Ironically, I originally wrote the tweet with Jews and thought, That might give offense. And so I thought I better change it.

Part of the appeal was that Medawar was not only a Nobel Laureate, but he seemed like a Nobel Laureate; he was everything one thought a Nobel Laureate ought to be. If you have ever wondered why scientists like Popper, try Medawar's exposition. Actually most Popperian scientists have probably never tried reading anything but Medawar's exposition.

Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think.

It is universally accepted that an admission of atheism would be instant political suicide for any (U.S.) presidential candidate.

There's an element of paradox there - that at least you know where you stand with the fundamentalists. I mean, they're absolutely clear in their error and their stupidity, and so you can really go after them.

My mind is open to the most wonderful range of future possibilities, which I cannot even dream about.

Why would an all-powerful creator decide to plant his carefully crafted species on islands and continents in exactly the appropriate pattern to suggest, irresistibly, that they had evolved and dispersed from the site of their evolution?