From the Richard Dawkins Foundation Newsletter. Subscribe here.
Hello!
As we head into the final weeks of 2023, one can’t help but reflect on the events of the past year or look ahead to try and predict what’s to come in the next one.
2024 will, no doubt, be a challenging new year for all of us. The forces promoting antiscience, Christian Nationalism, and postmodernist dogma will all be out in force. The values of what Richard Dawkins calls “evidence-based life”—fueled by reason, science, and Enlightenment—will be tested. But centuries of human progress show that, if we stand together to advocate for rationality and secular values, we will carry the day.
The temptation to pivot from that “evidence-based life” and walk a less rigorous path can be a very real one. This month, we’ll look at Richard Dawkins’s humane and thoughtful response to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the noted ex-Muslim-turned-atheist activist who has now publicly embraced Christianity.
The broader shift away from religious belief in general, and Christianity in particular, can be seen everywhere from Harvard University’s freshman class to New Zealand’s Māori population. What that ultimately means for the promotion of science and free inquiry, however, remains an open question.
We’ll also look at a concerning new effort underway in Maine to layer lessons about the danger of genocide and eugenics into middle school science education. Educators fear this could imperil students’ ability to understand and absorb the basics of scientific literacy at an important educational stage.
I am delighted to share that Richard Dawkins has generously offered to personally match up to $25,000 in individual donations to the Foundation, dollar-for-dollar, through December 31. At the end of this email, you’ll find a special message from Richard himself, explaining as only he can why the mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science is more vital now than ever.
I hope this holiday season is a good one for you and all your loved ones. Thank you for your continued support and commitment.
Robyn E. Blumner,
CEO and President, Center for Inquiry
Executive Director, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science
