It would have been an awkward question for most people, but for Richard Dawkins it seemed to match his spirit of open inquiry. After all, the owner of one of the most eminent scientific minds and thickest skins in Britain does not shy away from hard questions. Not content with waging war on religion, he has inflamed the nation three times in one summer. First, with the suggestion that fairytales may have a “pernicious” effect on children; then introducing the idea of a “mild” paedophilia or rape; and most recently, revealing in a Twitter conversation that if his unborn child had Down’s syndrome diagnosed, he would abort it, for it would be “immoral” not to.
So does Dawkins lack empathy?
“I think empathy is