Richard Dawkins, though perhaps not well known in Europe,
is one of the world’s most controversial and influential intellectual
figures. He holds the Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at
Oxford University. His book ‘The selfish Gene’ published in 1976, in
which he argued that the “the selfish gene was the basic engine of
evolutionary development.” This book became one of the most influential
scientific texts of modern times.
Dawkins is a committed atheist, a scientific rationalist and secular
humanist. In his 2006 book ‘the God delusion’, he argues that a
supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and religious faith
is a delusion – as a fixed false belief. As of November 2007 the English
language version had sold more than 1.5 million copies and has been
translated into 31 other languages.
Professor Richard Dawkins is well known for his contempt for religious
extremism from Christian fundamentalism to Islamic terrorism, and has
also argued with liberal believers, religious scientists, biologists and
theologians.
Dawkins arguments aroused great controversy, especially in the English
speaking world and have been the subject of debate and argument in the
press, the television and many learned debates. Inevitably and perhaps
disappointingly, given much of the discussion hinges on scientific
rationalism versus belief without evidence, of the discussion has tended
to become stultified and repetitious.
It was with this thought in mind that I determined to be different and
ask questions that in my interview would intrigue a priest in Poland and
a socialist in Spain. In fact, Richard found the questions fascinating.
I asked Professor Dawkins, if it is still possible to see the utility of
certain psychological aspects in some religious beliefs or customs. I
was thinking of: comfort to a soldier about to die, or succour for a
mother on the death of her child or belief in the after life of a
husband who is mourning the death of his wife?
Richard Dawkins agreed that he did see a “psychological value", if it
does have a real value, and I would not wish to be the person who
destroys that person’s psychological succour. But I would not, however,
compromise with my public speaking out in the public forum and writing,
but if I was visiting someone who was recently bereaved, I might
dissemble somewhat in what I said, but would not do so in when writing a
newspaper article. It is also I think disputable whether it is that
comforting, given that people are brought up to fear hell for example.
They might actually be comforted by the lack of religion, depending on
their upbringing. Although many of us fear death, I think there is
something illogical about it.“
When Richard was asked, does religion, however misguided, also provide a
useful social mechanism, irrespective of people’s beliefs by reinforcing
social discipline by using the power of religious sin to gain reinforce
adherence to man made laws?
Richard Dawkins observed: “that the religious ‘carrot or stick’ argument
for being good i.e. god will punish you, or reward you, is not a very,
in fact, is an ignoble reason for being good. A moral philosopher could
write down a better set of reasons for being good. Being cynical, one
could say, people need the carrot and the stick to be good. I told –
retold in my book ‘The God Delusion’ the anecdote by Steven Pinker,
when, in 1969, police went on strike in Montreal.”
Professor Dawkins likened abolition of God to a Police strike, if God
was a abolished: “it would be like a police strike; people would go on a
rampage of immorality. Yet, it does make me wonder how sincere many of
these rioters were; I suspect many would say they were religious. It
looks like the real flesh and blood Police acted as a real deterrent. I
find that impressive, as a Darwinian I think many of us, do have a built
in morality, just like we have sexual desire built into us, from our
Darwinian past, we do feel a sense of justice, fairness, empathy and
sympathy for people in trouble or suffering.”
On being asked why many great scientists, well versed in the ‘scientific
method’ still find it possible to maintain their religious beliefs?
Richard answered: ‘I am not sure that this is true today. For me the
great watershed would have come with Darwin and I am utterly unmoved by
the fact that Newton was religious. Anyone living before Darwin, one
might expect to be religious. As for today, if you find a great
scientist who is religious, cross question him and ask if he actually
believes in a supernatural intelligence that listens to your prayers and
reads your thoughts and forgives your sins. Or whether he is like
Einstein, who believed in using quasi religious language to express his
feelings for his reverence for the wonders and mysteries of the
universe.
Richard Dawkins next book is out next summer and about the evidence for
evolution.
Dawkins on Darwin will be shown on Channel 4 from August 4. Dawkins on
Darwin and The Richard Dawkins Collection (4DVD, £19.99 and £29.99) are
released on August 25
For more interviews see
http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Oxfordbooks.htm
Richard Dawkins is the well known advocate of atheism and rationalism
and for his criticism of religion. He holds the Chair for the Public
Understanding of Science at Oxford University. I interviewed Richard
Dawkins at his Oxford home recently.
