Dawkins pissing people off again with his arrogant opinions

[pErvinalia]

I've explained why dawkins opinion is poorly thought out and offensive. And so has MM (who I agree with). You have just posted hyperbolic nonsense as usual. Don't you have something to be offended at on the internet? There must be thousands of your foes out there trolling you this instant. You better call the UN!

[cronus]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/scie ... 4082189774

Dawkins now just telling random strangers why he hates them

RICHARD Dawkins has taken to walking down the street saying horrible, unprovoked things to total strangers.

The former scientist leaves his house in Oxford at 11am and immediately begins hurling brief insults at anyone who comes within 10 feet of him.

According to local residents, a typical 30 second burst will include phrases such as ‘please don’t have children’, ‘you look like a baptist’, ‘everything about your shoes sickens me’ and ‘your face seems to be inside out’.

Neighbour Martin Bishop said: “If he sees a woman in a burka coming towards him he’ll shout, ‘oh fucking hell, here we go’.”

After an hour of ‘strolling abuse’ Dawkins will then go into a local cafe and choose a table next to two people having a conversation.

Victim Jane Thomson revealed: “He listened to us for about a minute and then leaned over, apologised for interrupting and told me I was an ‘evil cretin’ and my friend Sarah was a ‘scandalous waste of evolution’.

(continued)

[tattuchu]

"your face seems to be inside out"

[Strontium Dog]

I've explained why dawkins opinion is poorly thought out and offensive. And so has MM (who I agree with). You have just posted hyperbolic nonsense as usual. Don't you have something to be offended at on the internet? There must be thousands of your foes out there trolling you this instant. You better call the UN!

Just cretinous.

You're the one accusing people of being offensive.

I guess you are one of these "pro-choice, except when I don't like the choice" people.

It is immoral to inflict a lifetime of severe disability on someone,and Dawkins is correct to point this out in no uncertain terms. ""If you get it wrong, rip it up and try again" is excellent advice.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

"your face seems to be inside out"

This, plus - "scandalous waste of evolution."

[MrJonno]

If he's a true atheist, than he's on shaky ground proclaiming that something is immoral, or moral.

But of course, the sub-plot is that HE thinks it would be immoral. That's what moral and immoral are.
Our individual opinion of what's right or wrong.
What's immoral to him, isn't, to someone else.

I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't claim that there is somewhere out there, an absolute definition of right and wrong.

What is wrong with any of that.

Morality doesnt really exist outside anyone head, the only judge or what is right or wrong is me. It doesnt mean I can act on that morality we have laws that restrict my behaviour just because everyone else has their own concepts of right and wrong (which of course are inferior to my views) but as they could clash we as a society agree on rules.

It's nothing to do with atheism or science for that matter

[Hermit]

He's right. Again.

Is he?

I spent a couple of weeks in Canberra with my middle sister. One day she dragged me off to a birthday party some friends of hers organised for one of their children. They had three others who had already flown the coop. The oldest was still living at home, turning 25 with a body to match and the mind of a six year old. Quite a handful too. One of his less endearing habits was to roam around the neighbourhood. Whenever he saw something he liked, such as a pushbike, a pair of Nike runners or a pretty, pink bra, he'd just bring it back home with him. Then his parents had to figure out where this stuff came from in order to return the item in question. Generally, it was quite difficult to remember that you were interacting with someone who had mentally developed only marginally past toddlerdom but looked like a father of two toddlers. Yet, he was a happy child and his parents loved him dearly. They were all enjoying themselves while pleasing each other. The day was quite an eye opener to me.

I guess a geneticist who subscribes to evolutionary psychology is bound to be sympathetic towards eugenics. And yes, even though I agree with him about his Muslima letter and what he said about some rapes being worse than others, I think his foot-in-mouth disease is getting worse. Is there a virus that has developed in the environment of Oxbridge Dondom and causes severe narcissism as well as cocksureness? If so, Dawkins is infected by the mother of it.

[Scott1328]

It is the moralizing on a medium that only allows 140 characters is where Dawkins errs time and again.

The whole point of being pro-choice is to allow a woman to decide with the advice of her doctor whether to continue a pregnancy. That is where the discussion should end.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

It is the moralizing on a medium that only allows 140 characters is where Dawkins errs time and again.

The whole point of being pro-choice is to allow a woman to decide with the advice of her doctor whether to continue a pregnancy. That is where the discussion should end.

Deciding to terminate a pregnancy based on a known genetic disability is a matter for personal morals, not some global, one-size-fits-all code of ethics passed down by Richard Dawkins or anyone else!

[JimC]

It's just as absolutist for Dawkins to pronounce that carrying a Down's Syndrome foetus to delivery is immoral as it is for a religious leader to proclaim aborting it to be immoral. As others in the thread have said, it is a difficult ethical decision, to be made by the parents, with support and advice, if requested, from medical professionals. Other people can fuck right off.

[Pappa]

He's right. Again.

Is he?

