(May 2, 2014 at 9:08 am)Tonus Wrote:(May 2, 2014 at 7:31 am)ManMachine Wrote: Can you post a quote form Dawkins where he either claims to be an atheist or an agnostic-atheist? I've seen many people attribute that to him but not heard it from the man himself.In the following story (with embedded video) where he admits to being agnostic, he reminds the audience that he remains an atheist:
Quote:But, to the amusement of the archbishop and others, the evolutionary biologist swiftly added that he was "6.9 out of seven" certain of his long-standing atheist beliefs.
Replying to moderator Anthony Kenny, a noted English philosopher, Dawkins said, "I think the probability of a supernatural creator existing (is) very, very low."
I'm going to use this post to close out my point on the Dawkins /atheist/agnostic issue.
What has been posted here (in Tonus' post) is a video of the entire debate alongside some journalistic comment.
Many of the responses I have been given are based on journalistic bias and not what Dawkins is actually saying. Which is astonishing to me because the video is there for you to hear it from Dawkins himself. This also puts his comment on the 'seven point scale' into it's proper context.
So to use Dawkins' actual words transcribed from the video in the context they were made;
(Video clip at 01:11.33)
Anthony Kenny: Since he [Rowan Williams] has been sporting enough to bring god into the discussion, and you I think, Richard, believe you have a disproof of god's existence.
Richard Dawkins: No, I don't, I don't, that... you were wrong when you said that. I constructed in The God Delusion a seven point scale of which one was I'm... I know god exists, uh, seven was I know god doesn't exist and I called myself a six.
AK: Why don't you call yourself an agnostic then?
RD: I do. Um, but I thinks it's of, I think it's rather, I think it...
AK: You're described as the world's most famous atheist.
RD: Well, not by me. Not by me.
AK: Well, can I ask you to spell out your argument, your Boeing...
RD: Alright, I'm a six point nine.
[laughs]
AK: But you have your Boeing 747 argument to show it's highly improbable there's a god
RD: Yes, I mean, I believe that when you talk about agnosticism it's very important to make a distinction between 'I don't know whether x is true or not, therefore it's 50/50 likely or unlikely, and that's the kind of agnostic which I, which I don't, which I'm definitely not. I think one can place estimates of probability on these things and I think the probability of any supernatural creator existing is very, very low so let's say I'm a six point nine. Um, but that still doesn't mean that I'm, that I'm absolutely confident, that I absolutely know, because I don't.
...
[the debate continues on Darwin]
And there you have it. I said Dawkins considers himself to be agnostic, which is a fact. I'm not giving my opinion here. I'm not offering an interpretation, I'm just reporting the facts.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