Nicholas Newman
Note: This interview is also available in Hungarian at Interjú Richard
Dawkins-szal a vallások hasznosságáról | Világi Figyelő
As a life long atheist, I find myself almost entirely in agreement with
the views expressed in your writings, but nevertheless, it is still
possible to see the utility of certain physiological aspects in some
religious beliefs or customs. I’m thinking of: Comfort to a soldier
about to die, or succour for a mother on the death of her child or
belief in the after life of a husband who is mourning the death of his
wife? Such comfort or succour would be called upon particularly in cases
where no human aid would be available?
Richard Dawkins
Yes, I do see psychological value, if it does have a real value, and I
would not wish to be the person who destroys that person’s psychological
succour. But I would not, however, compromise with my public speaking
out in the public forum and writing, but if I was visiting someone who
was recently bereaved, I might dissemble somewhat in what I said, but
would not do so in when writing a newspaper article. It is also I think
disputable whether it is that comforting, given that people are brought
up to fear hell for example. They might actually be comforted by the
lack of religion, depending on their upbringing. Although many of us
fear death, I think there is something illogical about it. As Mark Twain
once said “I was dead before I was born without the slightest
inconvenience.”
Nicholas Newman
Cannot religion, however misguided, also provide a useful social
mechanism, irrespective of people’s beliefs by reinforcing social
discipline by using the power of religious sin to gain reinforce
adherence to man made laws? E.g. Thou shall not kill? Of course such
beliefs have, throughout history, been used by rulers to enforce their
particular forms of governance, or lack of governance. The best example
of this aspect has, perhaps been emperors, kings, and popes claiming
they have been appointed by a god?
Richard Dawkins
Yes, the first thing I say about that is that the religious carrot or
stick argument for being good i.e. god will punish you, or reward you,
is not a very, in fact, is an ignoble reason for being good. A moral
philosopher could write down a better set of reasons for being good.
Being cynical, one could say, people need the carrot and the stick to be
good. I told – retold in my book ‘The God Delusion’ the anecdote by
Steven Pinker, when, in 1969, police went on strike in Montreal.
Nicholas Newman
Oh you mean when police officers staged a 16-hour strike in Montreal,
which led to a wave of rioting and looting, which was only ended when
the army was brought in, because nobody had anything to fear from the
Police?
Richard Dawkins
So you might say if God was suddenly abolished, it would be like a
police strike; people would go on a rampage of immorality. Yet, it does
make me wonder how sincere many of these rioters were; I suspect many
would say they were religious. It looks like the real flesh and blood
Police acted as a real deterrent. I find that impressive, as a Darwinian
I think many of us, do have a built in morality, just like we have
sexual desire built into us, from our Darwinian past, we do feel a sense
of justice, fairness, empathy and sympathy for people in trouble or
suffering.
These are all very powerful emotions, which I am almost sure have
nothing to do with religion. Like the grief you feel vicariously when
consoling someone who is bereaved or the sense of monstrous injustice
one feels for a person who has been framed for a crime that he did not
commit. These are all emotions that a naive interpretation that humans
are selfish should not be expected and yet it is there, in all of us,
whether or not we are religious.
Nicholas Newman
I was asking about the role of religion in reinforcing the laws of
society. In respect of your answer it is hard to draw such conclusions
from such a short event which took place against a background of serious
industrial disputes prior to the Montreal police strike. Surely such
rioting would not have continued indefinitely, before the population
would have restored order, to ensure the continuation of civil life?
Turning to the next question. Do you not find it ironic, that many great
scientists, well versed in the ‘scientific method’ still find it
possible to maintain their religious beliefs?
Richard Dawkins
I am not sure that this is true today. For me the great watershed would
have come with Darwin and I am utterly unmoved by the fact that Newton
was religious. Anyone living before Darwin, one might expect to be
religious. As for today, if you find a great scientist who is religious,
cross question him and ask if he actually believes in a supernatural
intelligence that listens to your prayers and reads your thoughts and
forgives your sins. Or whether he is like Einstein, who believed in
using quasi religious language to express his feelings for his reverence
for the wonders and mysteries of the universe.
Einstein liked to use the word of God to explain his reverence, while I
don’t. I think today to use God in this sense is confusing, but was less
confusing in Einstein’s time. But nevertheless, there are a few
scientists who are full blown religious in their beliefs and believe in
the sense of the Trinity, transubstantiation etc, and I think they are
rather few. I think such scientists are an anomaly, I think it must be
possible for the human mind to compartmentalize in a way I would find
difficult in my head. Though, if I really try, I suspect I would find
other ways of compartmentalizing such idea in my brain.
