--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance…" description: "\"Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance lies a profoundly disturbing possibility - that people may base their lives upon an illusion, upon a blatant l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_attractiveness_beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance_1790938.jpg" --- # Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance lies a profoundly… ![“Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance lies a profoundly disturbing possibility - that people may base their lives upon an illusion, upon a blatant lie. The attractiveness of a belief is all too often inversely proportional to its truth... To allow "relevance" to be given greater weight than…” quote by Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_attractiveness_beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance_1790938.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_attractiveness_beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance_1790938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_attractiveness_beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance_1790938.jpg) > “Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance lies a profoundly disturbing possibility - that people may base their lives upon an illusion, upon a blatant lie. The attractiveness of a belief is all too often inversely proportional to its truth... To allow "relevance" to be given greater weight than truth is a mark of intellectual shallowness and moral irresponsibility.” [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing relevance over truth leads to intellectual laziness and moral failure; truth should guide belief, not popularity. **In simple terms:** Choosing relevance over truth is shallow and immoral. Key Takeaway Seek truth first, relevance second. Themes truth relevance intellectual integrity morality belief systems Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - academic research - public discourse - media consumption - personal belief formation Key Concepts philosophy ethics theology Questions to Reflect On - How can we value truth in a culture of relevance? - What are the risks of sacrificing truth for popularity? A Different Perspective Focusing on relevance can make ideas more appealing but less accurate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attractiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractiveness/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Blatant lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blatant-lies/) [Disturbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbing/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Irresponsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irresponsibility/) [Lie Attractiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-attractiveness-1945774/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance/) [Relevance Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance-given-1945775/) [Relevance Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance-lies-1945773/) [Rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric/) [Rhetoric Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric-relevance-1945776/) [Shallowness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallowness/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) ## Related quotes > [There is an abundance of misinformation, exaggeration, and blatant lies being spread by interest groups regarding the prospects for embryonic stem cell research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-foxx/there-is-an-abundance-of-misinformation-exaggeration-and-blatant-lies/) [Virginia Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-foxx/) > [He discusses his service in Iraq, the wounds he suffered there and he says to me in this ad, until you have the guts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/he-discusses-his-service-in-iraq-the-wounds-he-suffered-there-and-he/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I might take from the current political chaos a desire to somehow reflect its essential qualities in a story - the blatant lies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-might-take-from-the-current-political-chaos-a-desire-to-somehow/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I felt implicated in American affairs.Outraged at the blatant lies about Iraqs involvement in al Qaeda, at the regimes arrogance and stupidity, Guantnamo Bay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/i-felt-implicated-in-american-affairs-outraged-at-the-blatant-lies/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [There's just been so much, you know, blatant lies about me, specifically when it comes to questions of Nazism and racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/there-s-just-been-so-much-you-know-blatant-lies-about-me-specifically/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [As soon as the first person wrote about me, the articles became just blatant, all-out lies. I consider it slander. If I cared more,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/as-soon-as-the-first-person-wrote-about-me-the-articles-became-just/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [The more the concept of reason becomes emasculated, the more easily it lends itself to ideological manipulation and to propagation of even the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-horkheimer/the-more-the-concept-of-reason-becomes-emasculated-the-more-easily-it/) [Max Horkheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-horkheimer/) > [The terrible state of public education has paid huge dividends in ignorance. Huge. We now have a country that can be told blatant lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-terrible-state-of-public-education-has-paid-huge-dividends-in/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [It is a blatant lie put forth in the media that makes it seem there is only a fringe of scientists who don't buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-b-goldenberg/it-is-a-blatant-lie-put-forth-in-the-media-that-makes-it-seem-there/) [Stanley B. Goldenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-b-goldenberg/) > [The supreme vice is shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-supreme-vice-is-shallowness/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“A woman who holds her head up too high, is trying to breathe from her own pollution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/a-woman-who-holds-her-head-up-too-high-is-trying-to-breathe-from-her/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Most of the times that I think about my relationship to Judaism, I not only accuse myself of a shallowness, but I feel certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/most-of-the-times-that-i-think-about-my-relationship-to-judaism-i-not/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Remember that the fool in the eyes of the gods and the fool in the eyes of man are very different. One who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/remember-that-the-fool-in-the-eyes-of-the-gods-and-the-fool-in-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The fear of speculation, the ostensible rush from the theoretical to the practical, brings about the same shallowness in action that it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/the-fear-of-speculation-the-ostensible-rush-from-the-theoretical-to/) [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/) > [Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/sorrow-burns-up-a-great-amount-of-shallowness/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) ## More by Alister E. McGrath > [The success of the Inklings also helps us to see criticism in a positive light. There are, unfortunately, people who boost their own sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-success-of-the-inklings-also-helps-us-to-see-criticism-in-a/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“The medieval period based its scriptural exegesis upon the Vulgate translation of the Bible. There was no authorized version of this text, despite the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-medieval-period-based-its-scriptural-exegesis-upon-the-vulgate/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“Lewis's mental map of reality had difficulty accommodating the trauma of the Great War. Like so many, he found the settled way of looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/lewis-s-mental-map-of-reality-had-difficulty-accommodating-the-trauma/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Good does not triumph unless good people rise to the challenges around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/good-does-not-triumph-unless-good-people-rise-to-the-challenges/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Surely the better way is to pursue a generous orthodoxy, seeing disagreements in the context of the greater agreements which bind us together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/surely-the-better-way-is-to-pursue-a-generous-orthodoxy-seeing/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/rational-argument-does-not-create-belief-but-it-maintains-a-climate/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [We