Christianity remains to this day the greatest misfortune of humanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
God is a too palpably clumsy answer; an answer which shows a lack of delicacy towards us thinkers-fundamentally, even a crude prohibition to us: you shall not think!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nietzsche critiques the simplicity of attributing complexities of existence to God, suggesting that it discourages deeper thought.
In this quote, Friedrich Nietzsche argues that attributing the mysteries of life and existence to a divine being, or God, oversimplifies profound philosophical inquiries. He perceives such assertions as a restrictive imposition that stifles intellectual exploration, effectively discouraging individuals from engaging in deeper thought and understanding the complexities of existence and morality. Nietzsche's provocative statement calls into question the role of religion in philosophical discourse, advocating for critical thinking and investigation instead of accepting simplistic answers.
Themes
GodPhilosophyThinkingExistenceFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class when discussing faith and reason.
More from Friedrich Nietzsche
All quotes βThat which does not kill us makes us stronger.
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Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.
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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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In my view, all that is necessary for faith is the belief that by doing our best we shall come nearer to success and that success in our aims (the improvement of the lot of mankind, present and future) is worth attaining...I maintain that faith in this world is perfectly possible without faith in another world.
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Must a name mean something?" Alice asked doubtfully. Of course it must," Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh; "my name means the shape I am - and a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.
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