Nicholas Newman
I could not agree more. Though, when I recently interviewed Bjorn
Lomborg, Bjorn accepts the reality of climate change, but he questions
the proposals put forward by environmentalists with a scientific
background, who put forward their solutions as if they were religious
dogma, and thereby not subject to vigorous scientific analysis.
At your recent talk at the Oxford Literary Festival, you expressed your
sorrow at the popularity of pseudo science at the expense of real
science. Would you not agree that much of the blame can be laid at the
influential people and writers who dominate the media, and seem even
proud that they can boast that they are ignorant of science?
Richard Dawkins
I fully agree there are such people, though I am not sure that the
popularity of pseudo science like homeopathy and UFOs can be blamed on
them. Are those people interested in pseudo science really influenced by
the influential people and writers who dominate the media?
Nicholas Newman
I was thinking of people like Prince Charles, as an exponent of
homeopathy for instance.
Richard Dawkins
I certainly believe that if those people who love pseudo science needed
an intellectual justification they could find it amongst the literati.
Though, I am not sure, but they no doubt foster a kind of climate where
such opinion is favoured, and where your opinion is as good as mine.
Where questioning of pseudo science is frowned upon.
Nicholas Newman
Why are there so few good communicators of science like you, Jacob
Bronowski, Bjorn Lomborg, Carl Sagan and Peter Atkins who have the gift
to express clearly the joys of science?
Richard Dawkins
I love there to be more – there are more probably – but many don’t
bother to leave the comfort of their laboratories to express themselves.
I wish more would. Perhaps we should think of an inducement to do so.
Perhaps the scientific culture should value those who express themselves
to lay people.
Nicholas Newman
The trouble is science, unlike the media, has not attracted the people
to join the scientific world that are clever persuasive communicators?
Your wife has played an important role in your academic life?
Richard Dawkins
Yes, my wife, Lalla Ward does play an important part in my work. She
participates in the production of audio books, and the public talks I
give about my work, in fact we act as a double act. I think the
audiences like the double act, at least it prevents them going to sleep.
She has taught me how to speak in public, read out aloud, and talks to
the public. At home she acts as a copy editor who proof reads my work,
checks when I repeat myself and makes it a more readable read.
Nicholas Newman
And finally. What is your next book about?
Richard Dawkins
It will be about the evidence for evolution.
|
RichardDawkins.net
- The Official Richard
Dawkins Website
Richard Dawkins holds
The Simonyi Professorship
at Oxford University
For books by Richard Dawkins
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_b/
203-3461361-1605503?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=richard+dawkins
See on You-tube: Richard Dawkins in
discussion with Lawrence Krauss http://richarddawkins.net/
article,2472,Richard-Dawkins-and-Lawrence-Krauss,RichardDawkinsnet
Dates For Your Diary
March 2009
A revolutionary idea and how it changed the world
A nationwide programme of events called Darwin200 will celebrate Charles
Darwin’s scientific ideas, and their impact, around the double
anniversaries of his two hundredth birthday on 12 February and 150 years
since the publication of On the Origin of Species in November 2009.
Darwin’s theory – that life has evolved by natural selection over
millions of years – revolutionised our understanding of the world and
our place within it, making us see ourselves as an integral part of
nature. Medicine, agriculture, politics and art are just a few of the
areas that have been profoundly influenced by his idea. Today, evolution
is at the heart of some of our hottest issues, from bird flu and MRSA to
equality and how we educate our children.
2009 will bring a wide range of events for people around the country,
from spying on garden snails for science and seeing a family show about
Darwin’s work, to hearing music inspired by Darwin’s theory and
marvelling at a two-storey interactive Darwin curiosity cabinet.
Organisations involved in Darwin200 range from museums, science centres
and research institutes to theatre and dance companies and knitting
groups. For information about all events and partners, please visit
www.darwin200.org.
Highlights include:
New this month
Open University 2009 annual lecture 17 March 2009
The Natural History Museum, London
The Open University 2009 annual broadband lecture features eminent
evolutionary expert Professor Richard Dawkins. The lecture will be
webcast at www.openuniversity .co.uk/darwin and followed by a
question and answer session with a panel of Darwin experts. A series of
podcasts will be created from the lecture and available to download on
demand from The Open University’s Darwin website.
