We need to let our children grow up to face the world armed with knowledge, with much more knowledge than we ourselves had at their age. It is scary, but the alternative is worse.
Daniel DennettRead
I even agree that the concept of god helps some people lead better lives. That does happen. Don't ever forget it. I just think there are better ways to help people lead better lives.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that belief in God can be beneficial for some individuals, but alternative methods exist for fostering better lives.
Daniel Dennett acknowledges that the concept of God can provide comfort and moral guidance to some individuals, helping them to lead more fulfilling lives. However, he advocates for exploring and promoting other approaches that may equally or more effectively enhance life quality, suggesting a broader perspective on ethics and well-being beyond religious frameworks.
Themes
GodBeliefBetter LivesPhilosophyLife Enhancement
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about ethics in society, this quote can highlight alternative moral frameworks.
More from Daniel Dennett
All quotes →Philosophers are never quite sure what they are talking about - about what the issues really are - and so often it takes them rather a long time to recognize that someone with a somewhat different approach (or destination, or starting point) is making a contribution.
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Words have a genealogy and it's easier to trace the evolution of a single word than the evolution of a language.
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The secret of happiness is: Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it.
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Some philosophers can't bear to say simple things, like "Suppose a dog bites a man." They feel obliged instead to say, "Suppose a dog d bites a man m at time t," thereby demonstrating their unshakable commitment to logical rigor, even though they don't go on to manipulate any formulae involving d, m, and t.
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As every scuba diver knows, panic is your worst enemy: when it hits, your mind starts to thrash and you are likely to do something really stupid and self-destructive.
Daniel DennettRead
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