Next Monday evening on Channel 4, Richard Dawkins presents the sequel to his 'Root of all Evil'. This new series is called 'The Enemies of Reason' and in it he attacks such belief systems as new age mysticism and astrology.
Should Channel 4 allow this individual to upset so many people who hold these beliefs dear?
2007-08-08 11:08:32 · 41 answers · asked by pagreen1966 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes because you know what if they don't like it they don't have to watch it.
2007-08-08 11:10:34 · answer #1 · answered by John C 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
We should be applauding Channel 4 for giving another perspective equal airtime. Usually the popular media gives a disproportionate amount of time to religious expression and entertaining superstitions like astrology, and don’t give the equivalent airtime for the debunking of these beliefs.
A truly free society is one that gives both sides in an argument a fair hearing, regardless of how offensive ones thesis is. Channel 4 should be held as a paradigm of a TV station that should be emulated across the world. Western democracies have long boasted about freedom of thought and expression. It is time that our media outlets start to live up to this ideal.
Beliefs in astrology or in Christianity are primarily articles of faith. If these people are afraid in having their beliefs undermined by Dawkins’ lucid presentations of rationality, then these people don’t obviously have that strong of a faith to begin with. He definitely should not be barred from the public eye due to the weak faith of other people.
2007-08-10 15:16:47 · answer #2 · answered by Lawrence Louis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So the only things that should be "allowed" on television are those things that don't "upset" so many people? I'm upset by gratuitous violence that pervades the airwaves and many people agree with me so shouldn't they just take away all of the violent shows?
The television networks do not exist to placate the masses. They exist to make money and the best way to do that is to appeal to controversy. Richard Dawkin's comments are just another controversy used to drum up new and more advertising revenues.
Peace,
Jenn
2007-08-08 11:15:37 · answer #3 · answered by jenn_smithson 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely it should be allowed. Haven't you noticed all of the religious crap that's on TV every Sunday morning? Those bible thumping clowns do their best to mock my belief system every week. Weekdays too come to think of it. Don't like it? Do what I do when I channel surf onto such drivel. Shake your head, chuckle a little and change the frigging channel. What time is Richard coming on by the way?
2007-08-08 11:15:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
In case you hadn't noticed, Channel 4 THRIVES on making programmes that it knows will incite controversy - it's the only way they can generate any publicity for what is largely an ailing channel with ailing ideas.
Inevitably, when I watch these shows, they are so biased that they insult the intelligence of anyone above the common denominator. They have no idea how to string together a logical, rational argument based in objective fact.
2007-08-08 23:52:55 · answer #5 · answered by brownbug78 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, why not? What's so special about them that they should be un-mockable? Anyway, how do you know what he's going to say about people's beliefs until you've seen the program?
I watched that religion program he did and while I don't think he comes over well on TV, he didn't strike me as just mocking religion; he was making a very strong argument for why it was a bad thing. Personally I think people should read his books rather than watch his programs, but I'd rather you did either than attack him for something he hasn't yet done.
2007-08-08 13:08:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well firstly Channel 4 should go ahead and show the program. If someone knows in advance that they will be offended then they shouldn't watch it.
I haven't read any of his books, but I am interested in reading The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion.
Even if these books are polemical I think they can lead to some understanding of human nature.
2007-08-08 11:18:16 · answer #7 · answered by Ivan Z 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Should televangelists be allowed to mock non-believers? Of course they should. It's a free country. Dawkins surely deserves the same freedom hellfire Christians take advantage of. No?
2007-08-08 11:21:41 · answer #8 · answered by Dog 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
pointing out that their beliefs are silly and wrong is not mockery. it is (according to dawkins at least, and it should be clear to everyone that he is presenting his views, however informed they might be) only a matter of fact. he is not doing it to be mean. mocking the individuals themselves would of course be wrong, but if they are so attached to their beliefs that they have become part of themselves, so that an attack on their beliefs is an attack on their person, that is their problem to deal with. they do not have the right to have their (silly, wrong) beliefs go unchallenged in public just because that might upset them.
2007-08-08 11:17:28 · answer #9 · answered by vorenhutz 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In his book, The God Delusion, he attacks our pandering to religious sensibilities by giving religious institutions tax exemption status and seats in the House of Lords. So religion does have a political dimension and in this country all political beliefs are fair game for criticism.
2007-08-08 19:35:37 · answer #10 · answered by numbnuts222 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely. They are eminently mockable, having not the slightest basis in fact. The way to avoid such mockery is to establish, by appropriate controlled experiments, that these things do in fact have some validity; so far, this has not been done.
2007-08-08 11:13:04 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