Is God a Virus?

Synopsis: Lecture by Dr Denis Alexander. The title is based on Richard Dawkins comparing religion to a virus or meme which spreads like a disease and is "one of the world’s great evils". In his lecture Alexander takes a critical look at Dawkins’ idea of the ‘meme’, while considering the idea of cognitive psychology and its relation to religious belief. He goes on to look at a model which shows how different beliefs may be related to each other, contrasting this model with the way Dawkins views science and religion. Finally he investigates whether sociological and other data offer any support to Dawkins’ thesis that ‘religion is the root of all evil’. [26 minutes]
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Subjects: Religious studies; Science
Keywords: cognitive psychology; Dawkins, Richard; religious belief and practice

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