I stand four-square for reason, and object to what seems to me to be irrationality, whatever the source. If you are on my side in this, I must warn you that the army of the night has the advantage of overwhelming numbers, and, by its very nature, is immune to reason, so that it is entirely unlikely that you and I can win out. We will always remain a tiny and probably hopeless minority, but let us never tire of presenting our view, and of fighting the good fight for the right.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of reason in the face of overwhelming irrationality, advocating for persistence in the pursuit of truth and reasoned discourse.
Isaac Asimov's quote reflects the struggle of rational thought against the pervasive force of irrationality in society. He acknowledges that those who uphold reason may be a minority and face daunting opposition, yet he encourages continued efforts to advocate for reasoned beliefs and to engage in the ongoing 'fight for the right.' This battle may appear hopeless at times, but Asimov underscores the value of adhering to one's principles and remaining steadfast in the pursuit of truth.
In practice
This quote could be used in a debate about the importance of evidence-based reasoning in public policy.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, but it disappears. It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
I do not want to father a flock, to be the fetish of fools and fanatics or the founder of a faith whose followers are content to echo my opinions. I want each man to cut his own way through the jungle.
I believe that in this new world that we live in, we often have a responsibility, you know, to actually go beyond the thou shalt nots - that is, the not harming others - and say we can help others and we should be helping others.
You have rather the look of another world. I marvelled where you had got that sort of face.
The mind is a product of experience. It is the result of past thinking and is modified by present thinking.
For a year after that was done to me I wept every day at the same hour and for the same space of time. That is not such a tragic thing as possibly it sounds to you. To those who are in prison tears are a part of every day's experience. A day in prison on which one does not weep is a day on which one's heart is hard, not a day on which one's heart is happy.
The curious mind embraces science; the gifted and sensitive, the arts; the practical, business; the leftover becomes an economist
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