Darwin/Dawkins for Dummies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptV9sNezEvk

I found the first seven minutes, as Dawkins talks with the youngsters, deeply depressing. But not deeply surprising.

But then, I wondered, why was it that at their age or even younger, I was almost eager to dump what I had been taught about God, which was already becoming hard to swallow? Must thank my Catholic upbringing for that, I suppose.

I remember being in the Natural History Museum at no more than 12 years old, possibly  onlly 9 or 10, looking at the skeleton of a snake and thinking that it was remarkably similar to that of a human, minus arms and legs, of course, but a skull and a backbone.

Nowadays I can see that Natural Selection does not rule out the existence of a god, or gods. But it certainly puts it into question, big time.
The real religious problem it raises is when - and how - does the "Immortal Soul" whatever that is, get in?

The video here has given me increased respect for Richard Dawkins. It's one of three, all well done, and Dawkins himself is a top class presenter - dedicated to his subject, but not carried away; lucid, articulate and compelling.

But what strikes me as truly admirable is that  he is willing to subject himself to a variation of intellectual martrydom by voluntarily speaking with the most detestable people imaginable to pursue the truth.
Saintly conduct it seems to me. And his old-fashioned, British good manners never seem to fail him.
Clearly what set him off on his anti-god crusade originally was the increasing, blinkered, vicious imbecility of anti-Darwinists.

He, and that includes we, won't win.
Mindless stupidity will always trump reason.
Always has.