The New Statesman

Courtesy of onegoodmove.
Richard Dawkins responds to the fall out from his Channel 4 series "Religion: The Root of All Evil?" in this New Statesman article.

Diary - Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
30th January 2006

Unfortunately, Ofsted gave a rave review to Tony Blair's pet city academy in Gateshead, whose head of science thinks the universe began after the domestication of the dog. By Richard Dawkins

It's been a week of handling fallout from The Root of All Evil?, my TV documentary about religion. Of course religion is not the root of all evil. No single thing is the root of all anything. The question mark was supposed to turn an indefensible title into a debatable topic. Gratifyingly, title notwithstanding, the e-mails, letters and telephone calls to Channel 4 have been running two to one in favour. The pros mostly praise Channel 4's courage in finally saying what many people have been thinking for years. The antis complain that I failed to do justice to "both sides", and that I interviewed fundamentalist extremists rather than the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The balance is (over-) provided by Thought for the Day, Prayer for the Day, Songs of Praise, the Daily Service, Faith to Faith, Choral Evensong, Sunday Half-Hour, The Story of God, Belief, Beyond Belief, and others. Mine was a brief opportunity to put the other side. As for my "extremist" interviews, would that Pastor Ted Haggard were extreme. In neo-con America, he is mainstream. President of the 30 million-strong National Association of Evangelicals, he has a weekly phone conversation with Bush. My other "extremist", Yousef al-Khattab (Joseph Cohen) of Jerusalem, was supposed, as an American Jew turned Israeli settler turned Muslim, to see both sides and give a balanced perspective. Wrong!
We did invite the Archbishop of Canterbury - and the Chief Rabbi and the Archbishop of Westminster - to be interviewed. All declined, no doubt for good reasons. Happily, the Bishop of Oxford accepted, and he was as delightful as ever. But you can't judge by example. We don't judge Christians by Hitler's claim to be one, and it is equally irrelevant that many Christians, like many atheists, are nice people. The point is that faith, even moderate faith, is pernicious because it teaches that believing something without evidence is a virtue. Moderates, as Sam Harris shows in his devastating book, The End Of Faith, "provide the context in which scriptural literalism and religious violence can never be adequately opposed". Or, in Voltaire's words, "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities".

One of my TV locations was a London school that follows the (American) Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) syllabus. The day after watching my show, three colleagues told me they had interviewed, for a place at university, a young woman who had been taught (not at the same school) using ACE. She turned out to be the worst candidate they had ever encountered. She had no idea that thinking was even an option: her job was either to know or guess the "right" answer. Worse, she had no clue how bad she was, having always scored at least 95 per cent in exams - the National Christian Schools Certificate (NCSC). Should my colleagues write to Ofsted about ACE and NCSC? Unfortunately, Ofsted is the organisation that gave a rave review to Tony Blair's pet city academy in Gateshead: a Christian school whose head of science thinks the entire universe began after the domestication of the dog.

My wife wakes me up laughing in her sleep. She dreamed she met one of those unidentifiable male royals and asked him what he was doing. "Oh, just wondering in a chinless sort of way," was the reply her subconscious served up. What on earth is the point of the royal family? For the Queen, the answer is clear. Given our bizarre hereditary system of succession, her duty is to go on living for a very long time indeed. She is, we are told, "doing a fine job under difficult circumstances". All the more reason to plan constitutional reform now so that, when the present queen's reign ends, the monarchy itself can quit while it's ahead.

The Pluto mission reopens the fatuous debate over whether it is "really" a planet or "merely" a large planetesimal. Astrologers aside, who cares about such distinctions? The expedition appeals to me because it will take nine years to complete. Sheer distance imposes the timescale, and that's an inspiring thought in itself given that the nearest star is 8,000 times further. Less glamorous research would benefit from equally long vision but remains unsupported. Evolution, for instance, normally takes too long to make an impact within a human lifespan, let alone that of the average research grant. The amazing thing is how alarmingly fast evolution can sometimes go, when conditions are right. Let's hope bird flu won't turn out to be an example.

