F Y I - FW: Compass Online Newsletter - Enemies of Reason: Slaves to Superstition
Katherine Cheng
Katherine
From: Compass Newsletter
[mailto:tv_re...@your.abc.net.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 2:18 PM
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Subject: Compass Online Newsletter - Enemies of Reason: Slaves to Superstition
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Coming up this Sunday on COMPASS with Geraldine Doogue |
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In this two-part series, Richard Dawkins confronts what he sees as “an epidemic of irrational, superstitious thinking.” Professor Dawkins says there are two ways of looking at the world: through faith and superstition or through the rigours of logic, observation and evidence. He believes that reason and respect for evidence are precious commodities, the source of human progress and our safeguard against fundamentalists and those who profit from obscuring the truth. But today, he argues, society appears to be retreating from reason: apparently harmless but utterly irrational belief systems from astrology to New Age mysticism, clairvoyance to alternative health remedies are booming. In episode one, Dawkins asks: Is it rational that the dead can communicate with the living and give sound advice on how they should live their lives? What about sticking pins into your body to free the flow of Chi energy and cure your illness? Or, the bending of spoons using your mind alone? Professor Dawkins doesn't think so, and feels it is his duty to expose those areas of belief that exist without scientific proof, yet manage to hold people under their spell. |
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