The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity.
Umberto EcoRead
But it has often happened that I have found the most seductive depictions of sin in the pages of those very men of incorruptible virtue who condemned their spell and their effects.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that those who criticize sin often depict it in a compelling way, revealing the allure of moral struggles.
Umberto Eco's quote highlights a paradox in moral discussions, where individuals of strong virtue can inadvertently present sin in an attractive form through their condemnations. This observation reflects on the complexity of human nature, suggesting that even well-meaning critiques can inadvertently glamorize the very things they seek to denounce.
Themes
SinVirtueMoralityHuman NatureParadox
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the portrayal of moral dilemmas in literature.
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But why do some people support [the heretics]?" "Because it serves their purposes, which concern the faith rarely, and more often the conquest of power." "Is that why the church of Rome accuses all its adversaries of heresy?" "That is why, and that is also why it recognizes as orthodoxy any heresy it can bring back under its own control or must accept because the heresy has become too strong.
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You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.
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"Then we are living in a place abandoned by God," I said, disheartened. "Have you found any places where God would have felt at home?" William asked me, looking down from his great height.
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The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.
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