Richard Dawkins: Richard Dawkins Foundation now officially a charitable organizationWhile I have my quibbles with Richard Dawkins' every now and then I was extremely pleased to read at Richard Dawkins' site that after a year has passed the Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reason And Science is now recognized as a charitable, tax exempt organization in both the US and UK. While every now and then I find the way Dawkins' chooses to phrase something in regards to atheism, religion or (more recently) pseudoscience and the paranormal cringe inducing I can not help but think that he is fulfilling a vital role. Sometimes I'm just not sure what that role is.

However, the Richard Dawkins Foundation does have a clearly defined role and goals and the very first one mentioned is something that I believe to be of the utmost importance:

Research. We intend to sponsor research into the psychological basis of unreason. What is it about human psychology that predisposes people to find astrology more appealing than astronomy? At what age are young people most vulnerable to unreason? What are the correlations between religiosity and superstition on the one hand, and intelligence, educational level, type of education etc. on the other? Research of this kind would be supported in the form of grants to universities in America and Britain or wherever the best research can be done.

Until we understand how and why people believe unevidenced claims we will not make any inroads. Surely polls such as the 2005 poll conducted by British retailer Choice UK indicate that nearly 70% of the British public believes in the supernatural with 76% saying that "reality" TV shows led them to this belief. This in the a country where only 55% of the population says they believe in God!

So I say the more research on this topic the better. Here's hoping Richard Dawkins can be a lightning rod in attracting donations to this cause and many of the others contained in RDF's mission statement.

I just wish somebody would talk to Dawkins' about this absurd Out Campaign. Not that I disagree with the basic idea. Atheists should come out of the closet and openly talk of both their lack of belief and exactly what it is they do believe. It's the graphic design that bothers me though, as well as wearing the RichardDawkins.net URL in inch high letters about my midriff.

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