--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I shall define the God Hypothesis more…" description: "\"“I shall define the God Hypothesis more defensibly: there exists a superhuman, supernatural intelligence who deliberately designed and created the univ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/richard-dawkins-115_define-god_i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-d_3085820.jpg" --- # I shall define the God Hypothesis more defensibly: there… ![“I shall define the God Hypothesis more defensibly: there exists a superhuman, supernatural intelligence who deliberately designed and created the universe and everything in it, including us. This book will advocate an alternative view: any creative intelligence, of sufficient complexity to design…” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/richard-dawkins-115_define-god_i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-d_3085820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/richard-dawkins-115_define-god_i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-d_3085820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/richard-dawkins-115_define-god_i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-d_3085820.jpg) > ““I shall define the God Hypothesis more defensibly: there exists a superhuman, supernatural intelligence who deliberately designed and created the universe and everything in it, including us. This book will advocate an alternative view: any creative intelligence, of sufficient complexity to design anything, comes into existence only as the end product of an extended process of gradual evolution.”” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The hypothesis proposes a superhuman creator, but argues any such intelligence would arise from gradual evolutionary processes. **In simple terms:** Suggests a creator could evolve over time. Key Takeaway Consider evolution of intelligence. Themes philosophy science theology Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - academic debate - public lectures - policy discussions - science education Key Concepts cosmology intelligent design evolutionary theory Questions to Reflect On - Can intelligence emerge without a designer? - What evidence supports gradual emergence? A Different Perspective The argument may conflate natural evolution with purposeful design. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“God is an hypothesis, and, as such, stands in need of proof: the onus probandi rests on the theist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/god-is-an-hypothesis-and-as-such-stands-in-need-of-proof-the-onus/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“Oh, I've nothing against God. Of course, God is only a hypothesis, but ... I admit that He is needed ... for the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/oh-i-ve-nothing-against-god-of-course-god-is-only-a-hypothesis-but-i/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The God hypothesis, for example, allows you to have an unparallelled understanding of absolutely everything while knowing absolutely nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arkady-and-boris-strugatsky/the-god-hypothesis-for-example-allows-you-to-have-an-unparallelled/) [Arkady and Boris Strugatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arkady-and-boris-strugatsky/) > [“Today, the concrete data point strongly in the direction of the God hypothesis. . . . Those who wish to oppose it have no testable theory to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/today-the-concrete-data-point-strongly-in-the-direction-of-the-god/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [“The key point is not, as is commonly but wrongly believed, that the empirical investigation of the natural world made or makes a transcendent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-s-gregory/the-key-point-is-not-as-is-commonly-but-wrongly-believed-that-the/) [Brad S. Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-s-gregory/) > [God is a hypothesis, and, as such, stands in need of proof; the onus probandi rests on the theist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/god-is-a-hypothesis-and-as-such-stands-in-need-of-proof-the-onus/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Today the god hypothesis has ceased to be scientifically tenable ... and its abandonment often brings a deep sense of relief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/today-the-god-hypothesis-has-ceased-to-be-scientifically-tenable-and/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [Many people assert that this abandonment of the god hypothesis means the abandonment of all religion and all moral sanctions. This is simply not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/many-people-assert-that-this-abandonment-of-the-god-hypothesis-means/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [Begin with dhyana, with meditation, and end in samadhi, in ecstasy, and you will know what God is. It is not a hypothesis, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/begin-with-dhyana-with-meditation-and-end-in-samadhi-in-ecstasy-and/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The god hypothesis is no longer of any pragmatic value for the interpretation or comprehension of nature, and indeed often stands in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/the-god-hypothesis-is-no-longer-of-any-pragmatic-value-for-the/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [Today the god hypothesis has ceased to be scientifically tenable, has lost its explanatory value and is becoming an intellectual and moral burden to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/today-the-god-hypothesis-has-ceased-to-be-scientifically-tenable-has/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [God is not a hypothesis derived from logical assumptions, but an immediate insight, self-evident as light. He is not something to be sought in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/god-is-not-a-hypothesis-derived-from-logical-assumptions-but-an/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [God is one among several hypotheses to account for the phenomena of human destiny, and it is now proving to be an inadequate hypothesis.