Richard Dawkins & The Meaning of Life

Dear Magicians,

Last week, I had the incredible (and nerve-wracking) opportunity to host Richard Dawkins in front of over 1,200 Canadians. It was by far one of the largest audiences I’ve ever spoken to, and the pressure was immense. This wasn’t just any event — it was his only live show in Canada and his final appearance ever in North America. The weight of that responsibility was overwhelming. To say I was intimidated and suffering from Imposter Syndrome ?would be putting it mildly.

I introduced Richard and interviewed him live for what turned out to be a live episode of The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE podcast. ?It was surreal to share the stage with an author who’s sold millions of books and whose work has shaped so much of the public’s understanding of science. This was the third time I’ve interviewed him, but the stakes felt higher this time because it was in person, and only a handful of hosts have been selected for this distinct honor. After our conversation, we opened the floor to questions, and I was delighted to weave in some from my audience (you!).

The gratitude from attendees was palpable, and it was profoundly humbling. Many people, some with tears in their eyes, shared how Richard’s work had helped them escape oppressive environments — like growing up in Young Earth Creationist households. The sheer emotion in the room was something I’ll never forget. It reminded me of the profound impact his work has had, not just intellectually, but on people’s lives. We only managed to get through about ten questions, but each one carried the weight of personal transformation.

Here are my five favorite questions and Richard’s replies.

1. Question from a young man:

"When you speak about the meaning of life from a scientific perspective, it makes sense in the context of spreading DNA. What are your thoughts on those who, for various reasons, don’t spread their DNA? How does that fit into this narrative?”

Richard's Answer: "I don’t think it’s right to view life solely through the lens of DNA propagation. Yes, we are machines for propagating DNA, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing that defines us. Stephen King once famously said he had no intention of having children, and his 'self-machines' could jump into the lake if they didn't like it. Humans find meaning in many other things, like intellectual pursuits, creativity, and relationships. And, statistically, in the distant future, each of us here will either be the ancestor of everyone or of no one."

2. Question from a young woman:

"As an atheist, how do you find hope without believing in a higher power?"

Richard’s answer: "Hope doesn’t require a supernatural being. I hope for many things—like good outcomes in politics or for people to be happy. Hope is part of being human, and it doesn’t necessitate belief in a god. The idea that one needs a divine supervisor to have hope seems unnecessary to me.”

One of my favorite minds on the internet, Andrew Chen , General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and a big fan of Richard’s, asked to ask him three questions:

3. "How much do you follow AI developments, and have you been surprised by how large language models (LLMs) are trained (evolved?) rather than designed?"

Richard said he follows developments in AI with interest, especially as they relate to evolutionary processes. The way large language models are 'trained' is indeed reminded him of evolutionary principles, where selection pressures—albeit artificial ones—lead to the refinement of models through many iterations. This reminded both of us of how memes propagate through human brains. However, he was surprised to learn that current LLMs get simple tasks wrong, like multiplying 7-digit numbers correctly only 97% of the time. He wondered why they were not connected to simple search engines. I told him about AI safety concerns, but he didn’t buy it!

4. "What are your thoughts on the fertility crisis, where education and career seem to be under negative selection pressure, and what could that mean in the long run?"

Richard agreed that this is a highly worrying issue from an evolutionary perspective. It seems that traits associated with higher education and career success, typically desirable in modern society, are under negative selection pressure because people with these traits tend to have fewer children. In evolutionary terms, these traits are less likely to be passed on to future generations, which could have significant implications for the genetic makeup of populations in the long run. He told us that Elon Musk told him to have more kids…at age 83! I told him Elon isn’t quite sure how many kids he has, let alone how many Richard has (just one, sadly).

5. "What are your views on the genetic selection of embryos?"

Richard discussed the genetic selection of embryos, often termed 'designer babies,' as a powerful but exceptionally ethically challenging tool. On the one hand, it offers the potential to eliminate genetic diseases and improve the quality of life for future generations, which seems desirable from both a moral and evolutionary perspective. He generally favors using technology to improve human health and well-being, but the ethical frameworks must be carefully considered to avoid unintended consequences like eugenics. In a way, this is another form of artificial selection that has vast potential but must be used responsibly. Still determining if it can or will be.

We spoke about a lot of other topics, including transhumanism and transgenderism, but those issues will need to wait until they come out with a video from the event. I hope they do.

Thanks for sharing your questions. As a reminder, I’m pretty active on X and IG, and you can always email me here. I read every message — even if I don’t have the time to answer all of them!

If you missed Richard in North America, you can catch him in UK/Europe . My friend Peter Boghossian is hosting him in Belgium, but it’s sold out! I really enjoyed doing a sort of ‘live episode’ of The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast. ?I received a lot of positive reactions about the hosting job I did — I guess my fears were in vain. Now, I am thinking of doing it solo or with a guest again. What’s your opinion? Who would be a good guest/co-host?

Until next time, have a M.A.G.I.C. Week,

Brian

Appearance

Is there more than one universe? Watch my full interview on Closer To Truth where I discuss the possibility of a multiverse here !

Genius

People ask me how I prepare for in-depth interviews on The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast. The truth is, I’ve got help. And this helper never sleeps, gets sick, or takes vacations. It’s called NotebookLM , and it’s completely free from Google. Many books I receive to review only come in PDF form — the authors typically record an audiobook later or not at all if they’re published with a small, academic publishing house.

So this AI-driven workflow turns the PDF into an audiobook; I get the PDF version from the publisher and upload it to NotebookLM. Then, I chat with the AI to get advice based on the book's content. This lets you create custom chat environments using your content, like documents, PDFs, slides, and Google documents.

This means you can tailor the AI's knowledge and responses to closely match the material you've given — making your interactions more personalized and relevant. You can even create a custom ‘podcast’ about all the notes in the notebook and hear a male and female ‘host’ discuss everything.

Try it with your daily journal — it’s hilarious:

Male Host: "Brian is sure a complainer, isn’t he?”

Female host: "Yep, Keating’s Kvetches can put even the most sleep-deprived insomniac to bed in SECONDS.”

Listen to a sample ‘podcast’ I made while preparing for my three interviews with Dawkins here .

Image

South Pole Telescope (@SPTelescope ): "Not the best observing last week, but it can be fun when you are clouded in like this to take surreal pictures of the all white landscape, as demonstrated by @KevZag #southpole #Antarctica

Credit: South Pole Telescope on X .

Conversation

What is the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and why is it essential in cosmology? What role do instruments like BICEP and the Simons Observatory play in studying the early universe? And is the multiverse real?

I had the absolute pleasure of discussing these questions with Dr. Hugh Ross, astrophysicist and founder of Reasons to Believe.

In our conversation, Hugh and I discuss my research on polarization signals in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), focusing on my work with the BICEP, POLARBEAR2, and Simons Array telescopes. These signals are key to understanding the inflationary event that shaped the early universe. We explore how ongoing data collection helps us learn more about the universe’s origins. I also share a brief overview of my spiritual journey, from a Catholic upbringing to atheism and now being a practicing Jew with agnostic beliefs.

Tune in here to learn about the infant universe!

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