Begging-the-question Quote by Richard Dawkins
““Natural selection is not only a parsimonious, plausible and elegant solution; it is the only workable alternative to chance that has ever been suggested. Intelligent design suffers from exactly the same objection as chance. It is simply not a plausible solution to the riddle of statistical improbability. And the higher the improbability, the more implausible intelligent design becomes. Seen clearly, intelligent design will turn out to be a redoubling of the problem. Once again, this is because the designer himself (/herself/itself) immediately raises the bigger problem of his own origin. Any entity capable of intelligently designing something as improbable as a Dutchman's Pipe (or a universe) would have to be even more improbable than a Dutchman's Pipe. Far from terminating the vicious regress, God aggravates it with a vengeance.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, 2006
Intelligent design fails because it raises the same improbability problem as chance; it cannot explain the origin of its own designer, leading to infinite regress.
In simple terms: Intelligent design is not a solution; it creates more questions.
Key Takeaway
Seek explanations that don’t invoke untestable designers.
Themes
science
philosophy
probability
regress
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
argumentative
When to use this quote
- debates on creation
- science education
- philosophical inquiry
Key Concepts
evolutionary theory
logical fallacy
cosmology
Questions to Reflect On
- Can a non‑empirical explanation ever be satisfactory?
- What criteria make a theory plausible?
A Different Perspective
The argument assumes all explanations must be testable, which may not satisfy all worldviews.
