The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity.
Umberto EcoRead
Monsters exist because they are part of the divine plan, and in the horrible features of those same monsters the power of the creator is revealed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Monsters symbolize the darker aspects of existence, reflecting the complexity of creation and divinity.
In this quote, Eco suggests that the existence of monsters—be they literal or metaphorical—serves a purpose within the divine design. These 'monsters' embody the darker facets of reality, and through their presence, we gain insight into the nature of the creator, illustrating that beauty and horror coexist and are interconnected aspects of existence.
Themes
MonstersDivine PlanCreationPhilosophyExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of embracing our fears, one could say, 'Monsters exist because they are part of the divine plan.'
More from Umberto Eco
All quotes →I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early poetry, and bad poets publish it. Thankfully I gave up rather quickly.
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But why do some people support [the heretics]?" "Because it serves their purposes, which concern the faith rarely, and more often the conquest of power." "Is that why the church of Rome accuses all its adversaries of heresy?" "That is why, and that is also why it recognizes as orthodoxy any heresy it can bring back under its own control or must accept because the heresy has become too strong.
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You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.
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"Then we are living in a place abandoned by God," I said, disheartened. "Have you found any places where God would have felt at home?" William asked me, looking down from his great height.
Umberto EcoRead
The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.
Umberto EcoRead
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I put forward formless and unresolved notions, as do those who publish doubtful questions to debate in the schools, not to establish the truth but to seek it.
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