What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
Every fool believes what his teachers tell him, and calls his credulity science or morality as confidently as his father called it divine revelation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Blind acceptance of ideas from authority figures can lead to misguided beliefs.
In this quote, George Bernard Shaw criticizes the tendency of individuals to uncritically accept teachings from their educators or authoritative figures. He suggests that many people equate their unquestioning faith in these teachings with higher truths, such as moral or scientific principles, just as they might accept their parents' beliefs as divine truth. This highlights the importance of critical thinking and skepticism in education and belief systems.
Themes
EducationBeliefCritical ThinkingAuthorityScienceMorality
In practice
Example use cases
In a classroom discussion on critical thinking, a teacher might use this quote to encourage students to question what they are taught.
More from George Bernard Shaw
All quotes βMarriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.
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Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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Those who talk most about the blessings of marriage and the constancy of its vows are the very people who declare that if the chain were broken and the prisoners left free to choose, the whole social fabric would fly asunder. You cannot have the argument both ways. If the prisoner is happy, why lock him in? If he is not, why pretend that he is?
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Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
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The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
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