Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3549 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-01
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 350 minutes

Synopsis
This collection includes three fascinating titles featuring evolutionary biologist and best-selling author Richard Dawkins. In THE GENIUS OF CHARLES DARWIN, he explores how his hero's theory of evolution has influenced modern atheism; in THE ENEMIES OF REASON, Dawkins discusses his critical views on alternative medicine, spiritualism and astrology; and in the famously controversial documentary THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?, he examines the powerful but problematic role religion plays in society, and how the abandoning of critical thought can breed fundamental extremism.

Customer Reviews

A voice of reason.
Often reviled by religionists foaming at the mouth by his calmly reasoned heresy, Dawkins gamely tries to promote science - which provides irrefutable evidence for evolution despite the oft repeated strawman arguments of the creationists who'd sooner we revert to idiocy than acknowledge reality - over the irrational and often offensive beliefs of those indoctrinated into bronze age thinking, where all the wonders and marvels of the universe, instead of being explored and understood, are blindly attributed to a magic sky-fairy, who is probably the most unpleasant character in popular fiction.

These programs are fascinating, thought provoking, and long overdue.

The inexplicable rise of christian neo-fascism in america, with threats of ID being taught in schools, and creationist museums springing up depicting some kind of lunatic live-action flintsones with cavemen and dinosaurs living together as a factual rendition of the past (despite the 65 million year gap in time)- its time to address these delusional belief systems, which far from being just a useful tool for social control and personal comfort, seems increasingly intent on bringing violence, terrorism, racism, homophobia and mysogonism to us all.

While science doesn't yet provide the answers to *all* the big questions - it has emphatically answered how mankind came into existence, where the planet earth came from and approximately how old it is.

Also - unlike the best selling religious texts - scientific work is updated and revised to stay at the forefront of human knowledge, rather than being rooted thousands of years in the past.

Dawkins beliefs aren't "beliefs" - they require no "faith" - its not a system - its not a form of "religion"; its simply how things are in reality. A lot of people would sooner bury their heads in the sand rather than go to a museum or read a science book.

Dawkins may not be the most diplomatic or unbiased of commentators (!) but established religion has only relatively recently stopped murdering non-believers. Thankfully - its about time we heard an educated perspective, rather then mumbo jumbo.

The uncomfortable truth
Cuddly he aint! Richard Dawkins reminds me of a former work colleague (a palaeontologist as it happens) who never let sensitivities get in the way of winning an argument. But, uncomfortable though his words may be for many devout people, Richard exposes the difference between ideas based on blind trust (faith), self-delusion (alternative medicine) and those based on mountains of peer-reviewed researched evidence(such as evolution).

This DVD set is bound to have religious fundamentalists and mystics foaming at the mouth so watch out for their reviews trying to bring it down. Richard takes on his opponents with unnerving calm and some get quite upset. Prepare to be enlightened by a surgically precise dismantling of religious dogma and pseudo-scientific 'alternative' nonsense, followed by the presentation of reasoned fact in its place.

As Dawkins has said, the reality is wonderful enough without having to invent any more of it.

Dawkins on Darwin
A superb DVD! Two discs. Disc 1 is a copy of the series that went out on Channel 4. It explains or rather Richard Dawkins explains Darwins theory of Natural Selection and does it in a way that all can relate to and understand. There is a wonderful interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury, in an effort to even the playing field.
Disc 2 then takes on the tricky problem that is established Religion. Professor Dawkins interviews the leaders from various faiths and asks simple but telling questions. No dinner party will ever be the same! You can discuss religion without blows!
Regardless of your perceived views on Darwin, this is a documentary you should treasure. It is both eloquent and factual and most importantly, gets your mind buzzing!