Do you think that Richard Dawkins is an intellectual snob?
I kind of think he is when I watch this video. Even though he kind of has a point when he describes educated people
[video="youtube;Yobe4_4Dgwc"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yobe4_4Dgwc[/video]
[video="youtube;Yobe4_4Dgwc"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yobe4_4Dgwc[/video]
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He's a celebrity more than an intellectual.
Not a snob if he's right.
He's right though.You should not give a decision as big as brexit over to the uneducated masses.And to be fair he says that he himself is ignorant on that decision.Hes a biologist not an economist.A decision like that should be left up to experts who know what they are talking about.
I like Dawins but he's being a snob here, as well as inaccurate - perhaps the latter as a result of the former. Surveys show that, while a majority of higher educated people voted for Remain - 57% of those with an undergraduate, and 64% with a completed postgraduate, degree - there are a sizable proportion who indeed voted to leave. Contrary to popular thought, some of these even came from the left; an example of which I have left below.
I may lament Brexit, I especially contest the use of referenda, but there is no excuse for degrading the debate with falsities.
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/0...e-alternative/
http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2016/06...voted-and-why/
I may lament Brexit, I especially contest the use of referenda, but there is no excuse for degrading the debate with falsities.
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/0...e-alternative/
http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2016/06...voted-and-why/
He's conceited, as can happen to someone who achieves what he has done, of course in the first place he was a clever man, but it doesn't mean he hasn't become self-satisfied and incurious.
To me he is just espousing cliched sentiments that gain approval within a certain demographic who believe the referendum represents a binary reality; enlightened vs stupid. He likes dichotomies evidently, and though I am sort of with him on atheism, I think he is too blind to the qualities of the 'right brain'.
Oh, and there is a lot of social snobbery in it too.
To me he is just espousing cliched sentiments that gain approval within a certain demographic who believe the referendum represents a binary reality; enlightened vs stupid. He likes dichotomies evidently, and though I am sort of with him on atheism, I think he is too blind to the qualities of the 'right brain'.
Oh, and there is a lot of social snobbery in it too.
Original post by Robby2312
He's right though.You should not give a decision as big as brexit over to the uneducated masses.And to be fair he says that he himself is ignorant on that decision.Hes a biologist not an economist.A decision like that should be left up to experts who know what they are talking about.
Yeah I agree with that part but then he goes on to say that 'almost every educated person' is which is incorrect. Also he has a conflict of interest due to the fact the EU funds huge amounts of scientific research.
Original post by Chillaxer
He's conceited, as can happen to someone who achieves what he has done, of course in the first place he was a clever man, but it doesn't mean he hasn't become self-satisfied and incurious.
To me he is just espousing cliched sentiments that gain approval within a certain demographic who believe the referendum represents a binary reality; enlightened vs stupid. He likes dichotomies evidently, and though I am sort of with him on atheism, I think he is too blind to the qualities of the 'right brain'.
Oh, and there is a lot of social snobbery in it too.
To me he is just espousing cliched sentiments that gain approval within a certain demographic who believe the referendum represents a binary reality; enlightened vs stupid. He likes dichotomies evidently, and though I am sort of with him on atheism, I think he is too blind to the qualities of the 'right brain'.
Oh, and there is a lot of social snobbery in it too.
this
To me he is not the amazing scientist he is made out to be he is just another public school intellectual. Most of his books are about atheism not actual science
I agree with Dawkins.
(edited 7 years ago)
It is true that is is kind of stupid to ask a mostly ignorant public such a complex question but then what is different from that to a general election? There would be no chance of a party being elected into power on a manifesto pledge of leaving the eu as the british media is in bed with the eu.
Original post by karl pilkington
Yeah I agree with that part but then he goes on to say that 'almost every educated person' is which is incorrect. Also he has a conflict of interest due to the fact the EU funds huge amounts of scientific research.
