The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins | Members Exclusive cover art

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins | Members Exclusive

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins | Members Exclusive

By: Richard Dawkins
Listen for free

About this listen

 The Poetry of Reality is hosted by world renowned truth-teller, evolutionary biologist and best-selling author, Professor Richard Dawkins. He has been celebrated globally for his honest critique of religion and tradition and his push for critical thinking. His books include The Ancestor’s Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil’s Chaplain, The God Delusion, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Magic of Reality, his two-part autobiography An Appetite for Wonder and A Brief Candle in the Dark, and Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide. Dawkins has long been known for his uncompromising passion for science, calling out for the pressing need in modern societies for scientific literacy and rational thinking, especially in the education of young minds. His relentless pursuit of truth, and his recognition of the beauty of life on earth, will feature in this podcast, as he charts his way through scientific and existential inquiries like ‘What are we doing here?’ and ‘When did life begin?’Thisis42 Science Spirituality
Episodes
  • If God designed it, why is it so badly built?

    If God designed it, why is it so badly built?
    Oct 16 2025
    In this episode, Richard Dawkins revisits a 2012 conversation from the Great Minds program, produced by the Educational Broadcasting System in South Korea. He examines why life looks designed yet is full of flaws, showing how imperfections in nature reveal the true workings of evolution and expose the limits of intelligent design. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
  • Why Ants Tear Off Their Own Wings

    Why Ants Tear Off Their Own Wings
    Sep 30 2025
    In this episode, Richard Dawkins revisits a 2012 conversation from the Great Minds program, produced by the Educational Broadcasting System in South Korea. Drawing on themes from his book Flights of Fancy, Dawkins explores humanity’s ancient dream of flight, the physics that govern it, and the evolutionary paths that enabled some creatures to soar while others lost their wings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
  • Why Ideas Spread Like Viruses

    Why Ideas Spread Like Viruses
    Sep 20 2025
    In this episode of The Poetry of Reality, Richard joins a live audience in Edinburgh to discuss his latest book, The Genetic Book of the Dead. In this wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on how DNA preserves the story of evolution, describing organisms as “living books” that record the environments of their ancestors. He explores camouflage, whale ancestry, convergent evolution, and the hidden logic of genes, while breaking down ideas like genomes as cooperatives of viruses. He also reflects on memes, the extended phenotype, and the surprising ways evolution shapes both biology and culture. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 15 mins
All stars
Most relevant
It’s easy to take for granted that this Richard gentleman exists and that we can listen to him whenever we want without having to first have slaved away and been selected for mere entrance to some exclusive institution where we would perhaps be worthy.
Life is unquestionably richer for his mind and the expression of it via words and sounds and I try as
I enjoy his enlightening tones not to reflect on the fact that he’s in his 8th decade and that at some not too distant point one will have to make do with life in a world where he speaks to me in a past tense.
These fragments are immensely valuable.
Worth Spotify pennies alone.

A lighthouse in foggy conditions

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.