Labels: Sightings

Root of Evil (continued)

Well, in its eventuality that the article do gets updated and removed, here's the summary of the documentary that we've all missed out in sunny censorship-free (rd: everything is free for censoring) .sg; I don't forsee watching the actual show on Discovery or anywhere else on cable, let alone local media, anytime soon.

The Root of All Evil?
Episode 1: The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins is astounded that religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth based on hard evidence. Julia Bard reports

In this two-part Channel 4 series, Professor Richard Dawkins challenges what he describes as 'a process of non-thinking called faith'. Dawkins is well known for bringing to a wide audience the complex scientific concepts that underpin evolution. His first book, The Selfish Gene was an international bestseller.

Truth lies and faith
He describes his astonishment that, at the start of the 21st century, religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth. Science, based on scepticism, investigation and evidence, must continuously test its own concepts and claims. Faith, by definition, defies evidence: it is untested and unshakeable, and is therefore in direct contradiction with science.

In addition, though religions preach morality, peace and hope, in fact, says Dawkins, they bring intolerance, violence and destruction. The growth of extreme fundamentalism in so many religions across the world not only endangers humanity but, he argues, is in conflict with the trend over thousands of years of history for humanity to progress – to become more enlightened and more tolerant.

At the extremes
He explores the state of the three Abrahamic religions in the world today, from the political influence of rich and powerful Christian fundamentalist institutions in America to the deadly clash of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the Middle East. He describes the Holy Land as the least enlightened place in the world, a microcosm of the threat to rational values and civilisation posed by religion, whose irrational roots, he says, are nourishing intolerance and murder.

There are plenty of characters to illustrate his thesis. There are fanatics, like the former West Bank settler who has taken the small step of converting from Jewish fundamentalist to Muslim fundamentalist, transferring his hatred from one side of the looking glass to the other. And the frighteningly charismatic leader of America's National Association of Evangelicals, who believes he has been chosen by God to convert Americans through religious gatherings that resemble rock concerts – though to Dawkins they feel more reminiscent of Nuremberg rallies.

Then there are the desperate, like those carrying burdens of disability or disease, who are among the 80,000 people a year who make the pilgrimage to Lourdes. Dawkins does the maths: out of the millions who, over a century, have placed their faith in a miracle restoring them to good health, there have been only 66 authenticated cures. This is hardly a strong record, he says, arguing that it is better for us to embrace truth than false hope.

A sense of belonging
Drawing on such examples, it is not difficult to demolish the claims of religion as fairytales, and dangerous ones at that. But there is more to religion than ancient stories and articles of faith. Dawkins touches on the sense of belonging promised by religious groups but dismisses this as 'seductive group solidarity', which he describes as a 'shared delusion'. In doing so, he glances off the more subtle dilemmas of how religions and religious traditions are woven through people's notions of 'community', 'history' and 'identity'.

Having a sense of one's place in the world is important to everyone but has particular significance for minorities and peoples under political, economic or military pressure. Individuals may even accept Dawkins' atheistic and scientific deconstruction of the myths they have grown up with but still defend and nurture the matrix of institutions, practices and relationships which make them who they are.

Episode 2: The Virus of Faith

How is it, asks Richard Dawkins, that despite science having exposed old religious myths, militant faith is back on the march? The mechanism for perpetuating beliefs that Dawkins describes as leading to murderous intolerance, is by imposing religion on children who are too inexperienced to judge it for themselves

We wouldn't categorise children according to their parents' political stance, says Dawkins, since they are too young to make up their minds about such matters. But we segregate them in sectarian religious schools, where they are taught superstitions drawn from ancient scriptures of dubious origin, which promote a 'contradictory and poisonous system of morals'.

