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I have not come to know atheism as a result of logical reasoning and still less as an event in my life: in me it is a matter of instinct.
Friedrich Nietzsche
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Nietzsche expresses that his atheism stems from an innate intuition rather than rational thought or life experiences.

In this quote, Friedrich Nietzsche reveals that his rejection of theism is not rooted in strict logical arguments or significant life events but is instead a fundamental aspect of his being. He suggests that his atheism arises from a deep-seated instinct, emphasizing a more personal and subconscious realization of his beliefs rather than a reasoned conclusion.

Themes

AtheismInstinctBeliefPhilosophyReasoning

In practice

Example use cases

During a debate on belief systems, one might quote Nietzsche to highlight how instinct can influence one's views on the existence of God.

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Watch them clamber, these swift monkeys! They clamber over one another and thus drag one another into the mud and the depth. They all want to get to the throne: that is their madness β€” as if happiness sat on the throne. Often, mud sits on the throne β€” and often the throne also on mud. Mad they all appear to me, clambering monkeys and overardent. Foul smells their idol, the cold monster: foul, they smell to me altogether, these idolators.
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Reason is the cause of our falsification of the evidence of the senses. In so far as the senses show becoming, passing away, change, they do not lie.
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The anarchist and the Christian have a common origin.
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Quote by Friedrich Nietzsche | QuoteProject