The (cordial) war of words between Jordan Peterson and Richard Dawkins could soon be reaching its finale. After tweeting out a clip of Peterson claiming that the British biologist was “mostly a Christian”, Dawkins called on the Canadian psychologist to have an in-person conversation with him.
My team sent me the following clips of @jordanbpeterson
He says I’m a Christian, although I don’t know it. Well, I certainly don’t know it. He also says I’m “the last standing avatar of the rationalist spirit.” I’ll take that!
Also, I’m still waiting for the in-person… pic.twitter.com/AOMWJHV1M3
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) April 15, 2024
Peterson responded by saying that he “wants to talk”, adding that both men had a “complex problem to address”. “Can the civilization you and I both admire,” he tweeted, “possibly be sustained without the magic of its underlying metaphysic?” Peterson went on to note that he, unlike Dawkins, did not believe that this was possible but that the pair were “more allied than not”.
“You obviously don’t want what we have to disappear,” he continued. “I also know you’re unhappy about the current state of the universities. You can see, as can I, that the scientific enterprise itself is now on shaky grounds — and not because of the Christians (even the fundamentalists).” After Ayaan Hirsi Ali, will Dawkins end up joining Team Christian too?
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