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January 20, 2006

To PZ, With Love (or An Ode to Richard Dawkins)

PZ Myers is too cool for words*.

I got an autographed copy of Dawkins' latest book, The Ancestor's Tale, when he came through Denver to support the book's release, but it wasn't free and it was only signed because I said "uh, could you, uh, sign this?"

Update: Courtesy of the comments over at Pharyngula, if you'd like to download a BitTorrent file for both episodes of Richard Dawkins' Channel 4 series "The Root of All Evil," here are the links:

Episode 1: The God Delusion

Episode 2: The Virus of Faith

You'll need a BitTorrent client, such as BitLord.

Here's a little more about what you'll be seeing:

In this two-part Channel 4 series, Professor Richard Dawkins challenges what he describes as 'a process of non-thinking called 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.

And knowing Dawkins to be the atheistic firebrand that he is, this should be some good viewing (although I'd prefer PBS or someone air it rather than watching it on my computer, but I doubt any American network will touch this puppy).

Update 2: Just in the middle of watching the first episode and it pains me to think there is such a bastion of ignorance and rampant kookification a mere 70 miles south of me.

* You know, overlooking some of his political views. When it comes to science and atheism, though, he's a'ight by me.