I spent a couple of weeks in Canberra with my middle sister. One day she dragged me off to a birthday party some friends of hers organised for one of their children. They had three others who had already flown the coop. The oldest was still living at home, turning 25 with a body to match and the mind of a six year old. Quite a handful too. One of his less endearing habits was to roam around the neighbourhood. Whenever he saw something he liked, such as a pushbike, a pair of Nike runners or a pretty, pink bra, he'd just bring it back home with him. Then his parents had to figure out where this stuff came from in order to return the item in question. Generally, it was quite difficult to remember that you were interacting with someone who had mentally developed only marginally past toddlerdom but looked like a father of two toddlers. Yet, he was a happy child and his parents loved him dearly. They were all enjoying themselves while pleasing each other. The day was quite an eye opener to me.

I guess a geneticist who subscribes to evolutionary psychology is bound to be sympathetic towards eugenics. And yes, even though I agree with him about his Muslima letter and what he said about some rapes being worse than others, I think his foot-in-mouth disease is getting worse. Is there a virus that has developed in the environment of Oxbridge Dondom and causes severe narcissism as well as cocksureness? If so, Dawkins is infected by the mother of it.

Down's Syndrome isn't hereditary, so eugenics doesn't really come into it.

[JimC]

Good point, Pappa.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

He's right. Again.

Is he?

I spent a couple of weeks in Canberra with my middle sister. One day she dragged me off to a birthday party some friends of hers organised for one of their children. They had three others who had already flown the coop. The oldest was still living at home, turning 25 with a body to match and the mind of a six year old. Quite a handful too. One of his less endearing habits was to roam around the neighbourhood. Whenever he saw something he liked, such as a pushbike, a pair of Nike runners or a pretty, pink bra, he'd just bring it back home with him. Then his parents had to figure out where this stuff came from in order to return the item in question. Generally, it was quite difficult to remember that you were interacting with someone who had mentally developed only marginally past toddlerdom but looked like a father of two toddlers. Yet, he was a happy child and his parents loved him dearly. They were all enjoying themselves while pleasing each other. The day was quite an eye opener to me.

I guess a geneticist who subscribes to evolutionary psychology is bound to be sympathetic towards eugenics. And yes, even though I agree with him about his Muslima letter and what he said about some rapes being worse than others, I think his foot-in-mouth disease is getting worse. Is there a virus that has developed in the environment of Oxbridge Dondom and causes severe narcissism as well as cocksureness? If so, Dawkins is infected by the mother of it.

Down's Syndrome isn't hereditary, so eugenics doesn't really come into it.

Actually, it can be. Down's Syndrome is caused by a person having an extra copy of Chromosome 21. There are two principal causes of this:
Trisomy 21, where a copying error means that two copies of Chromosome 21 are passed in a single gamete. This is a random event, is never inherited and is the main cause of Down's Syndrome.
and the far rarer
Translocation Down's Syndrome, where one parent has some of the genetic material from one copy of chromosome 21 attached to another chromosome (usually 14). This can occur spontaneously during gamete production, in which case, once again, it is not inheritable, or it can occur during the parent's early development, in which case all of that parent's cells will contain the abnormality. This has no affect on the parent, as they have the normal complement of genes. However, there is a chance that any gamete will contain both a complete chromosome 21 and a copy of the other chromosome which contains the extra material. In this case, that parent has a far greater than average chance of having a Down's child.

Also, if people with Down's Syndrome have children, there is a very high risk that their children will also have the condition - especially if both partners have Down's.

[Svartalf]

He's right. Again.

Is he?

I spent a couple of weeks in Canberra with my middle sister. One day she dragged me off to a birthday party some friends of hers organised for one of their children. They had three others who had already flown the coop. The oldest was still living at home, turning 25 with a body to match and the mind of a six year old. Quite a handful too. One of his less endearing habits was to roam around the neighbourhood. Whenever he saw something he liked, such as a pushbike, a pair of Nike runners or a pretty, pink bra, he'd just bring it back home with him. Then his parents had to figure out where this stuff came from in order to return the item in question. Generally, it was quite difficult to remember that you were interacting with someone who had mentally developed only marginally past toddlerdom but looked like a father of two toddlers. Yet, he was a happy child and his parents loved him dearly. They were all enjoying themselves while pleasing each other. The day was quite an eye opener to me.

I guess a geneticist who subscribes to evolutionary psychology is bound to be sympathetic towards eugenics. And yes, even though I agree with him about his Muslima letter and what he said about some rapes being worse than others, I think his foot-in-mouth disease is getting worse. Is there a virus that has developed in the environment of Oxbridge Dondom and causes severe narcissism as well as cocksureness? If so, Dawkins is infected by the mother of it.

Down's Syndrome isn't hereditary, so eugenics doesn't really come into it.

Do we have enough data about downs sufferers having non affected, non transmmitting, children (or being sterile) to affirm it's not hereditary?

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Do we have enough data about downs sufferers having non affected, non transmmitting, children (or being sterile) to affirm it's not hereditary?

Yes. Loads. Read my post above.

Trisomy 21 Down's people have 3 copies of chromosome 21 and each gamete will contain either 1 or 2 copies. Thus, they have a 50% chance of passing on the condition to their children if the other parent is not Down's, 75% if both parents are Down's. (NB. In 25% of these cases, the child will inherit 4 copies of the chromosome. This might well be fatal but I am not certain - it may just cause a more severe form of Down's.)

Translocation Down's is more complicated but the odds are roughly similar.