In terminology, god hypothesis refers to the hypothesis that a god, or supernatural power, exists (see: existence of god) that is responsible and or the cause, i.e. first cause and or final cause, for life, afterlife, morality, meaning, and purpose.
Overview
In 1802, Pierre Laplace told Napoleon Bonaparte (see: Napoleon Laplace anecdote) that he had no need of the “hypothesis of god”, or “that hypothesis” as he put it, in the new formulation of the celestial mechanics.
In 1981, Carl Sagan, in interview response to questions asked by Edward Wakin, stated the following: [1]
“Those who raise questions about the god hypothesis and the soul hypothesis are by no means all atheists. An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence. Because God can be relegated to remote times and places and to ultimate causes, we would have to know a great deal more about the universe than we do now to be sure that no such God exists. To be certain of the existence of God and to be certain of the nonexistence of God seem to me to be the confident extremes in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty as to inspire very little confidence indeed.”
In 2007, Victor Stenger, in his God: the Failed Hypothesis, attempts to show how modern science shows that god does not exist. [2]
See also
● God theory
● Purposeless universe hypothesis
● Soul hypothesis
● Spirit hypothesis
References
1. Sagan, Carl, Head, Tom. (2006). Conversations with Carl Sagan (pg. 70). University Press of Mississippi.
2. God: the Failed Hypothesis – RationalWiki.org.
