--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: John Hodgson can describe Richard…" description: "\"“John Hodgson can describe Richard Dawkins's atheism as vacuous only because 'atheist' is a term which non-believers use purely as a polemical convenie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-craig-23078_atheism_john-hodgson-can-describe-richard-dawkin_2552152.jpg" --- # John Hodgson can describe Richard Dawkins's atheism as… ![“John Hodgson can describe Richard Dawkins's atheism as vacuous only because 'atheist' is a term which non-believers use purely as a polemical convenience when we have to define concisely what we don't believe [...]. No atheist is principally that. What we'd want to call ourselves is humanist or…” quote by David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-craig-23078_atheism_john-hodgson-can-describe-richard-dawkin_2552152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-craig-23078_atheism_john-hodgson-can-describe-richard-dawkin_2552152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-craig-23078_atheism_john-hodgson-can-describe-richard-dawkin_2552152.jpg) > ““John Hodgson can describe Richard Dawkins's atheism as vacuous only because 'atheist' is a term which non-believers use purely as a polemical convenience when we have to define concisely what we don't believe \[...\]. No atheist is principally that. What we'd want to call ourselves is humanist or materialist, or biologist or linguist, or for that matter socialist, because one or more of these, or something else again, is what we do and think and are. We have 'purely and simply finished with God', to adapt a phrase of Engels's.”” [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that “atheist” is a vague, polemical label, and many non‑believers prefer more precise identities like humanist, materialist, or scientist. **In simple terms:** Atheist is a broad term; people often choose specific labels. Key Takeaway Use precise language to describe beliefs. Themes identity belief language philosophy Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical explanatory When to use this quote - academic debate - personal identity formation - public discourse Key Concepts atheism humanism materialism scientific worldview Questions to Reflect On - How do labels shape our self‑understanding? - What benefits arise from more specific identifiers? A Different Perspective Labels can oversimplify complex worldviews. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheism Vacuous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism-vacuous-1531265/) [Atheist Principally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist-principally-1531267/) [Atheist Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist-term-1531263/) [Atheists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) [Biologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biologists/) [Dawkins Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawkins-atheism-1531266/) [Friedrich-engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friedrich-engels-67877/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Humanists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanists/) [Linguists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linguists/) [Lrb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lrb-114544/) [Materialists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialists/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richard-dawkins/) [Richard-dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richard-dawkins-2/) [Self concept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-concept/) [Socialists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialists/) [Vacuous Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacuous-atheist-1531264/) ## Related quotes > [“To say that "the worker has an interest in the rapid growth of capital", means only this: that the more speedily the worker augments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/to-say-that-the-worker-has-an-interest-in-the-rapid-growth-of-capital/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“For Dawkins, atheism is a necessary consequence of evolution. He has argued that the religious impulse is simply an evolutionary mistake, a ‘misfiring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/for-dawkins-atheism-is-a-necessary-consequence-of-evolution-he-has/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## More by David Craig > [“In my opinion, a lie is a physical act, verbal statement, or omission, deliberately designed to deceive another of the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/in-my-opinion-a-lie-is-a-physical-act-verbal-statement-or-omission/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“But the alternative is the return to power of Labour. 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But what was actually needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/it-is-true-that-the-recession-has-been-made-much-worse-by-downing/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“These bills include hundreds of thousands of economic migrants who, after years in the UK, probably still can’t believe that British taxpayers are stupid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/these-bills-include-hundreds-of-thousands-of-economic-migrants-who/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“It could be argued that Parliament is an agency of the EU and therefore the theft of our money by our MPs is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/it-could-be-argued-that-parliament-is-an-agency-of-the-eu-and/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“Oliver Cromwell is credited with having given the following speech when he dissolved Parliament on 20th April 1653: It is high time for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/oliver-cromwell-is-credited-with-having-given-the-following-speech/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“have tried to show the scale of the problem and suggest some actions our Government should take to help us out of our current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/have-tried-to-show-the-scale-of-the-problem-and-suggest-some-actions/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“only way we can defend the rights and interests of the majority against the greed, arrogance, waste and incompetence of the small ruling elite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/only-way-we-can-defend-the-rights-and-interests-of-the-majority/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“But if you’d waited before buying an annuity and suddenly go to that great spaceship in the sky before handing over your cash, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/but-if-you-d-waited-before-buying-an-annuity-and-suddenly-go-to-that/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“by removing the 10p band on non-savings income’. Here, what looked like a simplification of the tax system was in fact the abolition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/by-removing-the-10p-band-on-non-savings-income-here-what-looked-like/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“People who are retiring now are finding that annuity rates have been squashed by QE, and that they will get a smaller pension than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/people-who-are-retiring-now-are-finding-that-annuity-rates-have-been/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“Another hidden danger with ‘switch and get rich’ is that older pensions might have guaranteed bonuses or annuity rate guarantees hidden away in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/another-hidden-danger-with-switch-and-get-rich-is-that-older-pensions/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“Thanks to Blair’s catastrophically invertebrate decision to agree to a cut in Britain’s EU budget rebate, we now pay far too much into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/thanks-to-blair-s-catastrophically-invertebrate-decision-to-agree-to/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) [Explore all 24 David Craig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. 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Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? 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Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“John Hodgson can describe Richard Dawkins's atheism as vacuous only because 'atheist' is a term which non-believers use purely as a polemical convenience when we have to define concisely what we don't believe [...]. No atheist is principally that. 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