Anything Quote by Richard Dawkins
“Design can never be an ultimate explanation for anything. It can only be a proximate explanation. A plane or a car is explained by a designer but that's because the designer himself, the engineer, is explained by natural selection.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, 2006
Design is a useful shortcut for describing complex systems, but it does not reveal ultimate causes; ultimate explanations lie in natural processes like evolution.
In simple terms: Design offers a near‑term view, not the final cause.
Key Takeaway
Look beyond surface explanations.
Themes
science
philosophy
explanation
design
evolution
Mood
curious
analytical
Type
scientific
philosophical
When to use this quote
- engineering
- biology
- technology
- policy
- education
Key Concepts
causality
reductionism
natural selection
Questions to Reflect On
- What deeper mechanisms might underlie the observed design?
- How do we distinguish proximate from ultimate causes?
A Different Perspective
Design explanations can be misleading if taken as final truths.
