Sooner or later, false thinking brings wrong conduct.
Julian HuxleyRead
...any belief in supernatural creators, rulers, or influencers of natural or human process introduces an irreparable split into the universe, and prevents us from grasping its real unity. Any belief in Absolutes, whether the absolute validity of moral commandments, of authority of revelation, of inner certitudes, or of divine inspiration, erects a formidable barrier against progress and the responsibility of improvement, moral, rational, and religious.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Belief in absolutes divides our understanding of the universe and hinders progress.
Julian Huxley's quote emphasizes that holding onto strict beliefs in absolutes—such as the existence of supernatural beings or unyielding moral laws—creates divisions within our understanding of the universe. This fragmentation prevents individuals from recognizing the inherent unity of existence and significantly hampers our ability to pursue moral, rational, and spiritual improvement.
Themes
BeliefAbsolutesUnityProgressUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about scientific advancements, one might cite this quote to illustrate the dangers of rigid beliefs.
More from Julian Huxley
All quotes →To speculate without facts is to attempt to enter a house of which one has not the key, by wandering aimlessly round and round, searching the walls and now and then peeping through the windows. Facts are the key.
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Today the god hypothesis has ceased to be scientifically tenable, has lost its explanatory value and is becoming an intellectual and moral burden to our thought. It no longer convinces or comforts, and its abandonment often brings a deep sense of relief.
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Will our Philosophy to later Life_x000D_ _x000D_ Seem but a crudeness of the planet's youth,_x000D_ _x000D_ Our Wisdom but a parasite of Truth?
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The scientific doctrine of progress is destined to replace not only the myth of progress, but all other myths of human earthly destiny. It will inevitably become one of the cornerstones of man's theology, or whatever may be the future substitute for theology, and the most important external support for human ethics.
Julian HuxleyRead
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