Richard Dawkins
Evolutionary biologist, author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion
19 videos analysed · 100 quotes checked word for word · updated 2026-10-19
Key facts
- The God Delusion (2006) sold over 3 million copies by 2015 and was translated into more than 30 languages. Wikipédia 2026 · Richard Dawkins
- He was the first Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford (1995-2008). Wikipédia 2026 · Richard Dawkins
- The God Delusion (2 October 2006) has been translated into 35 languages; the Sunday Times listed it among the 12 most influential books since WWII. Wikipédia 2026 · Richard Dawkins
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceOn his own seven-point scale of belief he put himself at 6.9, almost sure that God does not exist but not totally. He said the chance of a supernatural creator is very low. In other interviews he puts himself at about 6 to 6.5, and calls himself a "de facto atheist": he cannot know for certain, but lives as if God were not there.
- Darwin showed how complex life arises step by step through natural selection, so the old argument from design no longer needs a designer. It is neither a freak accident nor designed. Video 2008 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- A designer able to make life would be even more complex than life. Saying 'God was always there' is the same non-explanation creationists reproach to evolutionists. Video 2017 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- Whether there is a God is a scientific question: a universe with a god would be very different from one without. Yet he sees no good evidence, as little as for fairies or leprechauns. Video 2017 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…23
- Saying 'I don't understand, so God did it' is lazy. Even if science never solves everything, that is no ground to say magic did it. Video 2008 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- A cosmic god who made the universe would not care about human sins or private thoughts. He finds the God of Christian doctrine petty and small-minded next to the grandeur of the universe. Video 2008 · Lennox Vs Dawkins Debate Has…2
Science and religion are separate domains (non-overlapping magisteria): science cannot rule on God.
He rejects it: whether there is a god is a scientific question, since a universe with a god would be very different from one without.
The universe is contingent and needs a necessary being to explain it; God is that being.
He says that answering "God was always there" is the same non-explanation that creationists reproach to evolutionists.
Defends : Who designed the designer?, The celestial teapot: who must prove it?, Against miraclesMixed : The problem of evilCriticizes : The watch and the eye, The third way: the contingent and the necessary, The wager, The moral law points to a lawgiver
He says the only approach to the truth is the scientific way, and that it belongs to all humanity. He calls science the poetry of reality.
He has said we can override our biology with free will. Later, asked directly, he admitted that behavior is determined and pointed to Dennett's view. Critics say his position is not clear.
In The God Delusion he argues society does not need religion to be moral, and traces morality to evolved altruism and empathy.
He says morality comes from evolved altruism and a moral consensus that changes over time, not from a fixed external standard.
- Morality clearly does not come from scripture. Attitudes to slavery and women changed over time through secular moral philosophy and rational discussion. Video 2017 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- The Bible can back almost any moral view, so you must pick and choose. He hopes nobody bases their morality on it. Video 2012 · Dawkins on religion: Is religion…2
- Our moral sense comes from evolved empathy and altruism. He wants not an absolute morality but one thought out, argued and discussed by humans. Wikipédia 2006 · The God Delusion23
- There is no evidence that believing in God makes you more likely to do good. Justice is a human construct of great importance, with a possible Darwinian explanation. Video 2008 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- Behavior is shaped more by cultural heritage than by our evolutionary past, and culture can change. That is how moral progress happens, though he calls its justification a hard question. Video 2019 · Richard Dawkins | Outgrowing God…2
Without God, morality has no objective basis: our sense of right and wrong points to a lawgiver.
He answers that moral attitudes to slavery and women changed over time through secular reasoning, not scripture, so morality does not come from religion.
Without God there is no ultimate hope or justice.
He says that even if there were no hope or justice without God, that would not make God real, and that justice is a human construct that may have a Darwinian explanation.
He thinks beliefs should rest on evidence. He calls faith, belief that is not based on evidence, one of the great evils of the world.
- Faith means believing without evidence, and if you believe without evidence, that justifies anything. This is why he calls it a great evil. Article 1996 · Richard Dawkins is wrong about…23
- Faith ends the discussion: the believer does not argue the case, he just says 'this is my faith'. Taught that believing without evidence is a virtue, he cannot be swayed by any argument. Video 2025 · The All-Time Best Arguments…
- What matters about a religion is whether it is true, not whether it is useful. Even if it brings health or comfort, that has no bearing on its truth. Video 2024 · Christianity is an Evil Religion…2
- Explaining why religion exists (fear, wishful thinking) does not make it true. He also finds it patronizing to keep a false belief because other people supposedly need it. Video 2019 · Richard Dawkins on scientific…
- He answers that you cannot make yourself believe, and asks what good God would reward flattery over honest reasoning. He would change his mind if evidence were found. Video 2023 · Richard Dawkins: Atheism,…2
Pascal's wager: believing costs little and could gain everything, so it is rational to believe.
