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Richard Dawkins

リチャード・ドーキンス

Richard Dawkins

Aliases: Clinton Richard Dawkins

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1941-03-26 （Nairobi, British Kenya）
Nationality
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Religion
Cultural Church of England upbringing / currently non-religious (de facto atheist)
Residence History
Nairobi (birthplace) → Oxford (long-term residence) → Berkeley, California (academic appointment)

Career

Occupations
evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator, author
Active Years
1966-
Affiliations
New College, Oxford, University of Oxford (including Simonyi Professorship), University of California, Berkeley, New College of the Humanities, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (founder)
Memberships
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Fellow of the Royal Society, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (affiliate/fellow)
Influenced By
W. D. Hamilton, Nikolaas Tinbergen, George C. Williams
Influenced
contemporary science communicators and popular science writers, figures associated with the New Atheism movement

Education

Chafyn Grove School
Period: 1949–1954 (初等教育期、概算)
Country: United Kingdom
Attended after return to England in 1949.
Oundle School
Period: 1954–1959
Year of Graduation: 1959
Country: United Kingdom
Attended the English public school Oundle.
Balliol College, Oxford (University of Oxford)
Faculty of Sciences (Zoology) / Zoology
Degree: DPhil
Period: 1960–1966（学士および博士課程）
Year of Graduation: 1966
Country: United Kingdom
Graduated BA (1962) and DPhil (1966). Doctoral advisor: Nikolaas Tinbergen.

Awards

ZSL Silver Medal
1989
Organization: Zoological Society of London
Result: 受賞
Michael Faraday Prize
1990
Organization: The Royal Society
Result: 受賞
International Cosmos Prize
1997
Organization: International Cosmos Prize
Result: 受賞
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
2001
Organization: The Royal Society
Result: 選出
Shakespeare Prize
2005
Organization: Alfred Toepfer Foundation
Result: 受賞
Nierenberg Prize
2009
Organization: Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Result: 受賞
American Humanist Association: Humanist of the Year (prior to revocation)
1996
Organization: American Humanist Association
Result: 受賞（2021年に剥奪）
Galaxy British Book Awards: Author of the Year
2007
Organization: Galaxy British Book Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Selfish Gene

1976 popular science

Presents the gene-centered view of evolution, popularised the concept of the 'meme', and introduced readers to a gene-centric explanation of behaviour and evolution.

gene-centered evolutionbiological explanations of altruismreplicator concept

The Extended Phenotype

1982 science / popular science

Argues that the phenotypic effects of genes can extend beyond the organism's body into the environment and other organisms, expanding understanding of evolutionary effects.

extended phenotypeadaptation and environmental interaction

The Blind Watchmaker

1986 popular science

Presents a sustained critique of design arguments and shows how cumulative natural selection can create apparent complexity without an intelligent designer.

natural selectioncritique of design arguments
Adaptations
  • [documentary (TV)] The Blind Watchmaker (BBC film) (1987)

The God Delusion

2006 critique of religion / polemic

A critical examination of religion arguing that belief in a supernatural creator is highly improbable; internationally successful and influential in the New Atheism movement.

critique of religiondefence of evidence-based thinking
Adaptations
  • [TV program / documentary] The Root of All Evil? (documentary) (2006)

The Ancestor's Tale

2004 science history / evolution

A Chaucerian 'pilgrimage' retracing the history of life back to its origins, describing evolutionary relationships and major events.

history of lifeevolutionary relationships

The Magic of Reality

2011 children's popular science

Explains natural phenomena to younger readers in an accessible, evidence-based way, contrasting myths with scientific explanations.

science educationevidence-based explanation

An Appetite for Wonder

2013 memoir

First volume of memoirs recounting childhood and the emergence of scientific interests.

autobiographyformation of a scientist

Brief Candle in the Dark

2015 memoir

Second volume of memoirs covering later scientific career, public life, and reflections.

memoirscience and public engagement

Bibliography

  • The Selfish Gene
  • The Extended Phenotype
  • The Blind Watchmaker
  • The Ancestor's Tale
  • The God Delusion
  • The Magic of Reality
  • An Appetite for Wonder
  • Brief Candle in the Dark
  • The Greatest Show on Earth

Adaptations

  • The Blind Watchmaker (BBC film)
  • The Enemies of Reason (Channel 4 documentary)
  • The Unbelievers (documentary film, appearance)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear and accessible popular-science proselogical and argumentative toneoccasionally polemical or didactic
Recurring Motifs
gene-centered perspectivevisual and intuitive explanations of natural selectioncritique of religion

Health

  • minor haemorrhagic stroke (2016)
    2016
    Caused cancellation/postponement of some appearances; later reported near-complete recovery in the same year.

Legacy

Richard Dawkins popularised the gene-centered view of evolution and became a leading public intellectual through popular science writing and outspoken critique of religion. He coined and popularised 'meme', won numerous awards, and shaped public debates on science and secularism.

Academic Societies

  • The Royal Society (Fellow)
  • Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)

In Popular Culture

  • Appearance on South Park (voice)
  • Appearance on The Simpsons (voice cameo)
  • Guest narration on Nightwish album

Quotes

  • We are survival machines — robot vehicles blind to the goals of the genes that built them.
    Source: The Selfish Gene (1976)
  • Faith — belief that is not based on evidence — is one of the world's great evils.
    Source: The God Delusion (2006)

Trivia

  • Popularised the term 'meme' in The Selfish Gene (1976).
  • Has been nicknamed 'Darwin’s Rottweiler' for his vigorous defence of Darwinian ideas.
  • The freshwater fish genus Dawkinsia was named in his honour.