Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, author and host of The Poetry of Reality, exploring natural selection, scientific curiosity and religion through books, essays and conversations.
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Latest
Richard’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Penguin
Transworld
Yale University Press
BloomsburyOverview
- Born
- 26 March 1941 · Nairobi, Kenya
- Work
- Evolutionary biologist, author and science communicator
- Breakout
- The Selfish Gene, published in 1976
- Oxford
- First holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science, appointed in 1995
- Online series
- The Poetry of Reality
Mini bio
How it started.
Born in Nairobi in 1941, Dawkins studied at Oxford, completing his undergraduate studies in 1962 and staying for doctoral research with animal behaviour researcher Niko Tinbergen. He taught zoology at the University of California, Berkeley from 1967 to 1969, then became a lecturer at Oxford in 1970.
The book that opened the door.
The Selfish Gene brought a gene’s-eye view of evolution to a wide readership in 1976. It also introduced the idea of the meme as a way to think about cultural transmission. He developed his evolutionary arguments in The Extended Phenotype and The Blind Watchmaker, then reached another audience with The God Delusion in 2006.
Science in public.
In 1995 he became Oxford’s first Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science. He founded the Richard Dawkins Foundation in 2006, and his books, public appearances and The Poetry of Reality conversations continue to explore evolution, religion and scientific thinking.
What to explore next.
The Genetic Book of the Dead looks at organisms as records of their ancestors’ worlds, with illustrations by Jana Lenzová. His 2026 book, 42 Tales from Life, pairs animal stories with Ernst Haeckel’s artwork. Alongside the books, fans can find essays and filmed conversations on his official Substack and YouTube channel.
Creditschronological, newest first
- 202642 Tales from LifeAuthor
- 2024The Genetic Book of the DeadAuthor
- 2006The God DelusionAuthor
- 1986The Blind WatchmakerAuthor
- 1982The Extended PhenotypeAuthor
- 1976The Selfish GeneAuthor
Awards
Quotes
There is joy in understanding, true joy, rising to little short of ecstasy.Richard Dawkins, The Poetry of Reality
From his April 2025 essay on scientific understanding as a source of meaning and wonder.
Trivia
- He coined the concept of the meme, connecting the spread of ideas with evolutionary thinking.
- He plays an electronic clarinet and has written about remembered hymn tunes surfacing while he plays.
- He once spent a month researching on Barro Colorado Island in Panama, where passing tankers could be seen from the forest lake.
Find Richard
Follow his essays, conversations and updates from the road.
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