--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hypothesis of God offers no…" description: "\"The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation for anything, for it simply postulates what we are trying to explain.\" — Richard Dawkins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/richard-dawkins-115_explanation_the-hypothesis-of-god-offers-no-worthwhi_1981808.jpg" --- # The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation for… ![“The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation for anything, for it simply postulates what we are trying to explain.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/richard-dawkins-115_explanation_the-hypothesis-of-god-offers-no-worthwhi_1981808.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/richard-dawkins-115_explanation_the-hypothesis-of-god-offers-no-worthwhi_1981808.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/richard-dawkins-115_explanation_the-hypothesis-of-god-offers-no-worthwhi_1981808.jpg) > “The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation for anything, for it simply postulates what we are trying to explain.” [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. He argues that invoking God as an explanation is unnecessary because it adds no explanatory power. **In simple terms:** God is an unnecessary hypothesis. Key Takeaway Seek natural explanations before supernatural ones. Themes philosophy science atheism Mood critical analytical Type philosophical skeptical When to use this quote - scientific research - debates on religion - education curricula - public policy Key Concepts explanatory power Occam's razor Questions to Reflect On - Does removing God simplify or diminish meaning? - How do you evaluate explanatory adequacy? A Different Perspective Some may find comfort in faith despite lack of empirical evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Worthwhile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthwhile/) ## Related quotes > [Science offers us an explanation of how complexity (the difficult) arose out of simplicity (the easy). The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/science-offers-us-an-explanation-of-how-complexity-the-difficult/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“And some scientists and other intellectuals are convinced—too eagerly in my view—that the question of God's existence belongs in the forever inaccessible PAP category.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/and-some-scientists-and-other-intellectuals-are-convinced-too-eagerly/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [How can this strange story of God made flesh, of a crucified Savior, of resurrection and new creation become credible for those whose entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesslie-newbigin/how-can-this-strange-story-of-god-made-flesh-of-a-crucified-savior-of/) [Lesslie Newbigin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesslie-newbigin/) > [On pragmatistic principles, if the hypothesis of God works satisfactorily in the widest sense of the word, it is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/on-pragmatistic-principles-if-the-hypothesis-of-god-works/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“The hypothesis of God, for instance, gives an incomparably absolute opportunity to understand everything and know absolutely nothing. Give man an extremely simplified system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arkady-strugatsky/the-hypothesis-of-god-for-instance-gives-an-incomparably-absolute/) [Arkady Strugatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arkady-strugatsky/) > [“One reader of an early draft of this chapter complained at this point, saying that by treating the hypothesis of God as just one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/one-reader-of-an-early-draft-of-this-chapter-complained-at-this-point/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [“For modern cosmology God cannot be a working hypothesis because God is not given to us in the observable nature of things. The poetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-joseph-hoffmann/for-modern-cosmology-god-cannot-be-a-working-hypothesis-because-god/) [R. Joseph Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-joseph-hoffmann/) > [Talking to a peasant one day, I suggested to him the hypothesis that there might indeed be a God who governs heaven and earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/talking-to-a-peasant-one-day-i-suggested-to-him-the-hypothesis-that/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [It really comes down to parsimony, economy of explanation. It is possible that your car engine is driven by psychokinetic energy, but if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-really-comes-down-to-parsimony-economy-of-explanation-it-is/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [If complex organisms demand an explanation, so does a complex designer. 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Frankness just stirred up trouble amoung women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-dalby/what-was-the-point-i-told-myself-of-trying-to-explain-to-people-who/) [Liza Dalby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-dalby/) > [To describe the agony of a marathon to someone who's never run it is like trying to explain color to someone who was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-drayton/to-describe-the-agony-of-a-marathon-to-someone-who-s-never-run-it-is/) Jerome Drayton > [I'm not the guy who will sit in a room with somebody who's using a bunch of big words and just act like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-m-not-the-guy-who-will-sit-in-a-room-with-somebody-who-s-using-a/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) ## 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 Explanation quotes > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Yesterday's truth is today's bullshit. 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"The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-goal-of-faithfulness-is-not-that-we-will-do-work-for-god-but-that/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“But let the wise be warned against too great readiness at explanation: it multiplies the sources of mistake, lengthening the sum for reckoners sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-let-the-wise-be-warned-against-too-great-readiness-at-explanation/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [ \[Barack Obama\] will spend long periods of time explaining to people why he won't use it. 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