The American Humanist Association (AHA) on Monday revoked the "humanist of the year" award given to the atheist evolutionary biology professor Richard Dawkins 25 years ago because, in their opinion, the scientist humiliated marginalized groups "under the guise of a scientific thesis".
Back in 1996, the AHA awarded Dawkins with the prize for helping to communicate scientific concepts to the masses for the books The Selfish Gene and The Delusion of God. However, on Monday, the company appears to have changed its mind.
The decision comes after Richard Dawkins compared transgender people to Rachel Dolezal earlier this month. Dolezal is a civil rights activist who spent years posing as a black woman.
Dawkins responded to the criticism leveled at him. He wrote that he did not intend to disparage transgender people. He pointed out that he ended the tweet in question with the words "let's talk about it" and regrets that his message was nevertheless misunderstood.
The vice president of American Atheists, Allison Gill - a trans woman, by the way - also criticized Dawkins' message. As he said, they reinforce harmful and dangerous narratives. He added that he hoped Professor Dawkins would treat similar cases with understanding and respect in the future.
Clinton Richard Dawkins is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer. He is a member of the Royal Society, an active atheist, and often deals with religious issues in his works. Dawkins established his reputation in 1976 with his book The Selfish Gene, in which he explained the essence of gene-centric evolution and created the foundations of memetics with its last chapter. This was followed in 1982 by The Conquering Gene.
He is a frequent debate partner in television and radio programs, mainly on evolutionary biology, creationism-related and religious topics. He is also an enthusiastic secular humanist, skeptic and a prominent figure of the Brights Movement.
source: Mandiner / hirado.hu
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