Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Science explains complexity from simplicity, while God hypotheses just assume the existence of complexity to explain it.
In plain terms
Science shows how complex things come from simple ones, but God just says complex things exist.
What can you take from it?
Science offers real explanations for complexity.

Where it applies

  • scientific debate
  • philosophical inquiry
  • teaching evolution

Putting it to work

  • using scientific methods
  • rejecting unproven claims

Questions to consider

  • How did complexity arise?
  • Is God a valid explanation?

Another view

Some find the God hypothesis offers purpose beyond mechanical explanation.

More from Richard Dawkins

  1. It is often said, mainly by the 'no-contests', that although there is no positive evidence for the existence of God, nor is there evidence against his existenc…

    Permalink to quote #99
  2. We've reached a truly remarkable situation: a grotesque mismatch between the American intelligencia and the American electorate. A philosophical opinion about …

    Permalink to quote #101
  3. 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 o…

    Permalink to quote #98

Related quotes

  1. Science offers us an explanation of how complexity (the difficult) arose out of simplicity (the easy). The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation f…

    Richard DawkinsRichard Dawkins quote #141
  2. If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory …

    Charles DarwinCharles Darwin quote #26
  3. It is natural human impulse to think of evolution as a long chain of improvements, of a never-ending advance towards largeness and complexity - in a word, towa…

    Bill BrysonBill Bryson quote #49