He answers that one cannot make oneself believe, and that a good God would hardly reward flattery over honest reasoning.
Faith is like trusting someone you love: it does not need proof.
He answers that love rests on sensory evidence and God does not.
See 1 more objections
Even if religion is not provable, it brings people health, comfort and moral order.
He says that even if religion benefits health, that does not make it true, and that valuing religion for others while not believing it is patronizing.
Criticizes : Two magisteria that do not overlap
No sourced position yet on: Certainty, Mind and body, Meaning of life, Human nature.
On the big questions
Does God exist?Atheism
He argues there is almost certainly no God, and that the idea of a designer only moves the problem back.
- Darwin showed how complex life arises step by step through natural selection, so the old argument from design no longer needs a designer. It is neither a freak accident nor designed. Video 2008 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- A designer able to make life would be even more complex than life. Saying 'God was always there' is the same non-explanation creationists reproach to evolutionists. Video 2017 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- Whether there is a God is a scientific question: a universe with a god would be very different from one without. Yet he sees no good evidence, as little as for fairies or leprechauns. Video 2017 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…23
- Saying 'I don't understand, so God did it' is lazy. Even if science never solves everything, that is no ground to say magic did it. Video 2008 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- A cosmic god who made the universe would not care about human sins or private thoughts. He finds the God of Christian doctrine petty and small-minded next to the grandeur of the universe. Video 2008 · Lennox Vs Dawkins Debate Has…2
Science and religion are separate domains (non-overlapping magisteria): science cannot rule on God.
He rejects it: whether there is a god is a scientific question, since a universe with a god would be very different from one without.
The universe is contingent and needs a necessary being to explain it; God is that being.
He says that answering "God was always there" is the same non-explanation that creationists reproach to evolutionists.
Defends : Who designed the designer?, The celestial teapot: who must prove it?, Against miraclesMixed : The problem of evilCriticizes : The watch and the eye, The third way: the contingent and the necessary, The wager, The moral law points to a lawgiver
The question on the site: all the argumentsAre we free?Free without absolute free will
He admits behavior is determined and points to Dennett's view, while saying free will may be a useful way to judge who is responsible. Critics find his position unclear.
The question on the site: all the argumentsWhat makes something right?Nature or conscience
Morality comes from evolved empathy and altruism, not from religion.
- Morality clearly does not come from scripture. Attitudes to slavery and women changed over time through secular moral philosophy and rational discussion. Video 2017 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- The Bible can back almost any moral view, so you must pick and choose. He hopes nobody bases their morality on it. Video 2012 · Dawkins on religion: Is religion…2
- Our moral sense comes from evolved empathy and altruism. He wants not an absolute morality but one thought out, argued and discussed by humans. Wikipédia 2006 · The God Delusion23
- There is no evidence that believing in God makes you more likely to do good. Justice is a human construct of great importance, with a possible Darwinian explanation. Video 2008 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…2
- Behavior is shaped more by cultural heritage than by our evolutionary past, and culture can change. That is how moral progress happens, though he calls its justification a hard question. Video 2019 · Richard Dawkins | Outgrowing God…2
Without God, morality has no objective basis: our sense of right and wrong points to a lawgiver.
He answers that moral attitudes to slavery and women changed over time through secular reasoning, not scripture, so morality does not come from religion.
Without God there is no ultimate hope or justice.
He says that even if there were no hope or justice without God, that would not make God real, and that justice is a human construct that may have a Darwinian explanation.
Should we fear death?Nothing to fear
He says his calm about death is not bravado: it is simply rational.
- He says his calm about death is not bravado: it is simply rational. Video 2023 · Richard Dawkins: Atheism,…
We run carelessly toward death by hiding it from ourselves; real calm is only a way of not looking.
He says his calm about death is not bravado: it is simply rational.
Should we believe without proof?No belief without evidence
Faith, for him, means believing without evidence, and he considers it a vice.
