Class Day Lecture 2009: The Uniqueness of Humans

Yeah, what? Dawkins how?  I don't see it.

This video is awesome and right on!
Also, I want his hair.

You've got it all wrong. He's speaking to the students as people who will live in the world, not just scientists who will remain in academia. Where's your imagination? Lighten up a little... he's talking about hope, not science.

Excellent talk.

Wondering why the auto sub-titles don't work. I really love this lecture and oh-so-wish the auto subtitles worked so that I could use it with my own students... Any chance guys?

Agreed. Historically, there has been a tremendous draw to extract icons & heroes. Every culture relies on symbols of some sort, accessible icons which are significant of compelling abstractions. From quotidian exercise comes achievement, and, then, the sudden public focus which would suggest (to the new observers) a discontinuity in progress.

Progress is made solemnly by all academics increasing the body of knowledge in their field until it reaches the limits of that field and revolution is triggered. A famous figure emerges during that time but that doesn't mean that person is to be unduly credited with progress.
if it weren't the symbols we know it would've been other people. Leibniz invented calculus when newton did. Wallace evolution when darwin did. Others worked on relativity when einstein did. The discoveries were inevitable.

And this proves my point that the discoveries in and of themselves aren't necessarily the end all be all. Advantageous setting, timing, the ability to make people listen and take them seriously, to argue for them successfully, to propel the idea on to others matters, and if discoveries are inevitable, then possible those other things are then even more important.

bullshit. meaningful change is a steady progress NOT sporadic moments of revolution.
I reject Karl popper's assessment of scientific progress and paradigm shift.
The idea that progress is made by great leaps by audacious and daring personalities is bullcrap. People tend to confuse symbols of a revolution with the cause of the revolution.

Newton, Darwin, Einstein, Martin Luther King not only stood on the shoulders of giants but climbed to the top with the help of others.

People also tend to confuse causes of the revolution with movers of revolution. You still need people with the ability to organise and also be willing to do so.

No one is alleging that anyone does so on their own, but throughout history there has been numerous examples of of central figures.

In politics, social issues and science, just because a discovery is inevitable doesn't mean it will be taken seriously or even acknowledged until someone in an advantageous position asserts it.