A hit of Dawkins to clear the head.
www.TED.com
February 2002
Monterey, California
Richard Dawkins, before he was famous
In 1987, a reporter asked George Bush Sr. whether he recognized the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists. Mr. Bush's reply has become infamous: "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is 'one nation under God.'" Bush's bigotry was not an isolated mistake...he really meant it. More to the point, he knew it posed no threat to his election. Quite the contrary. Democrats as well as Republicans parade their religiousness if they want to get elected...
[But] is there any correlation, positive or negative, between intelligence and tendency to be religious?
A recent artcle by Paul G. Bell in the MENSA magazine...concludes that, I quote, " Of 43 studies carried out since 1927 on the relationship between religious belief and one's intelligence or educational level, all but four found an inverse connection; that is, the higher one's intelligence or education level, the less one is likely to be religious..."
So we've reached a truly remarkable situation: a grotesque mismatch between the American intelligentsia and the American electorate. A philosophical opinion about the nature of the universe which is held by the vast majority of top American scientists... is so abhorrent to the American electorate that no candidate for popular election dare affirm it in public. If I'm right, this means that high office, in the greatest country in the world, is barred to the very peope best qualified to hold it--the intelligentsia. Unless they're prepared to lie about their beliefs. To put it bluntly, American political opportunities are heavily loaded against those who are simultaneously intelligent and honest.
Dawkins' entire talk can be found here.
February 2002
Monterey, California
Richard Dawkins, before he was famous
In 1987, a reporter asked George Bush Sr. whether he recognized the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists. Mr. Bush's reply has become infamous: "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is 'one nation under God.'" Bush's bigotry was not an isolated mistake...he really meant it. More to the point, he knew it posed no threat to his election. Quite the contrary. Democrats as well as Republicans parade their religiousness if they want to get elected...
[But] is there any correlation, positive or negative, between intelligence and tendency to be religious?
A recent artcle by Paul G. Bell in the MENSA magazine...concludes that, I quote, " Of 43 studies carried out since 1927 on the relationship between religious belief and one's intelligence or educational level, all but four found an inverse connection; that is, the higher one's intelligence or education level, the less one is likely to be religious..."
So we've reached a truly remarkable situation: a grotesque mismatch between the American intelligentsia and the American electorate. A philosophical opinion about the nature of the universe which is held by the vast majority of top American scientists... is so abhorrent to the American electorate that no candidate for popular election dare affirm it in public. If I'm right, this means that high office, in the greatest country in the world, is barred to the very peope best qualified to hold it--the intelligentsia. Unless they're prepared to lie about their beliefs. To put it bluntly, American political opportunities are heavily loaded against those who are simultaneously intelligent and honest.
Dawkins' entire talk can be found here.