TREE 19 March 2009
The Natural History Museum, London
This new permanent artwork by artist Tania Kovats was inspired by
Charles Darwin’s iconic tree of life sketch. TREE will be a
cross-section of an entire 200-year-old oak tree, cut lengthways,
including the roots, trunk and branches and inserted into the ceiling of
a gallery behind the Museum’s Central Hall. At more than 17 metres long,
it will become one of the largest specimens at the Museum.
Discussing Darwin 27 March 2009
The Natural History Museum, London
On the last Friday of each month, during the After Hours event, you can
join us in the Museum's restaurant with special guests to discuss some
of the controversies and legacies surrounding Charles Darwin. Each
discussion will focus on a different topic and help us discover more
about the man and his work.
The Great Plant Hunt March 2009
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Every state primary school in the UK will be sent a Darwin Treasure
Chest jam-packed with outstanding free resources. The fun activities,
which take place in the classroom, online, and in the great outdoors,
include exploring habitats, collecting seeds and growing plants. Schools
will be helping out with real scientific experiments. The information
and seeds pupils gather will be sent to researchers at Kew’s Millennium
Seed Bank, who are working to collect and protect seeds from thousands
of plants worldwide.The Great Plant Hunt is funded by the Wellcome
Trust’s Darwin’s Children initiative. See http://data.kew.org/great-plant-hunt/brochure/website/
Survival Rivals: Experiments Inspired by Darwin March 2009
Wellcome Trust
Kit boxes of experiments are being developed for every secondary school.
Different experiments are aimed at KS3, KS4 and KS5 that illustrate the
evidence for and contemporary examples of evolution, such as camouflage,
mate choice, antibiotic resistance and human evolution. Teachers can
request the kit through www.survivalrivals.org.
Kent's Cavern: the Darwin anniversary excavations 30 March - 11
September 2009
Kent's Cavern Caves, near Torquay
The country's leading experts in the palaeolithic are planning to
conduct the first major excavations in Kents Cavern since the 1920s.
They hope that the information recovered from new fieldwork will
contribute to widely-debated issues in palaeoanthropology. Most notably,
they will concentrate on the origins of the cave’s use as a human
shelter, and they hope to establish firmer dates for the first
occupation of the cave by Neanderthals and by early members of our own
species.
Darwin: Big Idea, Big Exhibition Until 19 April 2009
Natural History Museum
Visitors can retrace Darwin’s life-changing journey as a curious and
adventurous young man aboard the HMS Beagle on its five-year voyage
around the world and to the Galapagos Islands. Follow the clues that
helped him develop the idea of evolution by natural selection through
notebooks, artefacts, rare personal belongings and the fossils and
zoological specimens he collected on his travels. See the patterns he
observed among animals that led to the publication of On the Origin of
Species, the evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Darwin features live green iguanas and horned frogs from South America,
along with fossil specimens collected by the man himself. The exhibition
also features a beautiful reconstruction of Darwin’s study at Down
House. It was here, at his country home in Kent, the revolutionary
observer and experimenter proposed the scientific theory that all life
evolves according to the mechanism of natural selection. The objects on
display, coupled with illuminating text and interactive displays, give
visitors an insight into the patterns he observed among species that led
to his famous theory.
Darwin and the Story of Evolution Until 22 March 2009
British Library, London
Find out how evolutionary thinking developed by comparing early ideas on
evolution and creation with the revolutionary theories of Darwin and his
contemporaries, and their subsequent legacy in the twentieth century.
Starting with the Biblical creation, the exhibition features the
writings of early scientists such as Nicolaus Steno, Robert Hooke and
Carl Linnaeus. The exhibition then charts the story of Darwin’s Beagle
voyage and the development of his theory, as well as showing the work of
Alfred Wallace, Darwin’s co-discoverer of natural selection whose papers
are held by the Library. The exhibition will end with a look at the work
of William Donald Hamilton, John Maynard Smith and George R Price –
three key twentieth century evolutionary theorists whose archives are
part of the British Library collection.
The Animal Gaze Until May 2009
Plymouth College of Art and Design – 8 January to 7 February
Plymouth Arts Centre – 24 January to 15 March
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery – 24 January to 28 March
Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, Exeter – 24 January
to 5 April
Roland Levinsky Gallery, University of Plymouth – 28 March to 5 May
A contemporary art exhibition exploring the complex relationships
between animals and humans. The Animal Gaze is a London Metropolitan
University event, which has been organised and curated by Rosemarie
McGoldrick. In 2009, the exhibition will travel to the southwest where
it will be hosted as a multi-site show by selected members from the
Plymouth Visual Arts Consortium (PVAC) and the Centre for Contemporary
Art and the Natural World, Exeter. Representatives from each
organisation have worked with Rosemarie McGoldrick to select the artists
who will be featured at their sites.
