RichardDawkins.net

Once known for the Selfish Gene and the widely propogated concept of the 'meme' - or cultural element passed down through the generations - Darwinist and famed Oxford scientist Richard Dawkins has, in recent years, become far more famous as the High Priest of belligerent atheism, praised and criticised in equal measure for the fervency of his attacks on institutionalised religion and the very idea of faith.

THE CONTROVERSIAL PUBLIC FIGURE

He may appear combative and a little too pleased with himself, and as messianic and dogmatic as his opponents, but Richard Dawkins is more than worthy of his intellectual preeminence. At a time when tribal loyalties, warring mythologies and multiple superstitions remain dominant, Dawkins is doing necessary work. His Enlightenment quest "to spread rational thinking and science education throughout the world" ought to be celebrated. 

Dawkins's official website site uses the tagline "a clear-thinking oasis," and no one could deny the scientist's gift for clarity or the sharpness of his mind. His elegant passion for science is legendary. However, despite being a fluent writer, he can also be repetitive, turgid, humourless and wholly lacking in charm, as anyone who has read The God Delusion will testify.

Dawkins's great weakness is his refusal to countenance the pull of the numinous. The mysteries of being alive are not satisfied by the diktats of science and classical rationality alone. In 1984 George Orwell has Winston Smith write that "freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four." In a codicil to that we might add that freedom is also the freedom to find mathematics unsatisfying. Yet Dawkins seems to want anyone drawn to religious faith, to not have that impulse. For someone who likes to celebrate humanism, this is an avowedly totalitarian attitude. 

In this regard, and with an eye to genuine wisdom, one would do better to read the Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa, who, in his lack of surety, is far more insightful on matters spiritual than the secular fundamentalist.

THE WEBSITE

RichardDawkins.net is a very busy space. When you first log on, it's difficult to know what to look at first. Perhaps the first thing to read is the story of how the site came to be banned in Turkey in 2008, which you can find on the homepage.

You'll find information on all of Dawkins's publications here, and you can buy books and DVDs through the online store. This is also the place to come to find out about various atheist events taking place in the US and the UK.

The forum is extremely lively and there is a huge archive of articles, videos and photographs. Some of the videos are superb. Take a look at Dawkins in conversation with Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, Jared Diamond and Douglas Adams. The quality of the recording is pretty bad, but the discussion on evolution, religion and belief is so fascinating that the inept technology can be ignored.