Dawkins interview about memes in Wired.

[Audley Strange]

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/201 ... kins-memes

My favourite question...

"Do you still stand by the "Dear Muslima" comments you made about Rebecca Watson?
I'm not saying anything about her."

Nice one Richard, don't feed the trolls.

[klr]

I found this one interesting:

Q: I read an interview with you in 2010 in which you said you wanted tighter moderation of your website to reduce the number of vitriolic comments. Have you managed to do this?

A: Yes I think so. Our website is actually pretty good as they go. I'm afraid the internet is filled with people using really very intemperate language. I'm in favour of ridicule, but not abuse and I think we do a pretty good job on RichardDawkins.net of controlling the abuse.

Part of the problem all over the internet is anonymity. Because people are anonymous they would say things to other people that they would never dream of saying to their face and would never dream of saying if they had to sign their own name to it. But if you call yourself Tinky Winky or something no one knows who you are or where you are. It's a little bit like when you are driving your car and because you are separated from other people driving cars by the wall of your two cars you give them v-signs and things, which you would never do if you actually met them in the street.

[Audley Strange]

Indeed, I thought some here might go to that one. I have to say I don't recall any actual abuse at RDF when I was there. Plenty of ridicule and invective though.

[klr]

He's come a long way since ... uh ... Those DaysTM

[Animavore]

I looked for this.

What's the most unusual appearance request you've had?
I was filmed by a Japanese television company and the conceit of the programme was that they'd dress an actor, an Englishman, up as Charles Darwin and he would come and knock at my door and we would have a conversation about the changes that had happened in the subject [of evolutionary biology] since his death. So I told him all about modern genetics and things like that in a way that would have interested Darwin because it would have answered one of the major questions that he himself was worried about. The actor was quite good at playing the part of Darwin, doing good "old man" acting and repeatedly saying things like "yes, that's it!", although he was heavily made up and bits of slap kept on dropping off him the whole time. Then we went out into the street around Oxford and he was pictured being bewildered by traffic and dodging his way through cars.

To no avail

[Audley Strange]

I believe BBC Oxford has footage under "Darwin Zombie terrifies stupid locals"

[PsychoSerenity]

[Audley Strange]

Hmm.. did Dawkins finally get his hands on some LSD?

[klr]

Hmm.. did Dawkins finally get his hands on some LSD?

Surely he did that back in the late 1960's when he was at Berkeley?

[Robert_S]

Someone brings a few "intemperate" bits from the forum to Richard's attention but not the thousands of...

Good job on "not saying anything about her" though!

[Audley Strange]

Hmm.. did Dawkins finally get his hands on some LSD?

Surely he did that back in the late 1960's when he was at Berkeley?

Not that I'm aware of. I recall him discussing Persinger's "God Machine" after trying it and finding it ineffectual and him being asked if he had ever taken it and he said no but he would like to try it one day.

Though I have taken L.S.D, it may have been a hallucinatory flashback... man.

[hadespussercats]

Hmm.. did Dawkins finally get his hands on some LSD?

Surely he did that back in the late 1960's when he was at Berkeley?

Not that I'm aware of. I recall him discussing Persinger's "God Machine" after trying it and finding it ineffectual and him being asked if he had ever taken it and he said no but he would like to try it one day.

Though I have taken L.S.D, it may have been a hallucinatory flashback... man.

He might have been being circumspect.

[klr]

Hmm.. did Dawkins finally get his hands on some LSD?

Surely he did that back in the late 1960's when he was at Berkeley?

Not that I'm aware of. I recall him discussing Persinger's "God Machine" after trying it and finding it ineffectual and him being asked if he had ever taken it and he said no but he would like to try it one day.

Though I have taken L.S.D, it may have been a hallucinatory flashback... man.

He might have been being circumspect.

Or, as all the best people say, "being economical with the truth".

Not saying of course that you're not one of the best people.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

"Memes are interesting, and anyone who disagrees can fuck off."

[charlou]

They are, actually