Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this special session from the Scopes Trial Centennial Conference, evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins presents the 2025 Richard Dawkins Award to John McWhorter, Columbia University linguist and New York Times columnist. The award honors individuals who champion reason, science, and secularism.
Following the award presentation, Dawkins and McWhorter engage in a thought-provoking on-stage conversation exploring the origin and evolution of language, touching on linguistics, human cognition, and the nature of communication itself.
The Scopes Trial Centennial Conference, co-hosted by the Center for Inquiry (CFI) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), commemorates the 100th anniversary of the famous 1925 “Monkey Trial,” a pivotal moment in American history that tested whether science or religious dogma would shape public education.
In this special session from the Scopes Trial Centennial Conference, evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins presents the 2025 Richard Dawkins Award to John McWhorter, Columbia University linguist and New York Times columnist. The award honors individuals who champion reason, science, and secularism.
Following the award presentation, Dawkins and McWhorter engage in a thought-provoking on-stage conversation exploring the origin and evolution of language, touching on linguistics, human cognition, and the nature of communication itself.
The Scopes Trial Centennial Conference, co-hosted by the Center for Inquiry (CFI) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), commemorates the 100th anniversary of the famous 1925 “Monkey Trial,” a pivotal moment in American history that tested whether science or religious dogma would shape public education.
