Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
A man who has no assured and ever present belief in the existence of a personal God or of a future existence with retribution and reward, can have for his rule of life, as far as I can see, only to follow those impulses and instincts which are the strongest or which seem to him the best ones
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that without belief in God or an afterlife, individuals may only rely on their instincts to guide their actions.
In this quote, Charles Darwin reflects on the implications of lacking a belief in a personal God or a future existence after death. He argues that such a lack of belief could lead an individual to follow their strongest impulses, as there would be no moral or spiritual framework to guide their decisions. This statement raises important questions about morality, purpose, and the sources of ethical guidance in a secular worldview.
Themes
BeliefMoralityInstinctsGodExistenceLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the foundations of morality in a secular society.
More from Charles Darwin
All quotes βThe highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
Charles DarwinRead
I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science....It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many flaw[s] & holes as sound parts.
Charles DarwinRead
We cannot fathom the marvelous complexity of an organic being; but on the hypothesis here advanced this complexity is much increased. Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm--a little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven.
Charles DarwinRead
I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.
Charles DarwinRead
we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
Charles DarwinRead
Similar quotes
The dominant propaganda systems have appropriated the term "globalization" to refer to the specific version of international economic integration that they favor, which privileges the rights of investors and lenders, those of people being incidental. In accord with this usage, those who favor a different form of international integration, which privileges the rights of human beings, become "anti-globalist."
Noam ChomskyRead
The Secretary-General must be a determined advocate for the values of tolerance and solidarity - universal values that are shared by cultures and religions around the globe.
Antonio GuterresRead
Pride is ugly. It says, 'If you succeed, I am a failure.'
Ezra Taft BensonRead
An individual in despair despairs over something. . . . In despairing over something, he really despair[s] over himself, and now he wants to get rid of himself. Consequently, to despair over something is still not despair proper. . . . To despair over oneself, in despair to will to be rid of oneself-this is the formula for all despair.
Soren KierkegaardRead
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
C. S. LewisRead
It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble.
EpicurusRead