From generation to generation
Dawkins compares this to a virus, which infects the young and is passed down the generations. Visiting an ultra-orthodox Jewish school, he describes the British-born headteacher Rabbi Gluck's Yiddish accent as testament to the isolation of his community. Gluck says that it's important for members of minorities to have the space to express their own beliefs and traditions. He describes science as one tradition, and Judaism as another. His students are taught about evolution and if only a minority end up believing in it, he says, this is not out of ignorance.

The number of faith schools is increasing. More than half the Government's proposed City Academies will be run by religious organisations and there's a growing number of private evangelical Christian schools. ACE – Accelerated Christian Education – has developed a curriculum which includes a mention of God or Jesus on every page of its science text book. The head of a school which uses this material argues that if there were no lawgiver, there would be no reason to see rape and murder as wrong.

Hellfire and damnation
Transmitting such a 'warped reality' to young people, says Dawkins, amounts to indoctrination. Children are uniquely vulnerable and if they fail to question and shake off such superstition, they remain in a state of perpetual infancy. He talks to a woman brought up in a strict Christian sect who describes the terror of eternal damnation, which dominated her childhood, as a form of abuse.

Hellhouse movies are a new growth industry in the USA today. Graphically filmed, they demonise abortion and homosexuality with the explicit aim of scaring the viewers. Pastor Keenan Roberts explains that the aim is 'to leave an indelible impression on their lives that sin destroys … and Jesus saves'. The result, says Dawkins, is a mindset which can justify the murder of a doctor who carries out abortions on the grounds that he is destroying a being created in God's image!

Innate morality
Physicist and Nobel prizewinner Stephen Weinberg describes religion as an insult to human dignity. 'Without it,' he says, 'you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion.' Dawkins agrees. It is more moral, he says, to do good for its own sake than out of fear. Morality, he says, is older than religion, and kindness and generosity are innate in human beings, as they are in other social animals. The irony is that science recognises the majesty and complexity of the universe while religions lead to easy, closed answers.

Is there no more than just this life? asks Richard Dawkins. How much more do you want? We are lucky to be here, he says, and we should make the most of our time on this world.

Labels: Sightings

I love Richard Dawkins

Finally, somebody with the balls to speak up to a world where the earth is still flat. And unfortunately bear the powerful repercussions from that world.



"Arrogance?" said the pot.
"Arrogance." replied the kettle.

Personally, I'm a trifle jealous of the vast array of opportunities that lay before one in such a well established and functioning network. How many times have you seen a peer land (or miss) that babe on religious grounds, get introduced to jobs after one great sunday morning, legitimately excuse themselves from worldly activities just because they want to praise someone and enjoy themselves?

Forget about the money spent on Iraq, nuclear missles, drugs. Think about the amount of money spent from a net sum propagating a belief, in proportion to a prolification of a more immediate good, like rehabilitation of wayward kids, healthcare for the disabled, et cetera. Nobody is disputing the fact that nothing is done by such 'memetic establishments'. I'm disputing that less money be spent in driving this engine and more be put to a better use in a more general community where people are not separated by the kids of gods that they do (or do not) worship.

I would think it would be an honour to share eternity with the likes of socrates (though I think his arguments would drive anyone mad), plato and other greats in limbo of Dante's Inferno. Where else can one find the beauty of poignance? Not everywhere in Hell, but certainly not in heaven.

Labels: FFT (Food for thought), Whine

Another Top 10

Is it a no wonder that i'm not really in the mood to celebrate my birthday because:

10) A certain Rooney is barely 21 and earning £50,000 a wk - and he's no pornstar.
09) A certain Jay born on the same day is 'influential' as a pop singer - and he can't sing.
08) Inclement weather - not much to do there when it's raining, isn't it?
07) My room is in a mess - well, it affects my mood!
06) I should do my piling schoolwork even though this would be a good reason not to
05) I feel compelled to
04) Usual routine is broken - ironically by the ones who started it
03) Failed IPPT = No cash - 7 days is not enough to work that cardio; for everything else it's fine
02) Impending unemployment/underpayment/overwork
01) 25 with nothing to show for isn't much cause for celebration, isn't it?

