Richard Dawkins Lecture : Waking up in the universe.

published by johnald128

1 year 4 months ago • 829 views

tags: richard, dawkins, lectures

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You should also watch
“Douglas Adams , Richard Dawkins, and a cow named Dinner”

The Royal Institute of Christmas Lectures 1991.
Richard Dawkins (Lecture One): 'Waking up in the universe'.

this is the first part of lecture 1, for the other parts just click the video face
or
for all 4 lectures visit
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=DrMontague&page=1

his other lectures were:
2) design and designoid objects
3) climbing mount improbable
4) the ultraviolet garden

Comments

I used to watch these every year. Top stuff

written by NickyP

| 1 year 4 months 1 week ago | CH

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If there is one thing I don't like about Richard Dawkin's theories is that he postulates that we are our genes, that we are to follow the same genetic pathways held by our ancestors and relatives. I just simply cannot accept that there is no such thing as self control, or individualism.

Other then that he's a really great voice for reason and rationale.

written by Farhad2000

| 1 year 4 months 1 week ago | CH

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Farhad2000 has he actually said he thinks there's no such thing as self control, or individualism?

i think the kinds of decisions a person makes is genetically predetermined. but, your ability to control your own decisions away from that will also be genetically predetermined! creative thinking is what got humans this far.

you've got to admit that the vast majority of the things we do are guided towards procreation. try to think of something that isnt, it's harder than it seems

written by johnald128

| 1 year 4 months 1 week ago | CH

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..................sorry what, I was thinking about sex then

written by NickyP

| 1 year 4 months 1 week ago | CH

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"A crude analogy can be found in the old saw about a chicken being just an egg's way of making more eggs. In a similar inversion, Dawkins describes biological organisms as "vehicles" or survival machines, with genes as the "replicators" that create these organisms as a means of acquiring resources and copying themselves. At the level of organisms, we can see genes as being for some feature that might benefit the organism, but at the level of genes, the sole implicit purpose is to benefit themselves. A related concept here is the extended phenotype, in which the consequences of the genes to the environment outside the organism are considered."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfish_gene

These ideas then lead into a social framework for systematic population control in a free market society. Using game theory and the ideas of Sigmund Freud to appeal to our irrational emotions. Am not saying Dawkin's specifically believes that humans are far more controlled by their genes then their own individual selfs, but it's not hard to draw parallels how varying scientific ideas are misused for other purposes.

http://www.videosift.com/video/The-Trap-What-Happened-to-Our-Dreams-of-Freedom-Part-1

written by Farhad2000

| 1 year 4 months 1 week ago | CH

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thanks for those links Farhad, am watching that docu now.

(am new here, this community's pretty cool!
are there any sites similar to this (as in less of the viral stuff) or any sister sites?
neatorama and boingboing are others i visit most.)

written by johnald128

| 1 year 4 months 1 week ago | CH

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