- Faith means believing without evidence, and if you believe without evidence, that justifies anything. This is why he calls it a great evil. Article 1996 · Richard Dawkins is wrong about…23
- Faith ends the discussion: the believer does not argue the case, he just says 'this is my faith'. Taught that believing without evidence is a virtue, he cannot be swayed by any argument. Video 2025 · The All-Time Best Arguments…
- What matters about a religion is whether it is true, not whether it is useful. Even if it brings health or comfort, that has no bearing on its truth. Video 2024 · Christianity is an Evil Religion…2
- Explaining why religion exists (fear, wishful thinking) does not make it true. He also finds it patronizing to keep a false belief because other people supposedly need it. Video 2019 · Richard Dawkins on scientific…
- He answers that you cannot make yourself believe, and asks what good God would reward flattery over honest reasoning. He would change his mind if evidence were found. Video 2023 · Richard Dawkins: Atheism,…2
Pascal's wager: believing costs little and could gain everything, so it is rational to believe.
He answers that one cannot make oneself believe, and that a good God would hardly reward flattery over honest reasoning.
Faith is like trusting someone you love: it does not need proof.
He answers that love rests on sensory evidence and God does not.
See 1 more objections
Even if religion is not provable, it brings people health, comfort and moral order.
He says that even if religion benefits health, that does not make it true, and that valuing religion for others while not believing it is patronizing.
Criticizes : Two magisteria that do not overlap
The question on the site: all the argumentsWhy is there something rather than nothing?Physics answers
For the origin of the universe he invokes the anthropic principle and the multiverse, admitting this is less satisfying, and says science makes progress. Years later he also said it is very mysterious and we may never understand it.
- Darwin solved the riddle of life without a designer, which should encourage physics to look for a natural explanation of the universe's laws too. Video 2025 · The All-Time Best Arguments…2
- He invokes the anthropic principle and the multiverse, admitting this is less satisfying, and trusts that science makes progress. Video 2017 · Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox |…
- Our brains evolved for everyday life on the African plain, so intuition fails on the origin of the universe. It is very mysterious, and we may never understand it. Video 2026 · Richard Dawkins MOPS THE FLOOR…2
The anthropic principle and the multiverse are less satisfying than a purposeful explanation of why the universe's laws allow life.
He admits that invoking the anthropic principle and the multiverse is less satisfying, but trusts that science makes progress, as Darwin solved the riddle of life.
Should we have children?Neither duty nor fault
He is all for children learning about many religions and choosing later. He calls it abusive to label a small child 'a Christian child' or 'a Muslim child'.
- A child's religion is an accident of birth. Calling a tiny child a 'Christian child' or 'Muslim child' assumes a faith that the child has not chosen. Video 2014 · Richard Dawkins On 'The Big…2
- Children should learn about many religions, and the Bible as literature, then decide later. Schools should teach how to think, not what to think. Video 2014 · Richard Dawkins On 'The Big…23
- Teaching children that faith is a virtue teaches them to shelter behind 'it is my faith' instead of justifying what they believe. Video 2025 · The All-Time Best Arguments…
Parents have the right to raise their children in their own faith, and faith schools pass on a tradition.
He answers that a child's religion is an accident of birth, and that calling a tiny child a "Christian child" or "Muslim child" assumes a faith the child cannot have chosen.
In their words
I am very comfortable with the idea that we can override biology with free will.
Faith is one of the world's great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate.
I am a scientist, and I believe there is a profound contradiction between science and religious belief.
I can't know for certain but I think God is very improbable and I live my life on the assumption that he isn't there.
2 more quotes
I think they are a sort of computer virus which spreads because they contain within their own code the instructions for spreading.
We should henceforth abandon our social convention of automatic respect for religious faith.
How the ideas evolved
Click a step for details1976The Selfish Gene
His first famous book presents evolution from the point of view of genes and coins the word meme.
1986The Blind Watchmaker
He criticizes the argument from design: natural selection can explain complex life without a designer.
1996Faith as a great evil
In a talk to humanists he says faith is one of the world's great evils.
2006The God Delusion
His book against religion becomes a world bestseller. It includes the Ultimate Boeing 747 argument and the seven-point scale of belief.
2006The Root of All Evil? on TV
In a two-part documentary he says there is a profound contradiction between science and religious belief, and calls faith 'the process of nonthinking'.
