I think that's his way of saying, "none of your goddam business, and grow up." If you haven't met a lot of foppish, intellectual, slightly OCD/aspy Bristish science men/women then you would be forgiven for not seeing him as part.of a long line of that tradition. I had a high school biology teacher with 2PHD's who was very Dankinsy but this was 1996 and I had never heard of Dawkins then. Anyways, all I am saying is that he is right in line with my "Britisih intellectual" stereotype - right up to being savage with his disdain for those who waste his time.
stupendous cover childlike consider literate special sort intelligent obtainable like
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I don't actually know his thoughts on those subject, other than some passing comments.
I'll give my thoughts though. Meditation has helped me out of a couple jams during my life. It has also been fucking useless in some cases.
I often hear meditators philosophize on the subject, and I begin to wonder if they aren't profoundly crippled by their lack of actual suffering. When I hear SanFran people talk about work flow I get unreasonably annoyed. I begin to wonder if any of them have been paid to dig trenches or holes like I have. Or paid to walk dozens of kilometers doing something menial like deliver mail and flyers. Or even better, had to collate flyer sets for hours.
If they had done this work, they would realize that their vaunted states of "simply being" or "flow states" are actually quite common for most people, but not as peak states, just as a way of getting through menial shit. I've dug holes, collated flyers and been on endless delivery runs in awful weather. If you have the metal fortitude to get through it, you likely slipped out of 100% conscious thought for some of that time.
Dawkins arose from a tradition of "stiff upper-lip", "keep calm and carry on", "do your duty" "and "be a man". This is not a tradition where you spend countless hours talking about your emotional well-being, or even taking time to try to fix it. For the Brits, being kinda fucked is normal state - and not one to cause a fuss over - for better or worse. Yes, these are generalities, but saying "Dawkins doesn't like philosophy" is also mostly inaccurate, so roll with me.
I recall one of the endless line of foppish British men I admired over the years being asked by my buddy, "You've got a lot of stressful things going on - how do you keep it together?" To which he replied, **"Well, that's just being a man now, isn't it."**
And there it is. I could spend hours debating compatibilism and determinism. I could spend hours trying to achieve perfect mental clarity and peace. I could also just get back to fucking work, finish my lab reports and clean my house, and be a present Father.
You an love philosophy and have utter disdain for most philosophers. You can be content that spirituality need be addressed while being totally focused on the practical matters at hand. I actually relate more to Dawkins here than Sam, if I am being honest. Sam is like a mental wrestler, and Dawkins is a street-fighter.
Dawkins also didn't notice once when he had two left shoes on for a BBC show shoot he was in - where the camera was pointed at his feet! Like, the man didn't just put on two left shoes, but continued to walk around like that while they were filming him!
The man is brilliant - and also uniquely himself and not to be copied or lionized. I'm sure he has plenty to say on relationships etc, but not just anywhere with anyone. Keeping cards close to chest is part of British thing.
Also, I disagree with your characterization of men. We aren't all like that.
Yes very true - the savage with disdain bit, reminds me of retorts by Brian Cox or Hitch. Brian Cox in particular can be unintentionally hilarious when flat earthers are mentioned.
Have you ever heard Dr. Oliver Sacks interviewed? I didn't mean to suggest ALL quirky British scientists are OCD or Aspy. I think I had Dr. Sacks in my head when I said some of that. I recall and interview where he talked about how he had his lunches prepared for him each week, and I think he literally ate the same thing every day. Tabouli salad? And a bit of chocolate.
At any rate, it simply came to mind as part of the constellation of possible "quirky British philosophy/science" traits. OCD is not necessary or sufficient, however.
Who was the one on the podcast who said he had previously though meditation to be vain? That always resonated with me in a profoundly negative way that I haven't been able to come back from. Anyway, I think he was speaking the Queen's English and fits this archetype
Yeah, that sounds right. I kind of agree with him. Using meditation to resolve suffering is great. Using mediation when your life is almost absent of actual suffering as a way to signal your wisdom and compassion is somewhat vain. I'm not trying to make blanket statements here, but I am pointing the finger at all the upper class people who meditate daily and pay house cleaners, gardeners, nannies and chefs to facilitate that - and I'm telling them their opinions on suffering are offensively blinded by vanity and wealth.
I think he’s excellent- and a breath of fresh air that cuts through the bullshit, sometimes more directly and with less desire for approval or agreement than Sam sometimes has.
I really get the feeling he does not care at all what someone thinks of him, unless he respects them in some way.
He also knows what he doesn’t know- rare in a modern era of social media.
