Comment by SwellJoe
3 days ago
I've come to doubt Dawkins is all that smart. He was born to money, and all the benefits that provides, including an elite education.
Americans are easily fooled by a posh accent and a confident boast. He's maybe not stupid, but he's said a lot of stupid things over the past decade or so, and believing his girlfriend made of matrix math is a real girl in the computer who really likes him is pretty embarrassing.
> He was born to money
I'm guessing you wouldn't like to judge someone because they were poor.
Letting issues about money overly influence your opinions is a signal that _you_ care too much about money.
I think you should re-read my comment.
I offered an explanation for why people think he's extremely smart, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. I made no judgment of him based on him being born to money, I pointed out that money and an elite education provides the "posh accent and confident boast" that so many people believe indicates intelligence.
I'm judging him based on his words. I'm guessing at an explanation for why many others judge him differently.
Smart people say and do dumb stuff, just like everyone.
It is a logical error to think people are not smart because they do or say things that are not smart.
You show your own biases by your opinions on Americans, and by mentioning money at all.
Dawkins was popular elsewhere.
Personally I had no time for his prosyletising (I just ignored it because I dislike religious politicking).
Every few years I read The Selfish Gene and The Extended Phenotype again. Amazing books: to me they indicate he was very very smart. Evolution is difficult to understand and many people misunderstand even the basics.