What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
We call the one side [of humanity] religion, and we call the other science. Religion is always right. ... Science is always wrong; it is the very artifice of men. Science can never solve one problem without raising ten more problems.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote contrasts religion and science, suggesting that while religion is seen as infallible, science is inherently flawed and complicated.
George Bernard Shaw's quote explores the dichotomy between religion and science, positioning religion as an absolute truth and science as a flawed endeavor that, despite its attempts to solve problems, often complicates them further. Shaw implies that faith provides certainty and stability, whereas the scientific pursuit leads to a perpetual cycle of new questions and challenges, reflecting a critical view of the limitations and consequences of human rationality.
Themes
ReligionScienceProblemsTruthKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about the role of religion and science in society, one may cite Shaw's quote to underline the limitations of scientific inquiry.
More from George Bernard Shaw
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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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