This evening, I will be speaking at the Catholic Society of the University of Durham. Originally, I was going to speak about hell (well, the four last things, anyway) but then they heard that I had spoken about Richard Dawkins at St Andrews and asked me to change the subject.I am beginning to feel about Richard Dawkins rather as I began to feel about the Da Vinci Code after a while. I wonder if Richard Dawkins will soon become as passé. I very much hope so because "The God Delusion" was not at all as interesting as books like "The Selfish Gene" or "River Out of Eden". I now begin my talks by saying that I used to begin my talks by saying that I had a great respect for the writing of Richard Dawkins. After reading "The God Delusion" in which he majors in subject areas where he is very weak and prejudiced, that respect has diminished quite a bit.
This version of the talk will benefit from my having now read Fr Tom Crean OP's book "A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins" which I thought was excellent and much better than Alistair McGrath who has written some good replies to Dawkins.
Not having been to Durham before, I am looking forward to meeting the students. It is already dark so I will not see much of Durham until tomorrow morning.
8 comments:
Enjoy the trip to Durham, Father.
There is a very fine view of it from the train, I seem to remember.
They tell me it's a very nice place, but rather cold.
Hope the talk went well !
Wow! You do get about! Since Fr Guy doesn't want to play Campion, will you do it? lol
I agree with you entirely Fr. about Fr Tom Crean's reply to Richard Dawkins. It is excellent.
I like Durham too. The last time I went was with my late brother who had never been. We walked up to the Cathedral from the river below. My first visit was when I was taken there in a school party in 1950 and "The Red Dean" spoke to us about its history.
JARay
from my post on 'Holy Smoke'
Being enveloped in the sciences before I moved onto Philosophy I am fully aware of Professor Dawkins' scientific writings and his subsequent pseudo-intellectual metaphysical speculations regarding the alleged memetics within the 'extended phenotype' - The proposed notions of the 'selfish' gene both ignored and was incompatible with obligate symbioses - in order to categorically dismiss any contradictory data , or competing and more holistic credible theories of symbiogenesis [Margulis et al] or entelechial morphic resonance [Sheldrake] Dawkins introduced the presumptive 'extended phenotype' to merely ameliorate his ideological arrogance that mere protein actuators determine every aspect of the biosphere - mutualism, commensalism and even parasitism are subsumed into this grand delusion - a meta-synthesis redolent of Hegel's Geist and just as insanely devoid of substantiating evidence other than a clutching at straws to find some objective reason and purpose behind it all - Dawkins had to reach out for an underlying motivational factor reaching towards some inconceivable omega point - to find a god within biology in order to prove there was no God...
For someone who has already compromised reality ONCE out of abject fear of the potential destructive consequences of the evidence to his ivory tower - in order to placate his intellectual guilt; to dismiss his academic transgressions he cannot forthrightly address - he overreacts and overcompensates his submission to weakness by making an all-out assault upon those who do to reality what he did to evolutionary biology - the compositors of false religions !
Like an ex-smoker amongst smokers he is more virulently hostile ; he resembles the latent homosexual who commits violent homophobic assaults in order to suppress the underlying negation within his 'intellectual prowess'.
The extended phenotype is nothing more than metaphysical speculation - as is meme theory. I happen to believe that Sheldrake is more likely to be correct than Dawkins ; even though at present Margulis seems to be the most credible - but they are all theoretical stances devoid of concrete scientific proof - but try and tell Dawkins that !
Do you sincerely believe Professor Dawkins , having made his own bio-evolutionary religion ; is ever going to admit it to himself ? rather he must condemn and denounce everything 'religious' around him which remotely hints at the possibility that he is guilty of the same intellectual crime
Father, any chance that you could make your talk available online?
Father, you are in for real treat when you open your eyes in Durham! I'm sure you will visit St Bede's tomb, etc... reminds me of my time as sec of the then Plumtree Society, after Bl Thomas Plumtree, martyr, who said Mass in the Cathedral, at the Pilgrimage of Grace, I think.
Then we were privileged to have as chaplain, Fr G Culkin, Church historian, prof at Ushaw.I remember organising talks by Simon Peplar OP, Douglas Woodruff, Archbp McDwyer of Birmingham, etc... I can remember beautiful 'dialogue' tridentine Masses in St Cuthberts, Old Elvet. We Catholics in castle carried on a tradition of saying the Rosary in the Norman chapel each evening before dinner.
Enjoy Durham! Look forward to some great photos.
Ken
That sounds like this will be an interesting talk, Father. I would love to be there! Maybe you should come to Birmingham sometime! Haha! ;-D
Enjoy Durham. I heard it's a very nice city. I might visit it sometime in the future.
God bless,
T
Many thanks for all your kind wishes. Unfortunately, I arrived in the dark and did not have time to do any sightseeing this morning before coming back down. It was also pouring with rain this morning which precluded my getting any decent photos. Pity: I brought the big camera down specially. Next time...
An earlier version of the talk I gave is at my parish website's Controversies page. I need to update this after reading Fr Crean's book and to re-order it a little but most of what I said is in there somewhere!
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