close to this as possible.
is it fair of parents not to tell their children about this, 4 out of 10 british people dont believe in Evolution!!!!!!! fucking idiots!!!!!!!!!
my daughters dad insisted she get christened and all that, now shes a total holy roller, ive thought her about other Religions cos im not too sure what right i have to take a belief off her but atleast if shes educated she can make her own mind up about these things.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Reets]

also religon and evolution are not too conflicting ideas, i dont know one intelligent religous person that doesnt agree with it as fact, they say that the adam and eve story is just a way to explain something comlicated, not to be taken as real, its not like i have one less rib then my brother!!! they say god is the primary cause, that which started off the chain of events with human kind at the end (does kinda pose the question about god being dead but different topic to evolution)
dont think they're right but atleast they're allowing their beliefs to evolve.

 

[taubstumm]

evolution isnt a theory, iis a fact

no it's not, it's a theory

 

[Reets]

nope, theory, concret facts and plenty of criteria for it to be falsified
it was a theory untill DNA proved it to be fact.

 

[taubstumm]

science doesn't prove - it demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt

we can't say that a scientific theory is a fact, because it isn't, it's a theory

don't get me wrong, i :heart: evolutionary theory

just don't go making a bad argument out of a good one, it makes me cry

 

[Reets]

so are you saying there cant be scientific facts?

 

[Lili Marlene]

ah no, guys....

 

[taubstumm]

so are you saying there cant be scientific facts?

don't ask me, ask the united states national academy of sciences:

In everyday language, a theory means a hunch or speculation. Not so in science. In science, the word theory refers to a comprehensive explanation of an important feature of nature that is supported by many facts gathered over time. Theories also allow scientists to make predictions about as yet unobserved phenomena.

taken from the wikipedia page for 'theory'.

words deserve to be used properly.

 

[Reets]

don't ask me, ask the united states national academy of sciences:



taken from the wikipedia page for 'theory'.

words deserve to be used properly.

is it not then possible for evoultion to be a fact that makes a larger whole, and this whole is the theory that is up to dispute?

 

[taubstumm]

is it not then possible for evoultion to be a fact that makes a larger whole, and this whole is the theory that is up to dispute?

no

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

FWIW, Dawkins just called evolution a fact and not a theory on his show there.

 

[taubstumm]

FWIW, Dawkins just called evolution a fact and not a theory on his show there.

i is just whining over the misuse of the word 'theory'

 

[magicbastarder]

the greatest strength of science is its falsifiability - science never assumes it knows everything; so the word 'fact' is avoided like the plague because in a way, it's anti-science.