It appears to me that those who rely simply on the weight of authority to prove any assertion, without searching out the arguments to support it, act absurdly. I wish to question freely and to answer freely without any sort of adulation. That well becomes any who are sincere in the search for truth.
Interpretation
Relying solely on authority without questioning undermines the pursuit of truth.
In this quote, Vincenzo Galilei emphasizes the importance of independent thought and critical questioning in the search for truth. He argues that blindly adhering to authority without examining the arguments that underlie assertions leads to absurdity, and advocates for a sincere exploration of ideas where questioning and answering freely is vital to achieve genuine understanding.
In practice
In a debate about scientific theories, one might say this quote to encourage participants to question authority.
But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings. Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid.
Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be free and should therefore be slaves. Likewise, we cannot survive as a free nation when some men decide that others are not fit to live and should be abandoned to abortion or infanticide.
Westerns. A period gone by, the pioneer, the loner operating by himself, without benefit of society. It usually has something to do with some sort of vengeance; he takes care of the vengeance himself, doesn't call the police. Like Robin Hood. It's the last masculine frontier. Romantic myth. I guess, though it's hard to think about anything romantic today. In a Western you can think, Jesus, there was a time when man was alone, on horseback, out there where man hasn't spoiled the land yet.
What is a monster? A being whose survival is incompatible with the existing order.
Poverty must be reduced not only for reasons of moral and justice, but also of security.
Let no man fear to die, we love to sleep all, and death is but the sounder sleep.
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