I don't think he comes across that well in this video.But to be fair he recently had a stroke and you can kind of tell that is affecting his speech a bit.So maybe he is coming across as more arrogant than he would otherwise have done.He is right though.A 2/3 majority would be much better.It was literally a majority of 4% here.It was all in all basically 50-50.But because it's slightly more for Out than in we are now leaving.That is stupid. It's not really a conflict of interest.Both sides in the brexit debate want science funded well.That is just in the interest of the country.
Original post by Robby2312
I don't think he comes across that well in this video.But to be fair he recently had a stroke and you can kind of tell that is affecting his speech a bit.So maybe he is coming across as more arrogant than he would otherwise have done.He is right though.A 2/3 majority would be much better.It was literally a majority of 4% here.It was all in all basically 50-50.But because it's slightly more for Out than in we are now leaving.That is stupid. It's not really a conflict of interest.Both sides in the brexit debate want science funded well.That is just in the interest of the country.
Realistically it wasn't a close race. The remain side had massive advantages. They had the backing of the whole of the British establishment and all political parties. They were also advocating for the status quo whereas Leave were advocating for a risky change. I agree with the premise that it is inappropriate to have a plebiscite on such an important matter but that was inevitable due to the fact there were no main parties committed to leaving that people could vote for.
Original post by karl pilkington
It is true that is is kind of stupid to ask a mostly ignorant public such a complex question but then what is different from that to a general election? There would be no chance of a party being elected into power on a manifesto pledge of leaving the eu as the british media is in bed with the eu.
it's not complex, you just vote on how it has affected you. i want a job in science so i voted to stay, so that i have good colleagues. i knew someone who lost their job unfairly to someone from continent, they should vote to leave. why does it have to be complicated?
Original post by karl pilkington
To me he is not the amazing scientist he is made out to be he is just another public school intellectual. Most of his books are about atheism not actual science
No they're not... He's written one major work summarizing arguments against western religious belief, several autobiographical works which will obviously cover his ideas on science as well as philosophy and many more on his chosen scientific fields. His work on atheism has made him famous because it's so emotive but his work on the gene-centric view of evolution actually changed the way a ageneration of biologists viewed evolution. His arguments about religion aren't new - not that they need to be as that is an issue that has been debated for millennia.
Original post by l'etranger
He's a celebrity more than an intellectual.
Being famous (or infamous as Dawkins is in some circles) doesn't make you less of an intellectual. Only those unfamiliar with his work would suggest that it isn't his work which has and will have the greatest impact on humanity going forward.
That said, it's possible that his ideas on neodarwinsism will prove to give an inaccurate/incomplete picture of macroevolution (it's all part of science) whilst I very much doubt he'll be proved 'wrong' when it comes to religion.
Original post by Mistletoe
it's not complex, you just vote on how it has affected you. i want a job in science so i voted to stay, so that i have good colleagues. i knew someone who lost their job unfairly to someone from continent, they should vote to leave. why does it have to be complicated?
Because some people don't even understand that immigration from outside the EU has nothing to do with the EU or that foreigners are gonna be 'sent home' some people are just plain stupid and not fit for voting.
Original post by karl pilkington
It is true that is is kind of stupid to ask a mostly ignorant public such a complex question but then what is different from that to a general election? There would be no chance of a party being elected into power on a manifesto pledge of leaving the eu as the british media is in bed with the eu.
A party can win a solid majority with 35% of the vote (and GE turnout can be expected to be lower than referendum turnout). Britian is leaving the EU because 52% of voters wished to leave - numbers wise almost double the votes that a major policitcal party might win in a general election. If the media really have the power or inclination (let's not forget that major newspapers like The Sun, which unfortunately seem to have a lot of influence over a large number of people's thinking, came out in favour of Leave) to prevent a europhobe party winning power then surely they would have caused the Remain campaign to win. I do not think it's particularly hard to believe that an anti-EU Tory Party could have won a general election.
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