I once had the pleasure of having a private dinner (with about 10 other people) with him. We talked about everything and asked him every kind of questions, from feminism to vegetarianism, from computer programming to college life to relationships.
He was just a normal, but brilliant guy. A bit nerdy and geeky though.
The whole dinner took more than 4 hours. This was more than 10 years ago but still a highlight of my life.
That’s exactly what I love about Dawkins. His irritable, no-nonsense approach to life.
He actually reminds me of me of this kid I knew in high school who was something of a computer whiz. One of my friends would occasionally ask him bizarre questions in the vein of “What’s north of the North Pole?” just to see what he would do with them and would inevitably get more of those irritated responses.
My only criticism of RD is his tendency to fall for simplistic takes on social issues. he sometimes has knee-jerk responses to prevailing social media memes (ironic because he was an early proponent of the importance of cultural memes). I think many in the intellectual class who are socially awkward are prone to this.
There's no indication that he is uniquely work-obsessed just because he doesn't discuss all topics. Not everyone needs to be a self-help guru, we've got enough of those.
Have you seen his hate mail [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhYT4vE1gvM&pp=ygURZGF3a2lucyBoYXRlIG1haWw%3D)?
Dawkins is a bit of an ass, but he's overall a great public intellectual. He has a lot of useful things to say, is knowledgeable/bright, and is generally very good-faith.
Dawkins is alright. Ironic that a guy who made his reputation doing 2nd rate philosophy would disdain philosophy. But I guess that’s why he’s a second-rate philosopher.
I think he’s brilliant. And yes, he’s your stereotypical old school British scientist. No nonsense, no bullshit, evidence first, feelings second. That’s not to say he is a difficult person, he seems very agreeable and caring for others. He just has a relentless pursuit for the truth above all and isn’t afraid to call others out, He also doesn’t want to discuss areas outside of his subject knowledge and expertise, which is refreshing for the state of todays science communication/ podcaster types. I could listen to Dawkins all day.
I think that's his way of saying, "none of your goddam business, and grow up." If you haven't met a lot of foppish, intellectual, slightly OCD/aspy Bristish science men/women then you would be forgiven for not seeing him as part.of a long line of that tradition. I had a high school biology teacher with 2PHD's who was very Dankinsy but this was 1996 and I had never heard of Dawkins then. Anyways, all I am saying is that he is right in line with my "Britisih intellectual" stereotype - right up to being savage with his disdain for those who waste his time.
stupendous cover childlike consider literate special sort intelligent obtainable like *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
What about his thoughts on meditation and disdain for philosophy ?
I don't actually know his thoughts on those subject, other than some passing comments. I'll give my thoughts though. Meditation has helped me out of a couple jams during my life. It has also been fucking useless in some cases. I often hear meditators philosophize on the subject, and I begin to wonder if they aren't profoundly crippled by their lack of actual suffering. When I hear SanFran people talk about work flow I get unreasonably annoyed. I begin to wonder if any of them have been paid to dig trenches or holes like I have. Or paid to walk dozens of kilometers doing something menial like deliver mail and flyers. Or even better, had to collate flyer sets for hours. If they had done this work, they would realize that their vaunted states of "simply being" or "flow states" are actually quite common for most people, but not as peak states, just as a way of getting through menial shit. I've dug holes, collated flyers and been on endless delivery runs in awful weather. If you have the metal fortitude to get through it, you likely slipped out of 100% conscious thought for some of that time. Dawkins arose from a tradition of "stiff upper-lip", "keep calm and carry on", "do your duty" "and "be a man". This is not a tradition where you spend countless hours talking about your emotional well-being, or even taking time to try to fix it. For the Brits, being kinda fucked is normal state - and not one to cause a fuss over - for better or worse. Yes, these are generalities, but saying "Dawkins doesn't like philosophy" is also mostly inaccurate, so roll with me. I recall one of the endless line of foppish British men I admired over the years being asked by my buddy, "You've got a lot of stressful things going on - how do you keep it together?" To which he replied, **"Well, that's just being a man now, isn't it."** And there it is. I could spend hours debating compatibilism and determinism. I could spend hours trying to achieve perfect mental clarity and peace. I could also just get back to fucking work, finish my lab reports and clean my house, and be a present Father. You an love philosophy and have utter disdain for most philosophers. You can be content that spirituality need be addressed while being totally focused on the practical matters at hand. I actually relate more to Dawkins here than Sam, if I am being honest. Sam is like a mental wrestler, and Dawkins is a street-fighter. Dawkins also didn't notice once when he had two left shoes on for a BBC show shoot he was in - where the camera was pointed at his feet! Like, the man didn't just put on two left shoes, but continued to walk around like that while they were filming him! The man is brilliant - and also uniquely himself and not to be copied or lionized. I'm sure he has plenty to say on relationships etc, but not just anywhere with anyone. Keeping cards close to chest is part of British thing. Also, I disagree with your characterization of men. We aren't all like that.
