Atheism Quote by Douglas Adams
““I don't accept the currently fashionable assertion that any view is automatically as worthy of respect as any equal and opposite view. My view is that the moon is made of rock. If someone says to me 'Well, you haven't been there, have you? You haven't seen it for yourself, so my view that it is made of Norwegian Beaver Cheese is equally valid' - then I can't even be bothered to argue. There is such a thing as the burden of proof, and in the case of god, as in the case of the composition of the moon, this has shifted radically. God used to be the best explanation we'd got, and we've now got vastly better ones. God is no longer an explanation of anything, but has instead become something that would itself need an insurmountable amount of explaining. So I don't think that being convinced that there is no god is as irrational or arrogant a point of view as belief that there is. I don't think the matter calls for even-handedness at all.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Meaning of Life, a Douglas Adams interview, 1995
The quote argues that not all opinions deserve equal respect; claims must be backed by evidence, and the burden of proof lies with extraordinary assertions like the existence of God.
In simple terms: Not all views are equally valid; evidence matters.
Key Takeaway
Demand evidence for extraordinary claims.
Themes
critical thinking
epistemology
religion
science
argumentation
Mood
skeptical
analytical
provocative
Type
philosophical
controversial
inspirational
When to use this quote
- debates about religion
- science education
- public policy discussions
- media commentary
Key Concepts
burden of proof
falsifiability
skepticism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we balance respectful discourse with demanding evidence?
- When should we grant credibility to a claim?
A Different Perspective
Extraordinary claims may be dismissed without sufficient evidence, but dismissing them outright can also close dialogue.
![“Does God know he [exists]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a21/douglas-adams-122_courses_does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-doe_26187.jpg)
