"How does science benefit humanity" asked the lady behind the computer, while drinking a coffee out of the coffee machine.

Apart from my parents, Dawkins has been one of the biggest influences on my life. Thanks Richard.

Richard Dawkins does for me much more than any antidepressant I've had. I just love this man.

I just can't have enough of him Such clarity Long live Richard Dawkins Sir ❤

Gad - what a wonderful human being. We love you Mr. Dawkins!

i am extremely proud of being an atheist, what is wrong with Americans? i feel like going to America and leading a revolution.

I truly admire Dawkins! being an African-American and being Christian, it's like being gay and being Christian all my life i was trying to join a club that i knew I wasn't welcomed in the first place..... as a kid I always felt this and always knew this but had no real way to put the words. listening to richard articulate the words is amazing, and insightful and truly ground breaking. in the African American Community you are more isolated than you think. you are the monirity of the minority, there are no outlets for a young black man like me to have to speak about their atheism. Richard has definitely educated me with the background and the knowledge in order to support my atheism as well as deepen my science know how, thank you Mr Dawkins

What a breath of fresh air this man is!

Hitler was a catholic and often said he was doing god's work in Mein Kampf. Mao and Lenin knew that if you want to make ignorant people bow down and worship you, you have to replace their religion with a new one. Pictures of Mao were everywhere in China and everyone had to have a copy of Mao's little red book which was their bible. Dictators since the beginning of human history have set themselves up as a god or, at the very least, god's representative on earth.

the first 13 years of my life I was indoktrinated with Christianity, My parents where/are christians, my whole family is. My school is, most of my friends are, and the majority of my village is christian. But at the age of 13 I started thinking about the truth of Chrisitianity, when I went 14, I first heard about Richard Dawkins, I read The God Delusion, and now I am a 'level 6' atheïst! Thank You Richard Dawkins for setting me free from religion!

A truly great Man, and a privilege to witness history being made with his sterling contribution to reason, critical thought, scientific enlightenment and a heartfelt plea to our common humanity. Religion should be held up to forensic examination at this point in time. It has terrorized, subjugated, dictated to, and held back our species for 2,000 years. Enough, now. Surely?

What a great man! He's my hero.

Our Planet is not completely lost because we have humans like him.

Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchins saved my soul...

"Kindly inform us how science benefits humanity." I actually put my hand over my 0-shaped mouth at that remark. Richard Dawkins is a truly great man. Everything he does is for the education and betterment of humanity and that, in my eyes, makes him the best kind of human there is. Funny how my friends (I'm fifteen) idolise pop stars and glamour models. Dawkins is my sanctuary in a sterile and vacuous school/home environment. Thank you, Richard, for enriching my experience of life here on Earth.

It warms my heart that so many here on KZfaq like Dawkins and his message. There seems to be hope for the human race. Keep it up fellow freethinkers.

I'm reading his book The God Delusion and it is brilliant! His writing on the moral zeitgeist is very eye opening.

Very good interviewer, best I have heard interviewing Richard. She facilitated a good survey of his book and views.

Kindly inform us how science benefits society. HAHAHA who was the FOOL who wrote that question. Wow............

this was one of the best interviews with Dawkins that I've seen. Thanks as always to everyone associated with the Foundation.

The ultimate child abuse is dragging them into a church of one kind or the other. And yet, that 'draws' respect from society.

The opening comment made me giggle: "the best-known atheist in the Western world." It makes it sound like a specialism.

I totally agree with him throughout the video, particularly when around minute six he says that most likely the survival of religion in the 21st century is caused by a willful ignorance toward Science. Here in Italy, for instance, the percentage of people who know the scientific method and how it works is shockingly and alarmingly low.

It's of the likes of Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, AronRa, Seth Andrews, Dan Barker, Sam Harris, Neil DeGrasse Tyson and others that the world NEEDS MORE, MANY MORE.

