It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
Christianity persecuted, tortured, and burned. Like a hound it tracked the very scent of heresy. It kindled wars, and nursed furious hatreds and ambitions... Man, far from being freed from his natural passions, was plunged into artificial ones quite as violent and much more disappointing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the violent history of Christianity and its impact on human passion and society.
George Santayana reflects on the turbulent history of Christianity, suggesting that rather than liberating humanity from natural passions, it has instead intensified artificial desires and led to conflict. The quote implies that religious fervor can lead to violent outcomes and an entrapment in less fulfilling passions, which contrasts with the peaceful ideals that religion often espouses.
Themes
ChristianityViolenceHeresyHuman PassionsPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the historical impact of religion on society, this quote serves to illustrate the darker side of religious fervor.
More from George Santayana
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To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
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The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
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