Scientists, whether Christian or not, really do not like Richard Dawkins!
I discovered this curious fact in The Journal for the Public Understanding of Science. It recently published research by Rice University, Texas on how scientists feel about the public perception of their disciplines and this was one of their findings.
Delving deeper
The figures were somewhat more complex than that. The study was based on a survey of 20,000 scientists in eight different countries and did not itself raise the name of Richard Dawkins. It was just an attempt to understand how scientists felt about their reputation. But the frequent appearance of Dawkins’ name in responses was noteworthy. Of those UK scientists who did mention his name in an extended interview, 80% referred to him in negative terms. The Independent newspaper concluded: ‘Most British scientists in a new study dislike Richard Dawkins, with some arguing that he misrepresents science and is misleading the public.’
Comedy, free speech and warnings from the past
Hannah Arendt was a Jewish philosopher who grew up in Nazi Germany. Eventually she had to flee to France and, …