Dear Professor Dawkins, I am a great admirer of your books and your way of thinking, and just to put things in context, before I go any further, let me say that I come from a Muslim background, but I am not religious at all. In fact when it comes to the question "Are you a believer in God?" my answer is a firm no. So like you, I am an atheist. Like you as well, I love the high culture of music and arts as expressed and engendered through both the Christian Church and [surprise surprise] Islam. You have only to read the history of Muslim civilizations throughout Central Asia, India and Spain in the middle ages to appreciate the colossal contributions the Islamic world made to learning, arts, literature, science, music, architecture and administration. Let me also say that, despite the general distorted views held about Muslims now, the majority of them neither pray 5 times a day, nor do they literally believe in the strict Sharia code. Admittedly, in recent years the Saudi brand of Wahabi Islam has proliferated throughout the world via its Saudi funded mosques, but that is, and should be, of deep concern to free thinking Muslims themselves. There is a strong vein of secular thinking that has permeated and run throughout the body politic of Islam, right from its very inception more than 14 centuries ago to the present times. The poetry of Omar Khayyam, Hafez and an army of others throughout the Islamic world, has made fun of and rejected the orthodox views and beliefs of mullahs. I have written a lot of rhymed and metered poetry myself in Urdu, expressing views contained in your great book The God Delusion [and I might add, anticipating your book by at least a decade, if not more]. My poetry is also scathing about the practice of burqa and hijab, among other failings shown by orthdox believing Muslims [such as the injunctions against music and performing arts etc.]. Like you, I believe that these aspects of Islam hurt Muslims more than anyone else. And though a non-specialist layman myself, I have used poetry as a vehicle to propagate a Darwinian view of life amongst the Urdu reading public. But it bothers me to see that you seem to equate a yes/no answer about God with bad/good, and your examples of 'bad' always come from Muslims who reportedly are so brainwashed by their religious beliefs, that they think it is justifiable for them to kill people in order to go to their 72 houris in paradise. [This view is particularly propagated by Sam Harris]. In this regard, you invariably refer to the 9-11as an example. But hundreds of Western writers, journalists, architectural engineers and intellectuals have expressed doubts about the reasons for why that monumental tragedy occurred. Who can in their right minds justify the killing of innocent human beings, no matter what the triggers of it might have been? But, given the destruction of several Muslim countries following in the wake of 9-11, and the deaths and displacement of millions of innocent Muslims due to it, would it not be better for an intellectual of your caliber to stay shy of the blame game perpetrated by the media in recent years? Your contributions in the field of evolutionary biology and the service you have done to enhance human understanding in this regard are phenomenal. It breaks my heart to see that in the long run this may be sullying your reputation for fair mindedness. I think, like your great pal Professor Lawrence Krauss, [another icon of mine], you should stay clear of stereotyping Muslims generally as half-witted brainwashed bigots ready to kill people for their religious beliefs, a view propounded not particularly by you, but by right wing interests. The culture of demonization whether against Muslims or others should be avoided in the interests of fair mindedness, and you are one of the most fair-minded intellectuals on the planet. The same incisive thinking that has fashioned and embellished your work in evolutionary biology must be employed in the service of your other general views about life and humanity. But lastly, coming back to the main issue about religion, the question whether one believes in God or not, is peripheral I think, to the whole business of living itself. Because in great moments around human history, people have built whole edifices of viable cultures and life. Their daily lives have not revolved around the perpetual question of whether they believed in God or not, but around the building of cultures and civilizations. Religion can of course build bad cultures and horrid civilizations, but that is a deeper challenge than the mere question in the belief of God. However, I think your book The God Delusion had done a great service to mankind by triggering a worldwide debate on the subject. I have watched and listened to all your lectures and presentations alongside Lawrence Krauss, Christopher Hitchens and others, and will always remain a devoted fan and reader of your books. Many thanks for your life and your intellect. Show less

Darwins the fucking man, natural selection is one of the most amazing theories ever and I have no idea how he ever thought of that, genius

Thanks for the upload - always good to watch an interview with an intelligent skeptic!

Here is the thing. The world would be better off without the bronze age myths. Sorry guys, grow up and learn and stop the mental abuse of kids. You are helping no-one.

Certainly irrelevant to the conversation, but every video that I see of Dawkins confirms my impression that he is an extraordinarily ethical and scrupulously honest man. I can't say the same for at least one of the men he debated...a quote-mining wretch of a mathematician called John Lennox, who needs a lesson or two in truthfulness.

Dawkins is an inspiration for people of all ages and it's hardly surprising that he has not been honoured given the two-faced leadership we have in this country - Arise Sir Richard!

