Science is a way to not fool ourselves.
Carl SaganRead
The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed by zealots in the name of God, Jesus and Mohammed than has ever been committed in the name of Satan. Many people don’t like that statement, but few can argue with it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the misuse of religion to justify violence and abuse.
Carl Sagan's quote suggests that throughout history, acts of violence and child abuse have often been committed by fervent believers acting in the name of God, Jesus, and Mohammed, rather than by those who might identify with Satan. It points to the alarming reality that zealotry can lead to justifying immoral actions, challenging the notion that evil primarily stems from those who oppose religious beliefs.
Themes
CrimeZealotryReligionAbusePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on the influence of religion in history, this quote can be used to illustrate the dangers of religious zealotry.
More from Carl Sagan
All quotes →In more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.
Carl SaganRead
How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?
Carl SaganRead
The hole in the ozone layer is a kind of skywriting. At first it seemed to spell out our continuing complacency before a witch's brew of deadly perils. But perhaps it really tells of a newfound talent to work together to protect the global environment.
Carl SaganRead
There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most revered among us. So Einstein is revered not just because he made so many fundamental contributions to science, but because he found an imperfection in the fundamental contribution of Isaac Newton.
Carl SaganRead
The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning.
Carl SaganRead
Similar quotes
I was a Muslim once, remember, and it was when I was most devout that I was most full of hate.
Ayaan Hirsi AliRead
I believe that a guarantee of public access to government information is indispensable in the long run for any democratic society.... if officials make public only what they want citizens to know, then publicity becomes a sham and accountability meaningless.
Sissela BokRead
All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation.
Walter BenjaminRead
The abdomen is the reason why man does not readily take himself to be a god.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
It is also possible for the unconscious or an archetype to take complete possession of a man and to determine his fate down to the smallest detail
Carl JungRead
The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.
George Bernard ShawRead