Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up.
Thomas NagelRead
I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn't just that I don't believe in God and, naturally, I hope that I'm right in my belief. It's that I hope there is no God! I don't want there to be a God; I don't want the universe to be like that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire for atheism to be true, highlighting discomfort with the faith of intelligent individuals.
In this quote, Thomas Nagel articulates a deep-seated conflict between his atheistic beliefs and the presence of religious faith among knowledgeable individuals. He expresses not only a personal disbelief in God but also a fervent hope for the nonexistence of a deity, suggesting that the idea of a God contradicts the nature of the universe as he understands it. This reflects a philosophical struggle with the implications of belief and the nature of reality, emphasizing an internal desire for a universe free of divine oversight.
Themes
AtheismBeliefIntelligenceReligionUniverse
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate about morality and religion, this quote could illustrate the viewpoint of an atheist.
More from Thomas Nagel
All quotes →To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe.
Thomas NagelRead
It is prima facie highly implausible that life as we know it is the result of a sequence of physical accidents together with the mechanism of natural selection. We are supposed to abandon this naïve response, not in favor of a fully worked out physical/chemical explanation but in favor of an alternative that is really a schema for explanation, supported by some examples. What is lacking, to my knowledge, is a credible argument that the story has a nonnegligible probability of being true.
Thomas NagelRead
There is a tendency to seek an objective account of everything before admitting its reality.
Thomas NagelRead
Altruism itself depends on a recognition of the reality of other persons, and on the equivalent capacity to regard oneself as merely one individual among many.
Thomas NagelRead
Once we see an aspect of what we or someone else does as something that happens, we lose our grip on the idea that it has been done and that we can judge the doer and not just the happening.
Thomas NagelRead
Similar quotes
Christian worship is the most momentous, most urgent, most glorious action that can take place in human life.
Karl BarthRead
I have found that no exertion of the legs can bring two minds much nearer to one another.
Henry David ThoreauRead
To be conscious of Being, you need to reclaim consciousness from the mind. This is one of the most essential tasks on your spiritual journey.
Eckhart TolleRead
There is an inherent tendency in all governmental power to recognize no restraints on its operation and to extend the sphere of its dominion as much as possible. To control everything, to leave no room for anything to happen of its own accord without the interference of the authorities--th is is the goal for which every ruler secretly strives.
Ludwig Von MisesRead
Not without a shudder may the human hand reach into the mysterious urn of destiny.
Friedrich SchillerRead
So . . . I feel in regard to this aged England . . . pressed upon by transitions of trade and . . . competing populations,-I see her not dispirited, not weak, but well remembering that she has seen dark days before;-indeed, with a kind of instinct that she sees a little better in a cloudy day, and that, in storm of battle and calamity, she has a secret vigor and a pulse like a cannon.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead