Heard the one about the blood donor scheme for bats…? - April 2 - 11.44am - 2022
Richard Dawkins discusses his new book ‘Flights of Fancy’
There were many insults but the one I liked best was “I would have you burned alive but I’m a Christian…”. Not that this was shouted out by an indignant member of the audience but rather read out loud by Dawkins himself after interviewer Matthew Stadlen presented him with some of the most abusive remarks made recently about him online. Dawkins is of course one of the world’s leading experts on evolution, author of such bestselling books as The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, and The God Delusion. I liked him. I only mention this because having listened many times before to him, I’d always found him a tad curt and acerbic. But today, while not exactly ‘cuddly’, he was likeable and engagingly warm. Here to publicise his latest book ‘Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution’, he was both fascinating and insightful. For instance, his description of those scientists on the International Space Station who seem to ‘fly’ through their tasks was given a deliciously fresh perspective when he pointed out that they weren’t in fact weightless (due to still being close enough to Earth to be affected by its gravity) but rather “permanently in free fall around the Earth”. A gorgeous revelation to set the brain reeling. And if that weren’t enough, while focusing on Vampire bats for a minute or two, we learned, reassuringly I assume, that “human altruism goes further than bat altruism.” Fun and crowd pleasing, this was a great event with which to mark the final day of the festival.
Festival media partner
Supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the UK
Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme
Festival cultural partner
Festival ideas partner
The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture
The Cervantes Institute, London
Festival on-site and online bookseller
Wines of the Douro Valley
Where learning meets opportunity: education partners of the festival
Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection
Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection
Oxford International Centre for Publishing
Accountants to the festival
Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024
Partner of Oxford Literary Festival
Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture
New College founded 1379
Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314
Worcester College founded 1714
Lincoln College founded 1427
Trinity College founded 1555
Magdalen College founded 1458
Reuben College founded in 2019
Founded 1884
Brasenose College founded in 1512
Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design
Olive oil from Sicily
Alumni Office
Oxford University Images
Local radio partner
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Dinomania for those aged 7 to 99 - April 3 - 3.46pm - 2022
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Heard the one about the blood donor scheme for bats…? - April 2 - 11.44am - 2022
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As dazzling as the HAL 9000, as entertaining as Woody Allen - April 1 - 3.37pm - 2022
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‘Round like a circle in a spiral…’ - March 31 - 6.15pm - 2022
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Food for thought - March 31 - 3.32pm - 2022
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Fit for Royalty - March 30 - 3.56pm - 2022
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‘A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind…’ - March 30 - 11.24am - 2022