live on earth; our homeland is in heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/we-live-on-earth-our-homeland-is-in-heaven/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [The true believer is not someone who disengages from this world in order to focus on heaven, but rather the one who tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-true-believer-is-not-someone-who-disengages-from-this-world-in/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“The rising influence of lay piety is particularly marked upon the Mariological controversies of the late medieval period. Two rival positions developed: the maculist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-rising-influence-of-lay-piety-is-particularly-marked-upon-the/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“We are doomed to remain incomplete in our present existence. Our hopes and deepest longings will remain nothing but just that; Our hopes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/we-are-doomed-to-remain-incomplete-in-our-present-existence-our-hopes/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [We must not think that religious concerns swamped all other social activities. They simply provided a focal point for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/we-must-not-think-that-religious-concerns-swamped-all-other-social/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [To reenchant nature is not merely to gain a new perspective for its integrity and well-being; it is to throw open the doors to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/to-reenchant-nature-is-not-merely-to-gain-a-new-perspective-for-its/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“For Lewis, Christianity doesn’t just make sense of things. It changes our stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/for-lewis-christianity-doesn-t-just-make-sense-of-things-it-changes/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Hope is rooted in the trustworthiness of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/hope-is-rooted-in-the-trustworthiness-of-god/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [Suffering does not call into question the "big picture" of the Christian faith. It reminds us that we do not see the whole picture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/suffering-does-not-call-into-question-the-big-picture-of-the/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) [Explore all 61 Alister E. McGrath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) ## More Attractiveness quotes > [“Once you tell a man he's pretty, there's no taking it back. They think they're pretty all the time, and I suppose, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros-author/once-you-tell-a-man-he-s-pretty-there-s-no-taking-it-back-they-think/) [Sandra Cisneros (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros-author/) > [“She has built her whole life on the foundation of beauty: each chiseled plane, each sloping dimple, each soft curve as crucial as keystones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/she-has-built-her-whole-life-on-the-foundation-of-beauty-each/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [I'm not exactly Don Draper when it comes to physical attractiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/i-m-not-exactly-don-draper-when-it-comes-to-physical-attractiveness/) [Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/) > [“She is not conventionally beautiful or accomplished or elegant,” Magnus continued, “but she is attractive. She does not even know how much, but every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/she-is-not-conventionally-beautiful-or-accomplished-or-elegant-magnus/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [The adventurous state of mind is a high house... The joy of adventure is unaccountable. This is the attractiveness of artwork. It is adventurous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-martin/the-adventurous-state-of-mind-is-a-high-house-the-joy-of-adventure-is/) [Agnes Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-martin/) > [Vampires have always held a very seductive kind of lore and have always been some variety of attractive, whether it's attractiveness that's born of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/vampires-have-always-held-a-very-seductive-kind-of-lore-and-have/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [“Not only have people stopped trying to be attractive when they are out among other people, but they are no longer even trying not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/not-only-have-people-stopped-trying-to-be-attractive-when-they-are/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [A lovely nook of forest scenery, or a grand rock, like a beautiful woman, depends for much of its attractiveness upon the attendance sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-t-barnum/a-lovely-nook-of-forest-scenery-or-a-grand-rock-like-a-beautiful/) [P. T. Barnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-t-barnum/) > [Old age is an ordeal, of flesh and mind. Of winding down, of slowing down, of dying cells. It's accepting the loss of physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/old-age-is-an-ordeal-of-flesh-and-mind-of-winding-down-of-slowing/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [The sexual regions constitute a particularly vulnerable spot, and remain so even in man, and the need for their protection which thus exists conflicts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-sexual-regions-constitute-a-particularly-vulnerable-spot-and/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [If you know how to value businesses, it's crazy to own 50 stocks or 40 stocks or 30 stocks, probably because there aren't that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/if-you-know-how-to-value-businesses-it-s-crazy-to-own-50-stocks-or-40/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Be the kind of person others admire, can count on, trust, and enjoy spending time with. After you have developed that reputation, people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/be-the-kind-of-person-others-admire-can-count-on-trust-and-enjoy/) [Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/) > [“Individuality: ten. Cautiousness: three. Combativeness: nine." She looked over and gave me a wink. "Well, what did you expect from a pirate's daughter? Hope:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-oppel/individuality-ten-cautiousness-three-combativeness-nine-she-looked/) [Kenneth Oppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-oppel/) > [“We should remember that even Nature's inadvertence has its own charm, its own attractiveness. Take the baking of bread. The loaf splits open here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/we-should-remember-that-even-nature-s-inadvertence-has-its-own-charm/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [In the Bible there are three distinctive meanings of grace; It means the mercy and active love of God; It means the winsome attractiveness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-l-allen/in-the-bible-there-are-three-distinctive-meanings-of-grace-it-means/) [Charles L. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-l-allen/) [Browse all 137 Attractiveness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractiveness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance lies a profoundly disturbing possibility - that people may base their lives upon an illusion, upon a blatant lie. The attractiveness of a belief is all too often inversely proportional to its truth... To allow \"relevance\" to be given greater weight than truth is a mark of intellectual shallowness and moral irresponsibility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alister E. McGrath" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance-lies-a-profoundly-disturbing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attractiveness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance-lies-a-profoundly-disturbing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_attractiveness_beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance_1790938.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_attractiveness_beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance_1790938.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/alister-e-mcgrath-11214_attractiveness_beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance_1790938.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance lies a profoundly disturbing possibility - that people may base…” — Alister E. McGrath", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alister E. McGrath", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Beneath all the rhetoric about relevance...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance-lies-a-profoundly-disturbing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/beneath-all-the-rhetoric-about-relevance-lies-a-profoundly-disturbing/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```