Feet of Clay

One of my daily joys is walking the dogs in the nearby woods. Since I bought my Windows Phone, I’ve got an additional dimension of joy by listening the podcasts of In Our Time, a weekly radio programme on a wide range of subjects (e.g. Science, Religion, Philosophy, History, etc.). Each 40 minute episode nicely times with the morning walk in the woods. The programme has the format of three experts on the week’s topic being led in a discussion by Melvyn Bragg (now Baron Bragg of Wigton).

Now I like Melvyn Bragg – I think he’s a good writer and broadcaster, and In Our Time deals with serious ideas in a way that does them justice.

So I was somewhat shocked at this attack on Richard Dawkins from Bragg. I had expected better of him. As Ophelia says:

He’s either bullshitting or totally confused, and since he’s a knowledgeable guy, I’m guessing he’s bullshitting. Yes feelings are important; yes we mostly don’t rely on reason; no it is not therefore the case that emotions and feelings are reliable sources of knowledge. He implies that they are. I call bullshit.

Baron Bragg is proudly displaying his feet of clay.