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Richard Dawkins Foundation - 2009 Fundraiser

Comments

  • #2
    Turtwig
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,578 ✭✭✭✭Turtwig


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiV5TsWCPVk


    Is anyone else just slightly disturbed by this video?

    Why?
    It's got Brian FREAKING Greene!!:eek:


  • #3
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    It ever so slightly reminds me of those evangelical videos, that's all.


  • #4
    Turtwig
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,578 ✭✭✭✭Turtwig


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    It ever so slightly reminds me of those evangelical videos, that's all.

    Well Greene's an evangelical string theorist, so that makes sense.:)


  • #5
    Herbal Deity
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭Herbal Deity


    While I do feel that there is the need for something like that, a foundation promoting the embracement of science and reason by the general public, and appealing to the average person in the same way that religion does, I have issues with it being called "The Richard Dawkins Foundation" - personality cult anyone? Part of me hated and part of me loved that video.


  • #6
    liamw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,780 ✭✭✭liamw


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    Is anyone else just slightly disturbed by this video?

    Near the end it felt a bit cultish


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  • #7
    Herbal Deity
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭Herbal Deity


    mmm... the end was somewhere between cringeworthy and very disturbing...


  • #8
    Daftendirekt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,312 ✭✭✭Daftendirekt


    Meh, it was a bit cheesy, but alright. They should really change the name though. It's supposed to promote reason and science, not Dawkins!


  • #9
    Rb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭Rb


    Loved it.


  • #10
    Galvasean
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    Herbal Deity wrote: »
    While I do feel that there is the need for something like that, a foundation promoting the embracement of science and reason by the general public, and appealing to the average person in the same way that religion does, I have issues with it being called "The Richard Dawkins Foundation"

    Agreed, to a lot of regular people the name Richard Dawkins conjurs up images of the athiest boogeyman.


  • #11
    Funglegunk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,566 ✭✭✭Funglegunk


    Herbal Deity wrote: »
    mmm... the end was somewhere between cringeworthy and very disturbing...

    I thought the end was the best part actually. :P But I agree, that video is powerfully unscientific.


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  • #12
    Dades
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    Daftendirekt wrote: »
    Meh, it was a bit cheesy, but alright. They should really change the name though. It's supposed to promote reason and science, not Dawkins!
    I agree. Having his name tacked onto the foundation is a bit weird. If he'd died and left millions to start a foundation that would be one thing. The "Foundation for Reason & Science" stands well enough on it's own for me.


  • #13
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    Could be just a marketing thing. Why not use the name of one of the most famous atheists in the world, rather than some generic name like ''The Reason Project''? :)


  • #14
    Dades
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    Could be just a marketing thing. Why not use the name of one of the most famous atheists in the world, rather than some generic name like ''The Reason Project''? :)
    Could put as many off as attract people to it? Idolatry? :D


  • #15
    Galvasean
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    Could be just a marketing thing. Why not use the name of one of the most famous atheists in the world, rather than some generic name like ''The Reason Project''? :)

    Simple. Having the athiest name makes it look like an 'athiests only' club, which is bad.


  • #16
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    Maybe so, but I'd say only theists would think of it that way.

    Dawkin's may be an atheist, but he's also a scientist. His position at Oxford had no correlation with his atheism, there's no reason why this would be any different.

    Note, I say this without having watched the video above! :)


  • #17
    Galvasean
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    Dawkin's may be an atheist, but he's also a scientist. His position at Oxford had no correlation with his atheism, there's no reason why this would be any different.

    Tell that to the common Joe Soap in the street! To them Dawkins is 'that athiest guy from TV' or 'the fella that wrote that book about God not being real'. It doesn't occur to most people that he is in fact a qualified scientist.

    Science needs to reach out to the common people more. To many it appears to be some secretive athiestic society operating from ivory towers.


  • #18
    Goduznt Xzst
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,353 ✭✭✭Goduznt Xzst


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    Is anyone else just slightly disturbed by this video?
    MagicMarker wrote: »
    Could be just a marketing thing.

    MagicMarker hit the nail on the head. The video is a typical ivory tower marketing dept. aggrandizing an idea to stroke egos and plump their portfolio. This video is a bunch of clichés which is why it strikes that "cringe worthy" cord with people. The white backdrop, the words fading in and out, the score reaching a crescendo... ugh... hate it. Love Dawkins, but he needs to fire whoever they got to market this foundation.

    In the immortal words of Bill Hicks:

    "By the way, if anyone here is in marketing or advertising...kill yourself. Thank you. Just planting seeds, planting seeds is all I'm doing. No joke here, really. Seriously, kill yourself, you have no rationalisation for what you do, you are Satan's little helpers. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now."


  • #19
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    Just watched the video, have to say I really liked it! :)

    Weirdest thing about it was when it first starts, it feels like an episode of Star Trek is about to start!


  • #20
    robindch
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,428 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    Is anyone else just slightly disturbed by this video?
    Could have done without the pullback shot from right field where Dawkins was addressing a hall of full of people rising to their feet. A bit too 1984'ish for me.

    Other than that, pretty much on the button.


  • #21
    fitz0
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,753 ✭✭✭fitz0


    robindch wrote: »
    Could have done without the pullback shot from right field where Dawkins was addressing a hall of full of people rising to their feet.

    Thats exactly the bit that I thought really stuck out as cringeworthy. It almost makes it feel like a clever satire on the RDF in the whole "science is a religion" spin.

    Too American, too cheesy, too movie trailer-ish.


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