It is many times with a fraudulent Design that men stick their corrupt Doctrine with the Cloves of other mens Wit.
Interpretation
Hobbes warns against the deceitful influence of corrupt ideas disguised as wisdom from others.
In this quote, Thomas Hobbes critiques the tendency of individuals to spread their flawed beliefs by cloaking them in the appearance of wisdom borrowed from others. He suggests that this manipulation is often intentional and serves a fraudulent purpose, undermining genuine understanding and dialogue.
In practice
In a discussion about misinformation and propaganda, this quote illustrates how corruption can mask itself in borrowed credibility.
Baptism is the sacrament of allegiance of them that are to be received into the Kingdom of God, that is to say, into Eternal life, that is to say, to Remission of Sin. For as Eternal life was lost by the committing, so it is recovered by the remitting of men's sins.
Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues.
For it is not the shape, but their use, that makes them angels.
For to accuse requires less eloquence, such is man's nature, than to excuse; and condemnation, than absolution, more resembles justice.
Scientia potentia est, sed parva; quia scientia egregia rara est, nec proinde apparens nisi paucissimis, et in paucis rebus. Scientiae enim ea natura est, ut esse intelligi non possit, nisi ab illis qui sunt scientia praediti.
The end of knowledge is power ... the scope of all speculation is the performing of some action or thing to be done.
Flesh is heretic._x000D_ My body is a witch._x000D_ I am burning it.
Do not do an immoral thing for moral reasons.
To a profound pessimist about life, being in danger is not depressing.
Intention is not something you do, but rather a force that exists in the universe as an invisible field of energy, a power that can carry us.
Life of the soul is union with God, as life of the body is union with the soul. As the soul was separated from God and died in consequence of the violation of the commandment, so by obedience to the commandment it is again united to God and is quickened. This is why the Lord says in the Gospels, 'The words I speak to you are spirit and life' (Jn. 6:63).
And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.
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