Darwin Lecture Series Until 6 March 2009
Darwin College, Cambridge
An annual series of eight public lectures, held weekly at 17.30, with a
Darwin theme for 2009.
Darwinian Evolution Today, by Prof Sean Carroll
Darwin's Intellectual Development, by Prof Janet Browne
Darwin and the Victorians, by Prof Jim Seccord
Why Darwinism is Right and Creationism Wrong, by Prof Steve Jones
Darwinism and Society, by Paul Seabright
Conservation and Extinction, by Prof Craig Moritz
Darwin and the Literary World, by Prof Rebecca Stott
The Boundaries of Darwinism, by Prof John Dupre
Charles Darwin and the Origin of the Species Until 31 May 2009
National Portrait Gallery, London
A small photographic display, within the Victorian galleries, including
portraits of Darwin at various stages of his life as well as images of
those who were instrumental in the publication of his great work.
Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery Until 18 April 2009
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery Also May–September 2009, Bristol
Darwin’s journey of scientific discovery lasted his whole life and
continues to influence us today. Take a closer look at our living
ancestral heritage through museum specimens and follow Darwin’s voyage
of discovery across the oceans onboard the HMS Beagle, which left
Plymouth on 27 December 1807. Lunchtime talks, family friendly natural
history events and school activity sessions will support the exhibition,
organised in collaboration with the Bristol Cultural Development
Partnership and the
University of Plymouth.
Interspecies Until 29 March 2009
Cornerhouse, Manchester
Four new commissions by artists based on different species of animals
and inspired by Darwin.
The Lost World Read 2009 Until March 2009
A graphic biography of Darwin’s life, written by Eugene Byrne and
illustrated by Simon Gurr, is being published as part of The Lost World
Read 2009. The 200,000 reading packs will include a new Oxford
University Press edition of The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a
children’s adaptation of the novel, including puzzles and activities,
and a 54-page illustrated guide that draws links between Darwin’s
scientific work and Doyle’s fantasy. The books will be distributed free
of charge to schools, libraries, reading groups, businesses and members
of the public in Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Shrewsbury,
southwest England libraries and Hampshire libraries encouraging everyone
to read the same book at the same time.
Evolution Megalab Launching April 2009
Open University, www.evolutionmegalab.org
A mass observation experiment will ask people all over Europe to record
information about banded snails in gardens and parks. Recording their
information on the website will help test for evolutionary change in
response to climate warming and changes in predation pressure over the
past 80 years. Users can see the results in real time.
Evolution Rocks! Uncoiling the Past – Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 22–24
May 2009
Lyme Regis, Dorset
Discover remarkable remains and learn more about evolution in the rocks
with Natural History Museum experts. Throughout the two-day festival,
children, young adults, students and amateur palaeontologists will be
able to join in a range of events to discover the secrets held by
fossils.
Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts 16
June – 4 October 2009
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Science meets art in this ground-breaking, cross-disciplinary exhibition
exploring the importance of visual imagery in the development of
Darwin’s ideas and the impact of his theories on artists of his day.
Works by renowned artists such as Landseer, Turner, Degas, Monet and
Cézanne from collections in the US and Europe will be joined by
drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, dramatic taxidermy and fossils
in a unique presentation of the interaction between art and natural
science in the nineteenth century.
After Darwin: Contemporary Expressions 25 June – 29 November 2009
Natural History Museum
The Museum’s Jerwood Gallery will be transformed into an observational
laboratory exploring the emotional and cultural relationships between
humans and other animals and their physical behaviour and emotional
expressions. Darwin’s The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
is referenced in this arts and literature project, which will include
works from Diana Thater, Bill Viola, Jeremy Deller and writer Mark
Haddon and Darwin descendent poet Ruth Padel.
Darwin 2009 5–10 July 2009
Cambridge
A week-long festival in the town where Darwin was an undergraduate
student. The programme includes over 100 big name, big issue talks,
debates, workshops, performances, exhibitions and films exploring
Darwin’s impact on science, society, literature, history, philosophy,
theology, art and music. The festival is produced in partnership with
The British Council and The Naked Scientists radio show.
