Photo: David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Richard Dawkins is one of those rare figures who is both a precise scientist and a genuinely gifted writer. The Selfish Gene reframed how an entire generation understood evolution, and that is no small feat for a single book. Born in Nairobi and shaped at Balliol College, Oxford, he holds a Royal Society Fellowship and the Michael Faraday Prize, credentials that confirm his scientific weight. His combative stance on religion divides people, and I understand why, but I value him most as a science communicator who refused to let evolutionary biology stay locked behind academic walls. Whatever you make of his polemics, he made hard ideas accessible, and that is a real gift.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Richard Dawkins
- Name (Japanese)
- リチャード・ドーキンス
- Reading
- りちゃーど・どーきんす
- Born
- March 26, 1941 (age 85)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Snake
- Origin
- Nairobi, Nairobi Province, Kenya
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- evolutionary biologist / ethologist / science writer / science communicator / essayist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Balliol College
Awards & achievements
- 2001 Fellow of the Royal Society
- 2001 Kistler Prize
- 1990 Michael Faraday Prize
- 1997 International Cosmos Prize
- 2006 Lewis Thomas Prize
- 2005 Shakespeare Prize
- 1996 Humanist of the Year
- 2001 Medal of Representation of the President of the Italian Republic
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Selfish Gene | — | |
| Notable work | The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Richard Dawkins born?
Born March 26, 1941 (age 85).
Where is Richard Dawkins from?
Richard Dawkins is from Nairobi, Nairobi Province, Kenya.
What does Richard Dawkins do?
Richard Dawkins works as evolutionary biologist, ethologist, science writer, science communicator, essayist.
What is Richard Dawkins known for?
Notable works include The Selfish Gene, The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution.
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.