It sounds to me, young one," Haddek said, "that you are searching for something that cannot be found." "The truth?" Sazed said. "No," Haddek replied. "A religion that requires no faith of its believers.
God is the creator of all things, right? He is the force that dictates the laws of the universe, and is therefore the ultimate source of ethics. He is absolute morality... We claim to be doing good. But the Lord Ruler - as God - defines what is good. So by opposing him we're actually evil. But since he's doing the wrong thing, does evil actually count as good in this case?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the complexities of morality through the lens of a god-like figure's absolute authority over good and evil.
In this quote, Brandon Sanderson presents a philosophical dilemma regarding morality and the nature of good and evil. He suggests that if God is the ultimate source of morality, then opposing His definition of good may lead to actions being perceived as evil, even if those actions seem justified from a human perspective. This raises questions about the nature of ethics and whether moral actions can be considered good or evil based solely on divine dictates, especially when those dictates appear flawed.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussing ethical dilemmas.
More from Brandon Sanderson
All quotes →Being in charge isn't always about telling people what to do. Sometimes, it's about knowing when to step out of the way of people who know what they're doing. - Tam al'Thor
There has to be a balance, Vin," Elend said. "Somehow, we'll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be." He sighed. "But for now," he said, nodding to the side, "we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.
At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different," Sazed said. "Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination he might see that without one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both lock and key were created for the same purpose.
Every action we take has consequences, Vin," Kelsier said. "I've found that in both Allomancy and life, the person who can best judge the consequences of their actions will be the most successful.
The most dangerous kind of man is not the one who spent his youth shoving others around. That kind of man gets lazy, and is often too content with his life to be truly dangerous. The man who spent his youth being shoved around, however … When that man gets a little power and authority, he often uses it to become a tyrant on par with the worst warlords in history.
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The bonds that unite another person to our self exist only in our mind.
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I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what was radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.
He that gives all, though but little, gives much; because God looks not to the quantity of the gift, but to the quality of the givers.
It is time, therefore, to abandon the superstition that natural science cannot be regarded as logically respectable until philosophers have solved the problem of induction. The problem of induction is, roughly speaking, the problem of finding a way to prove that certain empirical generalizations which are derived from past experience will hold good also in the future.
I may be what my enemies desire me to be, yet never an accusation are they able to hurl against me which makes me blush or lower my forehead; and I hope that God will be merciful enough with me, to prevent me from committing one of those faults which would involve my family.