Richard Dawkins
Evolutionary Biologist & Author
About
Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1941. He rose to prominence with The Selfish Gene (1976), which popularized the gene-centred view of evolution and coined the term 'meme.' He held the inaugural Simonyi Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford from 1995 to 2008. His 2006 book The God Delusion became a catalyst of the New Atheism movement, establishing him as one of the most influential public intellectuals in science communication.
Key Contributions
- Popularized gene-centred view of evolution with The Selfish Gene
- Coined the concept of the 'meme' as a unit of cultural transmission
- Inaugural Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford
- Authored The God Delusion, a foundational text of the New Atheism movement
- Delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (Growing Up in the Universe, 1991)
Videos & Interviews
Richard Dawkins: Evolution, Intelligence, Simulation, and Memes | Lex Fridman Podcast #87
Wide-ranging conversation covering evolution, artificial intelligence, simulation theory, and the origins of memes.
Watch on YouTube TED
Richard Dawkins: Why the universe seems so strange
TED talk exploring how our evolutionary frame of reference limits our understanding of the universe.
Watch on TED