God Bless Professor Dawkins!

What kind of monsters would thumb down this video?!

One really must love Richard Dawkins.

I fully agree with Richard Dawkins and respect him and what he do!

I have applied for a job once that was so heavily laced with questions about guilt and morality it was ridiculous. "is it Wrong to break the Law" "Do you ever exceed the Speed limit?" "Is it against the law to break the speed limit?" "Is it wrong to break the speed limit?"

What a beautiful & gentle man.

Sweden and Denmark most atheist country's very low crime rate.

I admire your honesty, accept your reasoning and think you have reached a well thought and (accurate) position.

if my parents were religious i would explain everything to them that made me an atheist. the more you know the more prepared you are.

"Kindly inform us of how Science benefits humanity" - hilarious (and a little scary)

You had me at natural selection! Mr. Dawkins, yes you are getting to us and I can't explain how much your work had influenced my life... thank you in the name of all free thinkers! We love you!

I'm fairly religious but I love Richard Dawkins. He truly is a fantastic human being.

I wish Dawkins gets a Nobel Prize

I admire him! Richard Dawkins has changed my life. Such an intelligent person. Hi from Russia btw)

I could listen to you all day Richard. You make so much sense!

Unfortunately yes, especially in the south. America is a very religious country, it is nearly impossible to get elected into congress if you openly reject religion. Atheism is often used as sort of a dirty word or an insult. There is also a large misconception that people think that atheism is a religion its self. Which is sort of like thinking that non-smoking is a habit. Sorry if my grammar is bad i am in a bit of a hurry

great to see you on Australian TV again. And yes, please come over for a visit!

Remember in school when you finished a test. Most people waited for someone else to take their test up to the teacher. Once one hands in their test everyone follows. That's my observation of Atheism in the US. Someone needs to hand in their test.

I'm watching this with the volume really low so my grandma won't hear it.

Oh I didn't change my mind easily at all, and I was very, very good at finding justifications :-). It took me a few years of research and questioning things before I became an atheist. And Dawkins has definitely contributed to that :-).

I knew this guy was a cat person.

Science is the search for proof. Belief is a proclamation without proof. Now how is science a "belief system?"

When I think of all those young people who struggle with their sexuality, who are told that homosexuality is a sin, worthy of being tortured for all eternity, I'm glad there are people like Dawkins in the world who offer them a life buoy.

Richard Dawkins' charity is called "Richard Dawkins foundation for reason and science"

Good interview, a lesson for others

Always watchable

We don’t need religion, we have Richard Dawkins.

Dawkins is the perfect voice of reason....

Always up for a good read. My point is that when a person states that they believe any one thing, they are given pass on the accuracy by default. When they state they "know" or "think" something the responsibility for accuracy for said statement is imperative. There is almost an instant call to prove the statement while the believer is left to wander and tell more about their belief.

I 100% have ZERO confidence/believe that any gods exist. I really can not get above ZERO.

Great interview. Nicely nicely. :)

much more interesting questions than he's normally subjected to.

Remember: I never said science was "wrong". Ultimately though you still operate on the premise that your instruments, the instruments of your peers, theirs and your ability to tally the results, etc. that when they all add up they're accurate. The odds of something that widely accepted by that point is monumentally low, but it's much like why Dawkins leaves that 1%. You don't know, but til you know better you have to go with what you've got. Again: A WELL FOUNDED belief.

I didn't say ALL, You did! I was actually referring to people of faith, who would feel naked without their beliefs. Also the expression "cold comfort" really means 'no comfort at all'!

Nice Bang and Olufsen Tv and stereo - Dawkins changed my life!

i love you Richard - an honest brave man

Thanks Rich, im also 99% :)

Brilliant Dawkins!

Thanks

i'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's definitely no fairies, no unicorns, and no fucking god

I adore Richard Dawkins, what an absolutely marvolous person! About his teeth, who cares?! He's BRILLIANT! His mind is kick ass and thus, he is oozing sexy charisma

Same here. My parents are extremely religious and I don't want to come out as an atheist until I don't live with them anymore.

Such a disgrace to his life's work when the #1 introduction for him is that he's an atheist.