See www.darwin2009festival.com for full programme details.
Creation September 2009
Feature film
Husband and wife actors Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly will play
Charles Darwin and his wife Emma Darwin in the upcoming feature Creation
for Oscar-winning UK producer Jeremy Thomas. Jon Amiel will direct, and
the cast will also feature Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones and Benedict
Cumberbatch. The film is not described as a traditional biopic, instead
as ‘part ghost story, part psychological thriller, part heart-wrenching
love story’. The story focuses on Darwin’s years as a young man whose
adored 10-year-old daughter Annie helps him battle his demons and
reconnect with his family.
Age of Wonders September 2009 (Australia)
Charles Darwin University, Australia
Première of the final part of a new classical work written by British
composer Michael Stimpson to celebrate Darwin’s two hundredth birthday.
The title Age of Wonders is taken from a poem written by Darwin’s most
vociferous opponent Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford. The first,
single movement piece, The Man Who Walked with Henslow and third, An
Entangled Bank, was performed by Philippe Graffin, Elizabeth Burley and
the London Sinfonietta in London in January 2009. The second String
Quartet No 2 (The Beagle) by the Maggini Quartet in Plymouth in February
2009, with performances of the whole work, including the première of the
fourth part, Transmutations, by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra in
Australia in September 2009. For more information, please visit
www.michaelstimpson.co.uk
Darwin and Scotland October 2009
Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh
Darwin lived and studied as a young medical student in Edinburgh from
1825 until 1827. Through historic material and contemporary art inspired
by Darwin, this exhibition investigates his influence on Scotland as
well as the impact of Darwinism on Scottish intellectual thought. The
exhibition will be produced in partnership with the University of
Edinburgh, National Museums of Scotland, and National Library
of Scotland.
Evolving Words November 2009
Evolving Words is a poetry writing and performance project that will
engage young people (14-25 years old) in six UK cities. Participants
will meet in a short series of creative writing workshops facilitated by
an established poet and a Darwin specialist. A selection of winning film
and live performances will be showcased at a public event at the
Wellcome Gallery in London. The headline performance will be by Soweto
Kinch, an award winning writer, hip-hop artist and jazz musician.
Evolving Words is directed by Elizabeth Lynch and produced in
association with Wellcome Trust.
Darwin at Downe – World Heritage bid 2009
Downe near Bromley, Kent
Darwin’s home and the 10 square kilometres of historic countryside that
he used as his open-air laboratory will be the United Kingdom’s 2009
nomination for World Heritage Status. Down House is on the rolling Kent
North Downs where Darwin did many experiments while developing his
theory. Located in the London Borough of Bromley, the bid area contains
his home, garden and grounds at Down House, the neighbouring villages of
Downe and Cudham, and the surrounding countryside. The bid will be
submitted to UNESCO by the government early next year. See
www.darwinatdowne.co.uk
BBC Darwin Season 2009 Throughout 2009
To mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th
anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, the BBC is
airing a season of landmark TV and radio programmes. David Attenborough,
Andrew Marr, Armand Leroi and Melyvn Bragg are among the key names who
will explore Darwin’s extraordinary life and work. More at www.bbc.co.uk/darwin
Darwin and Beyond Throughout 2009
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
A year of lectures, exhibitions and other events to celebrate Darwin’s
bicentenary, including Mr Darwin’s Fishes, which tells the story of the
Beagle fish specimens being described for science for the first time.
Darwin’s lifelong friend, eminent naturalist and Bath resident Leonard
Jenyns, worked on the fish Darwin brought back from South America,
having suggested Darwin go on the Beagle voyage in his place. Using
original material from the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific
Institution collections, the exhibition will reveal new insights into
Darwin's approach to research and how he worked with his contemporaries.
See www.brlsi.org/darwin2009/ for full programme details.
Darwin Now Throughout 2009
The celebrations of Darwin’s life, work and the impact his ideas about
evolution continue to have on today’s world will extend worldwide
through a global programme of activities organised by the British
Council.
See www.britishcouncil.org/darwin-about-us.htm
Ends -
Notes to editors
Darwin200 is supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Department for
Innovation, Universities and Skills and the British Council.
For more information, please contact:
Press Office, Natural History Museum
020 7942 5654 or 07799 690 151 press@nhm.ac.uk
The Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7942 5000 www.nhm.ac.uk
The Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7942 5654 www.darwin200.org
|