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/god-is-one-among-several-hypotheses-to-account-for-the-phenomena-of/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [However you define God, and whether you believe in God or not, the world we live in has been shaped by the universal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/however-you-define-god-and-whether-you-believe-in-god-or-not-the/) [Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/) > [We grew up going to church, and I believe in God. I don't know that I have the ability to define what or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/we-grew-up-going-to-church-and-i-believe-in-god-i-don-t-know-that-i/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. The true scientist, however passionately he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fundamentalist-kurt-wise-proclaims-that-all-the-evidence-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just-plain-weird-as/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## More Define God quotes > [We grew up going to church, and I believe in God. I don't know that I have the ability to define what or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/we-grew-up-going-to-church-and-i-believe-in-god-i-don-t-know-that-i/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [However you define God, and whether you believe in God or not, the world we live in has been shaped by the universal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/however-you-define-god-and-whether-you-believe-in-god-or-not-the/) [Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/) > [We each define our god, and from this definition, we set the criteria for self-love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-taylor/we-each-define-our-god-and-from-this-definition-we-set-the-criteria/) [Jeremy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-taylor/) > [“I came to define God by His handiwork: a craftsman who builds the hope of eternity into our genes, a master electrician and chemist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bradley-hagerty/i-came-to-define-god-by-his-handiwork-a-craftsman-who-builds-the-hope/) [Barbara Bradley Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bradley-hagerty/) > [I wouldn't even like to begin to define God - I have absolutely no idea. But what I feel, and what touches me, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-wouldn-t-even-like-to-begin-to-define-god-i-have-absolutely-no-idea/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [I cannot define for you what God is. I can only say that my work has proved empirically that the pattern of God exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/i-cannot-define-for-you-what-god-is-i-can-only-say-that-my-work-has/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [How do I define God? I don't… People who find such conceptions important for themselves have every right to frame them as they like.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/how-do-i-define-god-i-don-t-people-who-find-such-conceptions/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I define God as an energy. A spiritual energy. It has no denomination, it has no judgment, it has an energy that when we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/i-define-god-as-an-energy-a-spiritual-energy-it-has-no-denomination/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [“To say that some kind of god might exist is to vivify its being with mystery. To define a god into existence because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/to-say-that-some-kind-of-god-might-exist-is-to-vivify-its-being-with/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“If any human concious able to define the God then he exactly don't know about the God. If willing to describe then he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-jajal/if-any-human-concious-able-to-define-the-god-then-he-exactly-don-t/) [kunal jajal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-jajal/) > [The atheist does not say 'there is no God,' but he says 'I know not what you mean by God; I am without idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradlaugh/the-atheist-does-not-say-there-is-no-god-but-he-says-i-know-not-what/) [Charles Bradlaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradlaugh/) > [We do not define God - He defines us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-vader/we-do-not-define-god-he-defines-us/) [Randy Vader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-vader/) > [Life events will not define who you are. God says who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/life-events-will-not-define-who-you-are-god-says-who-you-are/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [I don't want the world to define God for me. I want the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-don-t-want-the-world-to-define-god-for-me-i-want-the-holy-spirit-to/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Don’t let your idea of God be limited to the imagination of others. Don’t let them define your God and don’t let them tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/don-t-let-your-idea-of-god-be-limited-to-the-imagination-of-others/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) Browse all 29 Define God quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I shall define the God Hypothesis more defensibly: there exists a superhuman, supernatural intelligence who deliberately designed and created the universe and everything in it, including us. This book will advocate an alternative view: any creative intelligence, of sufficient complexity to design anything, comes into existence only as the end product of an extended process of gradual evolution.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Dawkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-defensibly-there-exists-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Define God" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-defensibly-there-exists-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/richard-dawkins-115_define-god_i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-d_3085820.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/richard-dawkins-115_define-god_i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-d_3085820.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/richard-dawkins-115_define-god_i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-d_3085820.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I shall define the God Hypothesis more defensibly: there exists a superhuman, supernatural intelligence who…” — Richard Dawkins", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Richard Dawkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I shall define the God Hypothesis...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-defensibly-there-exists-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-shall-define-the-god-hypothesis-more-defensibly-there-exists-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```