Richard Dawkins: The Rational Revolutionary

Intelligence Squared

Arts, News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2016

⏱️ 62 minutes

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Summary

In the 1960s and 70s, a revolution took place in the way we understand human nature. Out went Marx and Freud, and in came a rational, scientific approach to the way we see ourselves. At the vanguard of that revolution was Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist whose book 'The Selfish Gene' changed the thinking not just of other scientists but of all of us, and propelled its author to intellectual stardom as the modern heir to Darwin. To mark the 40th anniversary of 'The Selfish Gene' and Dawkins’ 75th birthday, Intelligence Squared staged a global event, bringing together luminaries from the worlds of science, philosophy and culture to engage with Dawkins about his life and work. Steven Pinker, celebrated cognitive scientist, and Daniel Dennett, philosopher and fellow ‘New Atheist’, were beamed in live from America. On-stage guests included the illusionist Derren Brown, an avowed fan of Dawkins’ theories about the workings of the mind, the science writer Susan Blackmore, who has further developed... Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:27.8	Maybe 30 or 20 years ago a Saudi might have said I'm Muslim and I'm Arab and I'm Saudi
0:36.7	Now they might say I'm Saudi and I'm Arab and I'm Muslim
0:40.0	You know they're trying to radically refashion their country and they need help from the best experts in the world
0:45.1	Do you want to have your country's people be disqualified from that because of some essentially antiquated point of view about how countries work together?
0:53.4	In recent months it can feel like Saudi Arabia is intent on buying the world.
0:57.8	It's bought up much of golf, sports teams, many of the globe's best soccer players to its own domestic league and it owns huge chunks of many of the biggest companies on the planet. But Saudi Arabia is not just on a shopping spree. The once insular oil- Rich Kingdom is transforming into a major diplomatic and military
1:16.0	player, a pivotal actor in the energy transition and looks set to host high-end cultural events
1:21.6	like the FIFA World Cup.
1:23.0	You know, they know that buying a football club immediately brings you a
1:27.2	billboard into a global game that allows you to completely reposition yourself
1:32.2	or rebrand yourself.
1:33.4	It feels like we're entering the era of the Saudi project.
1:36.6	But what exactly is the kingdom trying to achieve and will it succeed?
1:40.4	Available now from Intelligence Squared, The Saudi project is a new podcast series seeking to answer some of these questions and more.
1:48.0	Britain does have choices. It's not either or situation. We either indulge Mohammed bin Salman or boycott Mohammed
	...

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