A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
Thomas PaineRead
It has been the error of the schools to teach astronomy, and all the other sciences, and subjects of natural philosophy, as accomplishments only; whereas they should be taught theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the author of them: for all the principles of science are of divine origin. Man cannot make, or invent, or contrive principles: he can only discover them; and he ought to look through the discovery to the Author.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Science should be understood as a reflection of divine creation rather than merely an academic pursuit.
In this quote, Thomas Paine emphasizes that the teaching of sciences and philosophy in schools has largely missed its deeper significance. He advocates for an educational approach that recognizes the divine origins of scientific principles, arguing that human inquiry is not about inventing new knowledge but discovering what has already been established by a higher power. This perspective calls for a theological integration in the study of natural philosophy.
Themes
ScienceTheologyDivineEducationPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
An educator might reference this quote when discussing the importance of integrating ethical considerations in scientific education.
More from Thomas Paine
All quotes βThat God cannot lie, is no advantage to your argument, because it is no proof that priests can not, or that the Bible does not.
Thomas PaineRead
I consider the war of America against Britain as the country's war, the public's war, or the war of the people in their own behalf, for the security of their natural rights, and the protection of their own property.
Thomas PaineRead
Had the news of salvation by Jesus Christ been inscribed on the face of the sun and the moon, in characters that all nations would have understood, the whole earth had known it in twenty-four hours, and all nations would have believed it; whereas, though it is now almost two thousand years since, as they tell us, Christ came upon earth, not a twentieth part of the people of the earth know anything of it, and among those who do, the wiser part do not believe it.
Thomas PaineRead
The end of all political associations is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man; and these rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance of oppression.
Thomas PaineRead
To reason with goverments, as they have existed for ages, is to argue with brutes. It is only from the nations themselves that reforms can be expected
Thomas PaineRead
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