What is your opinion of Richard Dawkins

[Keithzworld]

I've heard some atheists saying "he is an embarrassment to atheism and atheists". Personally while I don't view him as a spokes person for atheisim, I do view him as a very intelligent, well educated and insightful person.

[pinkocommie]

I like him.  I think he's intelligent and I like how soft spoken he is generally and I can relate to his feelings about religion to a degree.  I appreciate his dedication to educating people abut evolution.  I think different kinds of atheists prefer different popular outspoken atheists, if any at all, so while I can understand people who consider Dawkins a spokesperson for their feelings about atheism, I don't personally feel that way about him.  Then again, I don't really feel that way about anyone.  Except maybe Dennett.  I like Dennett a lot.  

[Sophus]

I like Dawkins and Dennett. Don't care much for AC Greyling. My favorite outspoken atheist of all time though is no longer liver. Herr Friedrich Nietzsche. God, I love that man.  

[Tank]

I have never met RD in real life. I've watched him on various TED and YouTube videos. I've read a few of his books. The first discussion forum I ever joined was RichardDawkins.net (RDF). The God Delusion changed my world view from passive atheist to active anti-theist (Christianity, Islam and Judaism). The Blind Watchmaker is the best of his books that I have read. Evolution, The Greatest Show on Earth! didn't quite live up to my expectations as I was expecting a tour-da-force on evolution not a diatribe of mixed quality against creationism and ID. As a scientist he is generally despised in academia as a narcissistic self publicist and I do think he has rather fallen for his own publicity of late.

He did a TV program, 3 episodes, on the UK Channel 4 about Darwin. I watched the first, half of he second and didn't bother with the third. It wasn't about Darwin it was about Dawkins as the inheritor of Darwin's crown. In it he went to see some school kids (15 'ish) he was cringe worthy in his patronising behaviour towards them. One kid had the temerity to say he believed in God, Dawkins response was very poor. Dawkins appears to be the product of his upbringing, not a shock really, and that upbringing in Africa and in academia really does seem to have resulted in person very much out of touch with the average person in the street.

His management of RDF was almost indescribably bad. It was a complete clusterfuck from one end to the other. I don't have a spare day to detail all the mistakes he made. But the root of the issue is 'Ivory Tower Syndrome' (ITS). Now I've never met the guy, Martin has so he may have a different view, my impression is somebody who really needs to rein in his ego a bit.

His contribution to evolutionary neo-Darwinist thought is undoubtedly concept changing. His raising awareness of the dangers of science denial is equally important. His war against theism is worthwhile but Dan Dennett trumps him when it comes to a polite and reasoned attitude. But maybe one needs the good guy and the the bad guy.

Not quite a genius, not the best philosopher, rather narcissistic but a brilliant educator (with the right audience), a flawed individual whose contribution to the furtherance of the Theory of Evolution since the publication of 'The Selfish Gene' has been incalculable.

[Ellainix]

I would let Richard Dawkins naturally select me

[Tank]

I would let Richard Dawkins naturally select me lol  She went with the intention of having this erudite and intellectual conversation with him. All she managed was to squeak 'fank u' in a tiny voice and shuffle off. By all accounts the encounter was every bit as awe inspiring as she had expected and formed the basis for a number of pre-sleep fantasies.  She met him again later and actually managed to string a whole sentence together before melting into an incoherent wreck!

[karadan]

His management of RDF was almost indescribably bad. It was a complete clusterfuck from one end to the other. I don't have a spare day to detail all the mistakes he made. But the root of the issue is 'Ivory Tower Syndrome' (ITS). Now I've never met the guy, Martin has so he may have a different view, my impression is somebody who really needs to rein in his ego a bit.

Because of the above, the term 'farce' has now been changed to 'dawkins' in the dictionary.

[Tank]

His management of RDF was almost indescribably bad. It was a complete clusterfuck from one end to the other. I don't have a spare day to detail all the mistakes he made. But the root of the issue is 'Ivory Tower Syndrome' (ITS). Now I've never met the guy, Martin has so he may have a different view, my impression is somebody who really needs to rein in his ego a bit.

Because of the above, the term 'farce' has now been changed to 'dawkins' in the dictionary.

I'd laugh if that wasn't so true  

[Dretlin]

I would let Richard Dawkins naturally select me

Haha. Yes, yes, good.

I like the man. He does only speak for himself and he makes that clear. I doubt I agree with everything he says.

[coltcat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOyP44Xu5FA
not exactly his words, but it's priceless.

he is an embarrassment to atheism and atheists

nonono... there are way crazier atheist out there.
and Dawkins never said he represent atheism in any way. he just outspoke and happened to be an atheist.
IMO his aggressiveness on imaginary friends is just awesome.

[Martin TK]

Richard came across to me, when we talked privately, that a lot of what people see in public doesn't really reflect his private personna.  I believe that Richard attempts to fight fire with fire, sometimes.  He uses his own ego to reflect the egotism of religious "faith heads" as he calls them, and I think he feels that to be a quiet atheist does nothing to fight the ignorance of religion.  If all atheist simply go quietly into the night, the religious fanatics will simply ignore us and continue to do harm to society.

I don't agree with everything he's said, and he actually wants people to disagree with him, in spite of his personna that might reflect otherwise.  Richard once told me that if religion suddenly dissappeared he'd be out of a job, to which I replied that he's rich enough to retire.  But, I understood what he was saying, he's made his mark on the world at the expense of ignorance.

Now, my favorite atheist, besides myself and my wife (and maybe Tank), is Dan Barker over at the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Wisconsin.  This guy really gets it from the perspective, not of science, but of the whole faith/mind control thing.  He was a former Evangelical Preacher, his book Godless, is really interesting.  If you ever get a chance to watch him debate, he's very much different than Dawkins.  You can look online for his debate with DeSousa, and he rips this guy with kindness.  He's as laid back, but serious about atheism, as Dawkins is out front.

[Martin TK]

I also like Tank's description of the public Dawkins, it's actually the exact personna that Richard strives for.  I'm trying to say this the right way, but Dawkins believes that he has to be just as "out there" as some of the Televangelists he rails against.  His belief is to be as ardent about science as "faith heads" are about religion.  Now, I'm not talking for Richard, here; these are MY interpretations of what I gathered from him during our five years of knowing each other.  I met Dawkins in 2005 in England when I was presenting a paper on race relations in America, he was at the same meeting presenting a paper on science, NOT atheism, and we had the opportunity to strike up a conversation and hence a five year, on and off, sharing of ideas.

I met Barker in Detroit a couple years ago at a debate, and he and I have spoken on and off, for a couple years.  I've done a little work for the FFRF on some of their First Amendment cases.

[The Magic Pudding]

So who's making a difference?

[Thumpalumpacus]

I enjoy reading his books; he has an entertaining style and I find myself learning.

But I disagree with his trope that religious upbringing is abuse. And yes, he does seem to be self-infatuated, but that's only my perception, from afar.

[Squid]

I think Richard Dawkins is a brilliant scientist.  I do think that he can become a bit zealous in his rail against religion but, hey, that's his thing.