p0wned

This is a debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting. It is interesting listening.

I'm hardly an impartial observer and I don't want to influence anyone's views on this, so I'll just quote my favourite part:

Stephen Moss: Fundamental religion is on the rise, you appear be losing the battle in large parts of the world.
Richard Dawkins: Yeah, so what? I mean, as I said, I care about truth.

I myself can't understand what an 'emotional' or 'spiritual' truth might be. It seems to me that something is either true or it isn't. Science is a process that approaches truth, partly by developing a standard by which truth can be judged. I don't understand how labeling something as a 'different kind of truth', without ever explaining how that kind of truth differs from whether something is actually true or not, is in any way useful. Other than being a tried and tested way to stick your fingers in your ears and announce that you are not listening.

Well, unless you listened to the audio first, so much for my promise not to contaminate it.