Author and Oxford Lecturer Richard Dawkins Defends 'Mild Pedophilia'

How much pedophilia is just enough, or perhaps a wee bit too much remains unclear in the opinion of Oxford lecturer and author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion Richard Dawkins.

Dawkins described sexual abuse among former classmates as “mild touching up” that allegedly did no “lasting harm.”

Child welfare experts responded to Dawkins’ remarks with outrage — and concern over their effect on survivors of abuse.

Unfortunately, given that sexual abuse appears to have an impact on its survivors, sometimes even resulting in their being offenders in later years, it seems fair to speculate if Dawkins wasn’t somehow desensitized to the consequences of sexual abuse given his claims of having been fondled by a teacher as a youth.

Dawkins went on to say that one of his former school masters “pulled me on his knee and put his hand inside my shorts,” and that to condemn this “mild touching up” as sexual abuse today would somehow be unfair.