In their words« I am a scientist, and I believe there is a profound contradiction between science and religious belief. »In his documentary he says science and religious belief are profoundly contradictory. watch
« There is no well-demonstrated reason to believe in god and I think that the idea of a divine creator belittles the elegant reality of the universe. »No good reason to believe in God, and a divine creator belittles the universe. watch
« Religious faith discourages independent thought, it's divisive and it's dangerous. »He says religious faith discourages independent thought and is divisive and dangerous. watch
2007The Four Horsemen
He records a long talk with Hitchens, Dennett and Harris. It is later seen millions of times.
2008Science versus God at Oxford
Facing John Lennox, he says Darwin showed that life is neither a freak accident nor designed, and that calling on magic is no answer to a gap in knowledge.
In their words« Darwin came along and showed that it's not actually a freak accident, but nor is it designed »Answering the argument from design, he says Darwin showed a third way: neither chance nor design. watch
« It's petty and small-minded And that's the God that John Lennox believes in »He says the Christian God does not do justice to the grandeur of the universe. watch
« Too bad That doesn't make it true »Even if there were no hope or justice without God, that would not make God real. watch
20126.9 out of 7
In a debate with the Archbishop of Canterbury at Oxford, he says he is 6.9 on his scale, and not fully sure.
2019Outgrowing God
His book for young readers urges them to think for themselves. He says the Bible should be taught as literature, and children should be taught how to think, not what to think.
In their words« I suppose I'm an evangelist for truth for scientific truths »He calls himself an evangelist for scientific truth, driven by its beauty as well as its usefulness. watch
« the fact that we can provide an explanation for why religion exists does not mean it's true and and I care about what's true »Explaining why religion arose (fear, wishful thinking) does not make it true; he cares about truth. watch
« I think it's patronizing to suggest that although it's false people need to believe in the falsehood in order to be moral »He rejects the idea that a false religion should be kept because people need it to be moral. watch
2024A cultural Christian
On British radio he says he is not a believer but feels at home in Christian culture, with its hymns and old churches.
2026Could an AI be conscious?
After several days of conversation with Claude, he writes in UnHerd that such an AI may be conscious. Critics such as Gary Marcus disagree.
The arguments 9
The site's arguments they defend or criticize, and why. Click a title to see the full argument.
His own argument: a God able to design life would be even more complex than life, so he needs an explanation too.
He used Russell's teapot in A Devil's Chaplain (2003) and The God Delusion (2006) to show that belief and disbelief do not deserve equal respect.
He says belief in miracles is 'flat contradictory' to the spirit of science. This is close to Hume's conclusion, though he does not present it as Hume's argument.
He says the problem of evil should not be decisive, because the creator could simply be an evil one.
The Blind Watchmaker answers the watchmaker argument: selection, not a designer, explains complex life.
He says Aquinas's Five Ways 'don't prove anything'.
He disagreed with Gould's idea that science and religion are separate domains.
He says you cannot make yourself believe something, and asks what kind of good God would reward flattery over honest reasoning.
He says morality clearly does not come from scripture, and that we have grown out of the old rules through secular moral philosophy and rational discussion.
Allies and opponents
Christopher HitchensClose
Fellow member of the Four Horsemen of the new atheism.
Daniel DennettClose
Fellow member of the Four Horsemen of the new atheism.
Sam HarrisClose
Fellow member of the Four Horsemen.
Stephen Jay GouldSparring partner
Disagreed with Gould's non-overlapping magisteria, but without personal hostility; he dedicated much of A Devil's Chaplain to him after his death.
John LennoxDisagrees
Debated him in Oxford in 2008 on whether science has buried God.
Alvin PlantingaDisagrees
Wrote a critical review of The God Delusion, 'The Dawkins Confusion'.
AAlister McGrathDisagrees
Answered The God Delusion with The Dawkins Delusion?, arguing Dawkins ignores Christian theology.
William Lane CraigDisagrees
He says he refuses to debate him because of Craig's defence of the killing of the Midianites in the Bible.
