Charles Darwin made arguably the greatest discovery any human has ever made. He was a man of great persistence. He wasn't probably a natural genius, he worked very hard - even though he was an invalid. He was a great family man, a very nice man. I think he was admirable in all sorts of ways.

If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior virtue of faith without question, it is a good bet that there would be no suicide bombers.

Scientific beliefs are supported by evidence, and they get results. Myths and faiths are not and do not.

Why do more than 40 percent of Americans think that the Universe began after the domestication of the dog?

Pantheism is sexed-up atheism. Deism is watered-down theism.

I don't shout people down. I argue people down, perhaps.

We think we know that chimpanzees are higher animals and earthworms are lower, we think we've always known what that means, and we think evolution makes it even clearer. But it doesn't. It is by no means clear that it means anything at all. Or if it means anything, it means so many different things to be misleading, even pernicious.