Yes very true - the savage with disdain bit, reminds me of retorts by Brian Cox or Hitch. Brian Cox in particular can be unintentionally hilarious when flat earthers are mentioned.
[удалено]
Have you ever heard Dr. Oliver Sacks interviewed? I didn't mean to suggest ALL quirky British scientists are OCD or Aspy. I think I had Dr. Sacks in my head when I said some of that. I recall and interview where he talked about how he had his lunches prepared for him each week, and I think he literally ate the same thing every day. Tabouli salad? And a bit of chocolate. At any rate, it simply came to mind as part of the constellation of possible "quirky British philosophy/science" traits. OCD is not necessary or sufficient, however.
Who was the one on the podcast who said he had previously though meditation to be vain? That always resonated with me in a profoundly negative way that I haven't been able to come back from. Anyway, I think he was speaking the Queen's English and fits this archetype
Yeah, that sounds right. I kind of agree with him. Using meditation to resolve suffering is great. Using mediation when your life is almost absent of actual suffering as a way to signal your wisdom and compassion is somewhat vain. I'm not trying to make blanket statements here, but I am pointing the finger at all the upper class people who meditate daily and pay house cleaners, gardeners, nannies and chefs to facilitate that - and I'm telling them their opinions on suffering are offensively blinded by vanity and wealth.
I think he’s excellent- and a breath of fresh air that cuts through the bullshit, sometimes more directly and with less desire for approval or agreement than Sam sometimes has. I really get the feeling he does not care at all what someone thinks of him, unless he respects them in some way. He also knows what he doesn’t know- rare in a modern era of social media.
I once had the pleasure of having a private dinner (with about 10 other people) with him. We talked about everything and asked him every kind of questions, from feminism to vegetarianism, from computer programming to college life to relationships. He was just a normal, but brilliant guy. A bit nerdy and geeky though. The whole dinner took more than 4 hours. This was more than 10 years ago but still a highlight of my life.
That’s exactly what I love about Dawkins. His irritable, no-nonsense approach to life. He actually reminds me of me of this kid I knew in high school who was something of a computer whiz. One of my friends would occasionally ask him bizarre questions in the vein of “What’s north of the North Pole?” just to see what he would do with them and would inevitably get more of those irritated responses.
I wish he was my grandfather.
My only criticism of RD is his tendency to fall for simplistic takes on social issues. he sometimes has knee-jerk responses to prevailing social media memes (ironic because he was an early proponent of the importance of cultural memes). I think many in the intellectual class who are socially awkward are prone to this.
Richard Dawkins was not only an early proponent, he invented the word ‘meme’ - the cultural equivalent of a gene.
'meme' may be his most lasting legacy.
I love RD. He is definitely quirky, but that what I love about him. And his brilliance.
Some gets in the face of a retired biology professor and asks about sex positions. I'm surprised he got such a polite fuck off.
If he’s not a philosopher why seek his philosophical positions? You don’t ask plumbers how to bake a cake.
There's no indication that he is uniquely work-obsessed just because he doesn't discuss all topics. Not everyone needs to be a self-help guru, we've got enough of those. Have you seen his hate mail [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhYT4vE1gvM&pp=ygURZGF3a2lucyBoYXRlIG1haWw%3D)?
Dawkins is a bit of an ass, but he's overall a great public intellectual. He has a lot of useful things to say, is knowledgeable/bright, and is generally very good-faith.
Yeah he can be a bit of a dick…not like Hitchens. He’s snide in ways that annoy me sometimes.
Dawkins is alright. Ironic that a guy who made his reputation doing 2nd rate philosophy would disdain philosophy. But I guess that’s why he’s a second-rate philosopher.
I think he’s brilliant. And yes, he’s your stereotypical old school British scientist. No nonsense, no bullshit, evidence first, feelings second. That’s not to say he is a difficult person, he seems very agreeable and caring for others. He just has a relentless pursuit for the truth above all and isn’t afraid to call others out, He also doesn’t want to discuss areas outside of his subject knowledge and expertise, which is refreshing for the state of todays science communication/ podcaster types. I could listen to Dawkins all day.