31 Richard Dawkins Quotes On Science, Evolution, And Religion
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Richard Dawkins is a notable man of science, a British evolutionary biologist who is famously known for his book, 'The Extended Phenotype'.
He is additionally an atheist who is popular for his critique on intelligent design and creationism and has also talked about his opinion on the supernatural creator in his book 'The Blind Watchmaker'.
He has garnered multiple awards for his theories and critiques in his books and has made various radio, television, and social media appearances lecturing on atheism and evolution.
Here is a list of some of the best Richard Dawkins quotes which are great sources of scientific knowledge and religion.
If you like our content, you will love these other articles like David Attenborough quotes and Aldo Leopold quotes.
Famous Richard Dawkins Quotes
If you are looking for some famous Richard Dawkins quotes on why we exist, then check out this list.
1. "But perhaps the rest of us could have separate classes in science appreciation, the wonder of science, scientific ways of thinking, and the history of scientific ideas, rather than laboratory experience."
-Richard Dawkins, The Richard Dimbleby Lecture.
2. "Today the theory of evolution is about as much open to doubt as the theory that the earth goes round the sun."
-Richard Dawkins.
3. "Be thankful that you have a life, and forsake your vain and presumptuous desire for a second one."
-Richard Dawkins.
4. "When two opposite points of view are expressed with equal intensity, the truth does not necessarily lie exactly halfway between them. It is possible for one side to be simply wrong."
-Richard Dawkins.
5. "There's real poetry in the real world. Science is the poetry of reality."
-Richard Dawkins.
6. "It must be possible to construct life chemically, or in a computer."
-Richard Dawkins, The Guardian Interview.
7. " It is an astounding fact that we, evolved beings, have brains in our heads which are capable of understanding why we’re here and where we come from and where the world comes from and where the world’s going."
-Richard Dawkins, The Guardian Interview.
8. "By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out."
-Richard Dawkins.
9. "I don’t take back any of it which, in a way, is regrettable, because scientists rather pride themselves on changing their minds, unlike politicians, who are accused of flip-flopping."
-Richard Dawkins, The Guardian Interview.
10. "I don’t want to go out of my way to disillusion or disabuse somebody who is in despair. But I do value truth and I do think there is a great positive value, even maybe consolation, in the truth about the real world."
-Richard Dawkins, The Guardian Interview.
Richard Dawkins Book Quotes
Here is a list of famous quotes by Richard Dawkins including Richard Dawkins quotes on evolution and Richard Dawkins God delusion quotes.
11. "When two opposite points of view are expressed with equal intensity, the truth does not necessarily lie exactly halfway between. It is possible for one side simply to be wrong."
-Richard Dawkins, 'One side can be wrong'.
12. "We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."
-Richard Dawkins, 'The God Delusion'.
13. "Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish."
-Richard Dawkins, 'The Selfish Gene'.
14. "The take-home message is that we should blame religion itself, not religious extremism - as though that were some kind of terrible perversion of real, decent religion."
-Richard Dawkins, 'The God Delusion'.
15. "Evolution could so easily be disproved if just a single fossil turned up in the wrong date order. Evolution has passed this test with flying colours."
-Richard Dawkins, 'The Greatest Show on Earth'.
16. "We admit that we are like apes, but we seldom realize that we are apes."
-Richard Dawkins, 'A Devil's Chaplain'.
17. "Indeed, organizing atheists has been compared to herding cats, because they tend to think independently and will not conform to authority."
-Richard Dawkins, 'The God Delusion'.
18. "What worries me about religion is that it teaches people to be satisfied with not understanding the world they live in."
-Richard Dawkins, 'Heart Of The Matter'.
19. "If you don't understand how something works, never mind: just give up and say God did it. You don't know how the nerve impulse works? Good!
You don't understand how memories are laid down in the brain? Excellent! Is photosynthesis a bafflingly complex process? Wonderful! Please don't go to work on the problem, just give up, and appeal to God."
-Richard Dawkins, 'The God Delusion'.
20. "We are survival machines – robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment."
-Richard Dawkins, 'The Selfish Gene'.
21. Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has ever aspired to do.
-Richard Dawkins, 'The Selfish Gene'.
Richard Dawkins Religion Quotes
Here is a list of some of the best Richard Dawkins quotes on religion.
22. "Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence."
-Richard Dawkins.
23. "There may be fairies at the bottom of the garden. There is no evidence for it, but you can't prove that there aren't any, so shouldn't we be agnostic with respect to fairies?"
-Richard Dawkins.
24. "Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that."
-Richard Dawkins.
25. "I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world."
-Richard Dawkins.
26. "Faith can be very very dangerous, and deliberately to implant it into the vulnerable mind of an innocent child is a grievous wrong."
-Richard Dawkins.
27. "Just because science can't in practice explain things like the love that motivates a poet to write a sonnet, that doesn't mean that religion can. It's a simple and logical fallacy to say, ' If science can't do something, therefore religion can'."
-Richard Dawkins.
28. "Religion is about turning untested belief into unshakable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time."
-Richard Dawkins.
29. "Religion is not off the table. Religion is not off limits. Religion makes specific claims about the universe which need to be substantiated and need to be challenged and, if necessary, need to be ridiculed with contempt."
-Richard Dawkins.
30. "I am often accused of expressing contempt and despising religious people. I don't despise religious people, I despise what they stand for."
-Richard Dawkins.
31. "An atheist is just somebody who feels about Yahweh the way any decent Christian feels about Thor or Baal or the golden calf. As has been said before, we are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."
-Richard Dawkins.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Richard Dawkins quotes, then why not take a look at conservation quotes and Charles Darwin quotes.
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Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
Oluwatosin MichaelBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
With a Bachelor's in Microbiology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oluwatosin has honed his skills as an SEO content writer, editor, and growth manager. He has written articles, conducted extensive research, and optimized content for search engines. His expertise extends to leading link-building efforts and revising onboarding strategies.
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