Richard Dawkins
Evolutionary biologist and prominent atheist author.
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Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator, noted atheist, and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and from 1995 to 2008 held the first Simonyi Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science at the university, a position created to advance public engagement with science. Dawkins has received numerous awards, including the 2005 Shakespeare Prize and the 2006 Lewis Thomas Prize; presenting the latter, biologist Paul Nurse praised his eloquent prose for conveying that science reveals truths more awe-inspiring than the mysteries they solve.
Dawkins has written several influential popular books on evolution. In *The Selfish Gene* (1976), he promoted a gene-centred view of evolution and introduced the concept of the meme. *The Blind Watchmaker* (1986) explains how natural selection, a cumulative non-random process combined with random variation, generates complexity. *Climbing Mount Improbable* (1996), which grew from his Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, examines how evolution gradually builds complex adaptations through intermediate steps. With Yan Wong, he co-authored *The Ancestor's Tale* (2004), a journey tracing life back to its origins.
A prominent atheist, Dawkins is considered one of the "Four Horsemen of New Atheism" alongside Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris. His book *The God Delusion* (2006) argued for atheism and was named by *The Sunday Times* as one of the twelve most influential books since the Second World War. That year he founded the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. He also edited *The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing* (2008) and wrote the children's book *The Magic of Reality* (2011). His memoirs include *An Appetite for Wonder* (2013) and *Brief Candle in the Dark* (2015).
Born Clinton Richard Dawkins in Nairobi, Colonial Kenya, he later dropped his first name by deed poll. His father was an agricultural civil servant in Nyasaland, and the family returned to England when Dawkins was eight. Raised with a normal Anglican upbringing, he embraced Christianity until his mid-teens, when he concluded that Darwinian evolution provided a better explanation for life's complexity than a designer, leading him to atheism. He has described himself as a "cultural Christian" or "cultural Anglican" in several interviews.
- born
- 26 March 1941
- field
- Evolutionary biology, zoology
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Gene-centered view of evolution, coining the word 'meme', advocacy of atheism
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
From 1967 to 1969, Dawkins served as an assistant professor of zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, a period during which he participated in anti-war demonstrations. He then returned to the University of Oxford in 1970 as a lecturer, later becoming a reader in zoology. In 1995, he was appointed the first Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, a position endowed by Charles Simonyi and held until 2008. Since 1970, he has been a fellow of New College, Oxford, and is now an emeritus fellow. Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator, noted atheist, and author. He was born Clinton Richard Dawkins on 26 March 1941 in Nairobi, Colonial Kenya, to parents who encouraged his scientific curiosity. He attended Chafyn Grove School and Oundle School, where he first read Bertrand Russell’s *Why I Am Not a Christian*. He studied zoology at Balliol College, Oxford, graduating in 1962, and earned his D.Phil. in 1966 under Nobel laureate Nikolaas Tinbergen, researching animal decision-making. Dawkins is known for popularizing the gene-centred view of evolution in *The Selfish Gene* (1976), where he coined the term “meme.” His other works include *The Blind Watchmaker* (1986), *Climbing Mount Improbable* (1996), and *The Ancestor’s Tale* (2004). A prominent atheist, he is one of the “Four Horsemen of New Atheism” and made his case in *The God Delusion* (2006). He founded the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science in 2006 and has received awards including the 2005 Shakespeare Prize and the 2006 Lewis Thomas Prize.
Reader's Guide
Richard Dawkins's significance lies in his dual impact on evolutionary biology and public discourse on religion. Through books like The Selfish Gene, he popularized the gene as the principal unit of selection, reshaping how evolution is understood by both scientists and the public. His concept of the 'meme' introduced a framework for cultural evolution that remains influential. Dawkins's legacy includes both advancing evolutionary theory and sparking widespread debate on science and religion, though his views have also attracted criticism. His work continues to be referenced in discussions of evolution, atheism, and the public understanding of science.
Did You Know?
- Dawkins coined the word 'meme' in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene.
- He was the first holder of the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, from 1995 to 2008.
- Dawkins is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford.
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