Champion or heathen? Ethnologist, evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins catapulted to fame in 1976 with his first book The Selfish Gene (which gave us the term meme) and has been courting controversy ever since. Referring to religion as ‘an organised licence to be acceptably stupid’, he is well known for his criticisms of creationism and intelligent design. Science in the Soul, his breath-taking and brilliant new anthology of essays, lectures and letters is a kaleidoscopic argument for the power and the glory of science. It makes an unanswerable case for the importance of the scientific way of thinking – particularly in today’s ‘post-truth’ world.

The event is chaired by lecturer and broadcaster, Shane Bergin.