Closest and furthest
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All sources (64)
- Richard Dawkins (interview transcript, Faith and Reason) PBS · 2004
- Richard Dawkins is wrong about religion (quotes his 1996 humanist talk) Big Think · 1996 *
- Richard Dawkins says he's not entirely sure God doesn't exist Christian Century (Religion News Service) · 2012 *
- Richard Dawkins, famed apologist for atheism, considers himself a cultural Christian ChurchLeaders (on his LBC interview) · 2024 *
- Claude Delusion? Richard Dawkins believes AI may be conscious Decrypt (on his UnHerd essay) · 2026 *
- Richard Dawkins Wikipedia · 2026
- Ultimate Boeing 747 gambit Wikipedia · 2006 *
- Dawkins and Krauss on free will Why Evolution Is True (Jerry Coyne) · 2017
- The John Lennox - Richard Dawkins debate Bethinking · 2008 *
- New Atheism Wikipedia · 2007 *
- The God Delusion Wikipedia · 2006
- Dawkins and Pinker on free will (Edge debate) Edge · 2006 *
- Russell's teapot Wikipedia · 2026
- Richard Dawkins - The Root of All Evil? - Part 1: The God Delusion [+Subs] YouTube · 2006
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | The God Delusion Debate YouTube (republication) · 2017
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | The God Delusion Debate YouTube (republication) · 2017
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | The God Delusion Debate YouTube (republication) · 2017
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | Has Science Buried God? Debate YouTube · 2008
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | Has Science Buried God? Debate YouTube · 2008
- Richard Dawkins: Atheism, Evolution & Reality YouTube (republication) · 2023
- Richard Dawkins: Atheism, Evolution & Reality YouTube (republication) · 2023
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Richard Dawkins on scientific truth, outgrowing God and life beyond Earth YouTube (republication) · 2019
- Christianity is an Evil Religion - Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2024
- Richard Dawkins MOPS THE FLOOR With Piers Morgan in Heated God Debate YouTube (republication) · 2026
- Dawkins on religion: Is religion good or evil? | Head to Head YouTube (republication) · 2012
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | Has Science Buried God? Debate YouTube · 2008
- Richard Dawkins on scientific truth, outgrowing God and life beyond Earth YouTube (republication) · 2019
- Christianity is an Evil Religion - Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2024
- When Richard Dawkins Brutally Told the Truth to Religious Audience YouTube (republication) · 2023
- Richard Dawkins: Best arguments against religion/faith of all Time. YouTube (republication) · 2017
- Richard Dawkins: 'Somebody as intelligent as Jesus would have been an atheist' YouTube (The Guardian) · 2011
- Dawkins on religion: Is religion good or evil? | Head to Head YouTube (republication) · 2012
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | The God Delusion Debate YouTube (republication) · 2017
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | Has Science Buried God? Debate YouTube · 2008
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | Has Science Buried God? Debate YouTube · 2008
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | The God Delusion Debate YouTube (republication) · 2017
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Lennox Vs Dawkins Debate Has Science Buried God YouTube (republication) · 2008
- Richard Dawkins vs John Lennox | Has Science Buried God? Debate YouTube · 2008
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- When Richard Dawkins Brutally Told the Truth to Religious Audience YouTube (republication) · 2023
- Richard Dawkins: Atheism, Evolution & Reality YouTube (republication) · 2023
- Richard Dawkins on scientific truth, outgrowing God and life beyond Earth YouTube (republication) · 2019
- When Richard Dawkins Brutally Told the Truth to Religious Audience YouTube (republication) · 2023
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Richard Dawkins | Outgrowing God | On Atheism, Ethics, and Theology YouTube (republication) · 2019
- Richard Dawkins | Outgrowing God | On Atheism, Ethics, and Theology YouTube (republication) · 2019
- Richard Dawkins On 'The Big Debate' about Religion and God YouTube (republication) · 2014
- Richard Dawkins On 'The Big Debate' about Religion and God YouTube (republication) · 2014
- When Richard Dawkins Brutally Told the Truth to Religious Audience YouTube (republication) · 2023
- Richard Dawkins On 'The Big Debate' about Religion and God YouTube (republication) · 2014
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Richard Dawkins On 'The Big Debate' about Religion and God YouTube (republication) · 2014
- Richard Dawkins MOPS THE FLOOR With Piers Morgan in Heated God Debate YouTube (republication) · 2026
- Richard Dawkins on scientific truth, outgrowing God and life beyond Earth YouTube (republication) · 2019
- Christianity is an Evil Religion - Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2024
- Richard Dawkins - The Root of All Evil? - Part 1: The God Delusion [+Subs] YouTube · 2006
- Richard Dawkins: Best arguments against religion/faith of all Time. YouTube (republication) · 2017
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025
- The All-Time Best Arguments Against Religion | Richard Dawkins YouTube (republication) · 2025