Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Richard Dawkins 'support the fight-back'

64 replies

ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 20:39

'Just finished ‘The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity’ by @DrDebraSoh
.

Strongly recommended.

If even half is true of what she says about the intimidation of scientists in her field of sexology, we need to support the fight-back.'

twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1372880208840261635

OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 20:40

Sorry, the above is copy & pasted from a tweet he posted earlier today.

Come on, the scientists!

OP posts:
nauticant · 19/03/2021 21:17

A large number of the people responding to him seem to consider that the validity of a fact is determined by how well it fits into their personal belief system. If they are typical of his supporters, that would be ironic.

ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 21:19

Totally, nauticant. I feel this may set the cat among the wokebro pigeons.

OP posts:
nauticant · 19/03/2021 21:26

I did scroll down quickly and made the Venn diagram in my head of those self-identified as "atheist" and those horrified at there being a challenge to the gender identity ideology. I raised an eyebrow.

ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 21:33

I think there are some people who identify very strongly as Atheists, in a very macho kind of a way. I would sometime do It Dawkins down as one of them, but perhaps thats unfair.

OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 21:33

*put, not do it

OP posts:
EmbarrassingAdmissions · 19/03/2021 21:34

An extraordinary number of US self-professed skeptics and athiests were signatories or defenders of the 1600+ signatory letter.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3412288-1-600-Scientists-Just-Signed-A-Letter-Opposing-A-Legal-Definition-Of-A-Gender-Binary

Velouria · 19/03/2021 21:39

I don't particularly like Dawkins, doesn't mean he is wrong. Glad of any scientist speaking sense.

Velouria · 19/03/2021 21:42

Will put my sister in a spin seeing as she fell out with me for my view of Dawkins and gender ideology in different times Grin

nauticant · 19/03/2021 21:44

Absolutely Velouria. I'm not a fan but if he pulls together the self-awareness (hard for Dawkins but let's be hopeful) to look at this disconnect between an interesting book and an anti-science faction of his supporters who would cheerfully burn it, this could be a good thing.

EdgeOfACoin · 19/03/2021 21:45

Oh, how can I say this without getting a deletion?

I read the God Delusion. Dawkins considers raising children in a Christian household to be tantamount to child abuse (esp the traditional teachings on heaven and hell).

I'm interested to note that there are many other practices out there concerning children which he has not spoken out about.

ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 21:48

Interesting to see the 'shut the fuck up t*' cartoon with someone pointing a gun in the comments is directed not at Dawkins but at a woman agreeing with him.

It's so blazingly obvious.

OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 21:49

I've never liked him but am enjoying the spectacle. Smile

OP posts:
teawamutu · 19/03/2021 21:51

@EdgeOfACoin

Oh, how can I say this without getting a deletion?

I read the God Delusion. Dawkins considers raising children in a Christian household to be tantamount to child abuse (esp the traditional teachings on heaven and hell).

I'm interested to note that there are many other practices out there concerning children which he has not spoken out about.

Interesting - I gave that one a miss. I love his science books, I'm not interested in his personal hobby horse so much.
nauticant · 19/03/2021 21:52

I dislike him because coming from a scientific background certainty mixed with hubris is something I was trained to oppose.

ancientgran · 19/03/2021 21:56

Haven't stopped laughing about him since that interview where he accused Christians of not knowing the bible and not being able to name the first book of the New Testament. He was asked the full title of Darwin's Origin of the Species and called on God to help him when he didn't know it.

EdgeOfACoin · 19/03/2021 21:57

Interesting - I gave that one a miss. I love his science books, I'm not interested in his personal hobby horse so much.

He knows his subject, I'll give him that. However, he knows nothing about religion or theology, but he thinks he knows it all.

I read The Selfish Gene years ago, which I enjoyed (although the word 'meme' today means something quite different from the way he used it then).

ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 21:58

@nauticant

I dislike him because coming from a scientific background certainty mixed with hubris is something I was trained to oppose.
Good way of putting it, yes.
OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 22:00

He knows his subject, I'll give him that. However, he knows nothing about religion or theology, but he thinks he knows it all.

Reminds me of Steve Pinker, who writes brilliantly on linguistics and then ckbnles together the most outrageously partisan and poorly reasoned polemic when it comes to things outwith his field - the blank slate, in particular was excruciatingly badly argued.

OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 22:02

Ckbnles? Cobbles. Fgs let me criticise someone else's writing without showing me up autocock.

OP posts:
PermanentTemporary · 19/03/2021 22:08

I'd guess he's feeling a bit left out.

nauticant · 19/03/2021 22:12

At least you've got your next username.

Thingybob · 19/03/2021 22:20

I noticed he tweeted a quote from Debra Soh's book yesterday and it was retweeted by several TRAs. I think they misunderstood and thought he was supporting their position.

I like him and welcome him waking up to the craziness

SunsetBeetch · 19/03/2021 22:38

That's a bit of a turnaround from Dawkins, isn't it?

I like Dr Soh, but having heard her talk on podcasts, she seems to use 'sex' and 'gender' interchangeably. I haven't read her book though.

ArabellaScott · 19/03/2021 22:40

He;'s also retweeted Jessica Pin:

'Trans activism has been threatening my mission.

TRAs have gotten my article on the omission of clitoral anatomy taken down.

They have disinvited me from a podcast, had another podcast taken down.

They have withheld support for my cause due to me saying “female anatomy.”'

twitter.com/MediClit/status/1372628771086299137

OP posts: