Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion: Atheism & AI

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Brian Keating

Science, Physics, Natural Sciences

4.7 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 June 2025

⏱️ 101 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥 In this thought-provoking installment, host Brian Keating sits down with legendary evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins for an electrifying conversation that spans the wonders of science, atheism, artificial intelligence, and the tapestry of human existence. A live audience in Vancouver brings their best questions, challenging Dawkins on topics from the acceleration of evolution to the place of hope in a godless universe. Throughout, Dawkins reminds us of the beauty and privilege of being alive—and the imperative to embrace science not just as a source of practical utility, but as a thing of wonder in itself. Get ready for a lively, no-holds-barred exploration of reason, mortality, memes, and meaning with one of the most acclaimed public intellectuals of our time. - Key Takeaways: 00:00 "Dawkins: Legacy of Rationality" 10:18 "Unveiling Life's Lottery" 16:29 AI and the Turing Test Debate 19:55 Altman Teases with "Project Strawberry" 27:16 Parasites Manipulate Host Behavior 31:16 Unique Oxford Tutorial System 36:34 Improbability of Life's Uniqueness 41:45 Darwinian Sleep Theory Explained 49:13 Molecular Genetics of Aquatic Mammals 55:40 "Shifting Moral Zeitgeist" 01:00:09 "Scientific Discoveries: Nature's Script" 01:04:25 Biological vs. Personal Life Meaning 01:14:20 Gene Purpose: A Misconception 01:19:31 Beyond Selfish Genes 01:20:58 Belief vs. Faith: A Civilizational Challenge 01:30:54 "Miller's Experiment on Life's Origins" 01:37:15 Creationism vs. Evolution: Missing Link Argument 01:38:58 "Evolution's Certainty Comparable to Orbit" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw/join Get a copy of my books: Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner, with life changing interviews with 9 Nobel Prizewinners: https://a.co/03ezQFu My tell-all cosmic memoir Losing the Nobel Prize: http://amzn.to/2sa5UpA The first-ever audiobook from Galileo: Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems: Ptolemaic and Copernican https://a.co/d/iZPi9Un 📺 Watch my most popular videos:📺 Neil Turok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt5cFLN65fI Frank Wilczek https://youtu.be/3z8RqKMQHe0?sub_confirmation=1 Eric Weinstein vs. Stephen Wolfram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI0AZ4Y4Ip4?sub_confirmation=1 Sir Roger Penrose: https://youtu.be/AMuqyAvX7Wo Sabine Hossenfelder: https://youtu.be/g00ilS6tBvs Avi Loeb: https://youtu.be/N9lUceHsLRw Follow me to ask questions of my guests: 🏄‍♂️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list; just click here http://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog 🎙️ Listen on audio-only platforms: https://briankeating.com/podcast #universe #podcast #briankeating #intotheimpossible #science #astronomy #cosmology #cosmicmicrowavebackground #intotheimpossible #briankeating Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What is the biological necessity of sleep?
0:03.0	In other words, if there are exoplanets that have a diurnal,
0:06.0	anything that exist in the universe has some spin rate,
0:09.0	will probably have some nighttime?
0:11.0	Will they have creatures there?
0:12.0	Will they sleep?
0:13.0	Will they have diurnal cycles?
0:14.0	It's a fascinating question.
0:15.0	I mean, if you're asking as a Darwinian,
0:18.0	I mean, the Darwinian theory that I'm acquainted with is that because there is such a dramatic difference between the day and night, because of the rotation of the earth, it's not possible to be well adapted to both. And therefore, the best strategy is to be well adapted to one of them and to keep out of mischief for the other
0:39.9	and so sleep is according to this theory it originated with a man called ray medis
0:49.4	sleep is just a way of keeping out of mischief of not being conspicuous at a time when you don't need to be.
0:59.0	And then all the physiological consequences of that, which are definite, I mean you certainly need sleep physiologically.
1:07.0	That's a secondary consequence. There are people who claim never to sleep.
1:12.6	They're very rare.
1:14.6	They have been studied and it looks as though they may exist.
1:18.6	It's really rare.
1:19.6	My main criticism was the way many people think science should be taught
1:23.6	is that they think it should be made relevant to everyday life.
1:28.3	And I think everyday life is what's boring.
1:31.3	But science itself is riveting and exciting. The I'm Welcome, everybody.
2:37.1	What an incredible turnout over a thousand of the brightest people in British Columbia.
	...

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