Sooner or later, false thinking brings wrong conduct.
Julian HuxleyRead
...any belief in supernatural creators, rulers, or influencers of natural or human process introduces an irreparable split into the universe, and prevents us from grasping its real unity. Any belief in Absolutes, whether the absolute validity of moral commandments, of authority of revelation, of inner certitudes, or of divine inspiration, erects a formidable barrier against progress and the responsibility of improvement, moral, rational, and religious.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Belief in absolutes divides our understanding of the universe and hinders progress.
Julian Huxley's quote emphasizes that holding onto strict beliefs in absolutes—such as the existence of supernatural beings or unyielding moral laws—creates divisions within our understanding of the universe. This fragmentation prevents individuals from recognizing the inherent unity of existence and significantly hampers our ability to pursue moral, rational, and spiritual improvement.
Themes
BeliefAbsolutesUnityProgressUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about scientific advancements, one might cite this quote to illustrate the dangers of rigid beliefs.
More from Julian Huxley
All quotes →To speculate without facts is to attempt to enter a house of which one has not the key, by wandering aimlessly round and round, searching the walls and now and then peeping through the windows. Facts are the key.
Julian HuxleyRead
Today the god hypothesis has ceased to be scientifically tenable, has lost its explanatory value and is becoming an intellectual and moral burden to our thought. It no longer convinces or comforts, and its abandonment often brings a deep sense of relief.
Julian HuxleyRead
Will our Philosophy to later Life_x000D_ _x000D_ Seem but a crudeness of the planet's youth,_x000D_ _x000D_ Our Wisdom but a parasite of Truth?
Julian HuxleyRead
The scientific doctrine of progress is destined to replace not only the myth of progress, but all other myths of human earthly destiny. It will inevitably become one of the cornerstones of man's theology, or whatever may be the future substitute for theology, and the most important external support for human ethics.
Julian HuxleyRead
Similar quotes
Never before has the seductive market way of life held such sway in nearly every sphere of American life. This marketing way of life promotes addictions to stimulation and obsessions with comfort and convenience ... centered primarily around bodily pleasures and status rankings. ... The common denominator is a rugged and ragged individualism and rapacious hedonism in quest of a perennial "high" in body and mind.
Cornel WestRead
Religious unity can look like a carnival and religious liberty can look like a funeral.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
The more afraid we are of the shadow of racism, the more conscious we might become of our own unsuspected biases.
Bret StephensRead
Man is a being with free will; therefore, each man is potentially good or evil, and it's up to him and only him (through his reasoning mind) to decide which he wants to be.
Ayn RandRead
The world was reduced to the surface of her skin and her inner self was safe from all bitterness.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead
I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that I could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pays for living - the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals.
Marian Wright EdelmanRead