My point was to illustrate that you need those units to perceive the measurements you're taking. In this particular case (the speed of light), due to the fine tolerances it's not inconceivable, though very unlikely, that by publishing results with two different meanings, and similarly adjusting how your instruments can measure something they can engineer your entire perception of that facet of reality.

I see them as two approaches: scientific on the one hand, mainly informed by mathematics and darwinistic probabilities, and philosophical on the other. Hitchens satisfies that "spit-in-the-tyrant's face" urge, but I still go to Dawkins to satisfy my mind.

"The numbers of scientists who question Darwinism is growing fast,"said Stephen Meyer, Cambridge-educated philosopher of science & Director, of C.R.S.C."This is happening in the face of fierce attempts to intimidate & suppress legitimate dissent. Young scientists are threatened with deprivation of tenure. They attempt to stigmatize all critics as "Religeous". Others have seen a consistent pattern of answering scientific arguments with ad hominem attacks.

Can't wait to read it

Has anyone else noticed how ridiculously often Dawkins blinks his eyes in this video? P.S. Dawkins is the man!!

Please do, we need every voice we can get.

me too man, he literally changed my life...it was hard to accept at first....but now atheism and the scientific view on life is soooooo much more exciting and fulfilling

Interesting how we managed to show on small scale the peer review process. Your inquiries further honed my ideals or hypothesis if you will. We also found ours is a philosophical difference that is more alike than different. Thanks for the spirited debate and peer review.

@BeachofDreams As an atheist the attack in NYC was what got me riled up against religion. I know many other people who were moderate at the time who were then convinced that religion has the capacity to make people evil, and is not a healthy way one should live their life. I also had religious friends, who after the attacks started losing their faith. I would also agree with you another example of the problems with religion is homophobic churchgoers. Unfortunately, these are only a few of them

I didn't think there were people who thought like me. That's true

I'm proud to call myself an evangelical atheist. I'm all about promoting skepticism about classical religious concepts, critical thinking, and reason.

"You're all individuals" "YES!!!! WE'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS!!!!"

I love how Australian Media has little bias, not like fox news, thats for sure.

I hope they make an epic movie about this dude.

@LaurieJames The number one source for organ transplants are young men between 14 and 22 who have been involved in an accident. Young men take more risks. His mother was right to worry. However, it is coincidence.

@timmarquez50 oh dear......so your saying he aged the trees so that it makes it look like the trees are older than 6500?

It's amazing the level to which people often ignore the world around them to have a go at something they usually don't understand, like tweeting from an iPad about corporate greed.

i'm one too. the world is just way more beautiful without god.

Dawkins was actually raised and confirmed Anglican, not as an atheist. I was raised, confirmed, and practicing Catholic for 26 years before I decided there was no God. Also, it's a irresponsible to assume that all atheists hate religion or despise God when in fact most atheists simply don't care.

It's difficulty to explain, but it both slows down and stay the same speed. If you are yourself being sucked into the black hole at the same distance form the singularity then light will travel at the same speed everywhere at the same distance from said singularity (assuming no other bodies are effecting it) if you are in "normal space" however the speed of light around the black hole will be much slower. Thats why Einsteins called it relativity, because what you experience is all relative.

if you are not a bigot, and bringing bigoted ideas, than dawkins is not your problem, the only fault that lay with you, is the silliness, and possible loss of productivity with a large group of people with similar, non bigoted views

I'm absolutely stunned that gonyea12 is getting thumbs-downed for his blatantly sarcastic (and funny) comment.

@truvelocity part two: Its my daughter... Yes, their name is Matilda, yes their name is John, yes, their name is Fred... Yes, they did wear a hat when they were alive... Yes, they did smoke a pipe when they were alive... Yes, they did have a positive attitude, yes... They were authoritative... Yes, they he was a carpenter... Yes, she was a doting mother... yes, he was always telling me to feed the dog... Need I go on?

@timmarquez50 "All we know is that they died." We also know that they had parents of the same species, albeit VERY slightly different from their child. If the animals of the FR had parents, that means their species was capable of reproducing (also, reproduction is required of being classified as 'life.'). If their species can reproduce, it's highly likely that they did, at least until their species went extinct because they weren't fittest for their environment, and didn't adapt quickly enough.

wonderful

Maybe Nobel Prize for the advancement of science education?

Don't forget our existence is temporal and it all vanishes. Do the good and live in peace.