Thursday 26 April 2012

REVIEW: Beautiful Minds - Richard Dawkins

Everyone knows Richard Dawkins. Most people have an opinion about Richard Dawkins. Christians, and those of other faiths, hate that he highlights the nonsense in their posturing. Many atheists seem to hold him up as, well, a God!


This BBC4 programme, the last in a series about eminent contemporary scientists, explored Dawkins the man, and what made him into the cult figure he now is.

Dawkins is, by trade, a zoologist but his mark was made, back in the 1970s, with his book, The Selfish Gene.

He has always had an ability to explain complex things in a straightforward and clear, some might say populist, way, but, of course, there are many, mostly opponents, who claim he is too preachy.

Of course, Dawkins would be nobody without Darwin, and the programme explained how he first got into biology via his parents interests interest in the natural world and then an inspirational teacher at Oundle School.

I've not seen the other programmes in the series, though I know others who have, but I thoroughly enjoyed the way this showed how Dawkins developed his thoughts. It was fascinating to see someone who wasn't a child genius but grew into the subject and developed an understanding that, eventually, made him, arguably, the most important person in his field of his generation.

A great programme, definitely worth watching (still on iPlayer).

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