History had been man's effort to accomodate himself to what he could not do. Amereican history in the 20th century would, more than ever before, test man's ability to accomodate himself to all the new things he could do.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
What preoccupies us, then, is not God as a fact of nature, but as a fabrication useful for a God-fearing society. God himself becomes not a power but an image.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that society constructs the concept of God for its own benefits rather than acknowledging a divine power.
Daniel J. Boorstin's quote reflects on the notion that rather than acknowledging God as a genuine force in nature, society creates the idea of God to maintain a cohesive and ordered community. In this view, God transforms from a spiritual essence into a mere representation, serving the interests of social order and morality rather than existing as an objective reality.
Themes
GodSocietyFabricationPhilosophyBelief
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing beliefs in a philosophy class to illustrate the societal implications of religious constructs.
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Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be.
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Human models are more vivid and more persuasive than explicit moral commands.
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Knowledge is not simply another commodity. On the contrary. Knowledge is never used up. It increases by diffusion and grows by dispersion.
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We need not be theologians to see that we have shifted responsibility for making the world interesting from God to the newspaperman.
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