A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
The very lack of evidence is thus treated as evidence; the absence of smoke proves that the fire is very carefully hidden...A belief in invisible cats cannot be logically disproved although it does tell us a good deal about those who hold it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The absence of evidence can often be misinterpreted as proof of something hidden, revealing more about people's beliefs than the subject itself.
C. S. Lewis highlights a tendency in human reasoning where the lack of proof is mistakenly regarded as proof of concealment. This illustrates how people's beliefs can cloud judgment, suggesting that irrational convictions often arise not from empirical evidence but from personal biases and interpretations of reality. The mention of 'invisible cats' serves as an analogy for unfounded beliefs that cannot be disproven, reflecting on the nature of human understanding and belief systems.
Themes
EvidenceBeliefReasoningBiasPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about conspiracy theories, one might say, 'As C. S. Lewis pointed out, the lack of evidence can sometimes be taken as proof of a hidden agenda.'
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes →I enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
C. S. LewisRead
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It's a curse - this not wanting to look on naked realities. Until the war, life was never more real to me than a shadow show on a curtain. And I preferred it so. I do not like the outlines of things to be too sharp. I like them gently blurred, a little hazy.
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You get tragedy where the tree, instead of bending, breaks.
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Forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.
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