Nevertheless, thank you to those with the calls, SMS, balloon surprise, nostalgic artwork and slipper mistletoe, even though Xmas is long gone.

Labels: Whine

Trivia

And the useless information of the day...

At 0611h in the morning, I found out that the great Wong Kar Wai, king of arthouse film and impromptu direction, was once the humble screenplaywright of the HK triad film "The flame brothers" (Jiang Hu Long Hu Dou, 1987), starring Chow Yun Fatt, Nick Tse's evergreen daddy'o and a bunch of familiar faces and previously-not-but-now-unknowns.

Moral of the story? Everybody has to start somewhere.
Thank you, pplive, for enriching my life once again.

Labels: Sightings

Anxiety Pangs

School's starting tomorrow. Say that again? I'm so not ready. My room's unpacked, last sem's readings sits nicely where it stood in 05, and I'm now watching R. Madrid vs Villereal on pplive at 2 in the morning when i've pledged to sleep earlier on. I've browsed blogs (which i normally wouldn't even touched), even watched a full charity variety show for the 1st time since post army days.

It doesn't help that the thought of me being jobless looming overhead in less than half a year's time is a constant reminder of things to come.
It doesn't help that while most of my peers have their emotional lives stabilised some way or another, i'm still at the 'bet' of jokes within my personal circle.
It doesn't help that at the ripe old age of approaching mid 20s, I still have no direction in life.
It doesn't help that nobody (including me) understands why I still require personal space the size of a haunted mansion.

I want to retreat back to my haunted mansion. But would that help exorcise all spirits, or render me a ghost of my former self?

Labels: Whine

Apple Roundup

After a lazy afternoon of (what else) lazing around and delusion of the final school term starting, here's a roundup of worthy upcoming movies, courtesy of apple trailers:

01) Thank You For Smoking
02) X3 - looks promising...
03) Open Season - I love cartoons; as long as they're not cheesy disney
04) Glory Road - Of course, I'm a sucker for bball too.
05) Bubble - Sodoberg stuff, should be good la..
06) World's Fastest Indian - Not to be outdone by the aussies, these Kiwis are crazy too!
07) Tristram Shandy - A Cock and Bull Story - I didn't write the cock & bull part.
08) Gospel - Everyone loves a little music, especially so if it's JC.
09) 39 Pounds of Love - The animation is really not that spectacular, but the animator is.
10) Nanny McPhee - Interesting fairytale, if not my $10 then at least worth a download

With special mention:
Yours Mine and Ours - lao chio and lao yandao (if there's ever such a term) defined. Post-meg Quaid and past-40 Russo are just so damn hot.

Labels: Sightings

Thank You For Smoking

"What happens when you are wrong?"
"You see, that's the beauty of it, because if you argue correctly, you never will be."

I've always maintained that i'm a born smoker as the reason for not smoking - don't get me started. Hence, at the ripe old age of approaching mid-twenties (while i can still use the term in present tense), i've never as to even taken a single puff of that white bone of esctasy.

However, that has not stopped me from having the odd smoking break back in army days, just to accompany some friends who happen to be the odd dude having that 'sucking' urge. The funny thing is, never has they ever offered to share the pleasures with however foul-mouthed uncouthed unrefined me.

The way i see it, the addiction pains outweigh the pleasure gains.

****

I've always believe that you don't have to go all arthouse to bring your message across the big screen. Not everything that's showing in the cinema culmulates to a 'movie'. Showcasing a variety of experimental techniques in 90 minutes is not movie. Exploiting blockbuster budgeting and marketing to do a 7-parter mini-series does not make great movies.

The cinema as an engine for good-old storytelling needs only competent subject matter with adequate direction and casting to make a movie entertaining.

****

I can't wait to see this. Rated M-18 I'll bet.

Labels: FFT (Food for thought), Sightings