Quotes by Richard Dawkins

Im fond of science fiction. But not all science fiction. I like science fiction where theres a scientific lesson, for example - when the science fiction book changes one thing but leaves the rest of science intact and explores the consequences of that. Thats actually very valuable.

Of course in science there are things that are open to doubt and things need to be discussed. But among the things that science does know, evolution is about as certain as anything we know.

To an honest judge, the alleged marriage between religion and science is a shallow, empty, spin-doctored sham.

The obvious objections to the execution of Saddam Hussein are valid and well aired. His death will provoke violent strife between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and between Iraqis in general and the American occupation forces.

Of course, we would love to know more about the exact moment of Big Bang, but interposing an outside intelligence does nothing to add to that knowledge, as we still know nothing about the creation of that intelligence.

Im pretty sure there is some genetic component towards intelligence.

Something about the cultural tradition of Jews is way, way more sympathetic to science and learning and intellectual pursuits than Islam.

I can remember at the age of about six being fascinated by the planets and learning all about Mars and Venus and things.

I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.

Religion is capable of driving people to such dangerous folly that faith seems to me to qualify as a kind of mental illness.

The very idea that we get a moral compass from religion is horrible. Not only should we not get our moral compass from religion, as a matter of fact we dont.

You cant understand European history at all other than through religion, or English literature either if you cant recognise biblical allusions.

A universe with a God would look quite different from a universe without one. A physics, a biology where there is a God is bound to look different. So the most basic claims of religion are scientific. Religion is a scientific theory.

Secularism is categorically not saying that the religious may not speak out publicly or have a say in public life. It is about saying that religion alone should not confer a privileged say in public life, or greater influence on it. It really is as simple as that.

If there is a God, its going to be a whole lot bigger and a whole lot more incomprehensible than anything that any theologian of any religion has ever proposed.

Disagreements between incompatible beliefs cannot be settled by reasoned argument because reasoned argument is drummed out of those trained in religion from the cradle.

Im not one of those who wants to purge our society of our Christian history.

Its a horrible idea that God, this paragon of wisdom and knowledge, power, couldnt think of a better way to forgive us our sins than to come down to Earth in his alter ego as his son and have himself hideously tortured and executed so that he could forgive himself.

God exists, if only in the form of a meme with high survival value, or infective power, in the environment provided by human culture.

The chances of each of us coming into existence are infinitesimally small, and even though we shall all die some day, we should count ourselves fantastically lucky to get our decades in the sun.