--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [W]e conceive the Devil as a necessary…" description: "\"“[W]e conceive the Devil as a necessary part of a respectable view of cosmology. Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/arthur-miller-947_atheism_w-e-conceive-the-devil-as-a-necessary-pa_3107609.png" --- # \[W\]e conceive the Devil as a necessary part of a… ![“[W]e conceive the Devil as a necessary part of a respectable view of cosmology. Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer. It is as impossible for most men to conceive of a morality without sin as of an earth without…” quote by Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/arthur-miller-947_atheism_w-e-conceive-the-devil-as-a-necessary-pa_3107609.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/arthur-miller-947_atheism_w-e-conceive-the-devil-as-a-necessary-pa_3107609.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/arthur-miller-947_atheism_w-e-conceive-the-devil-as-a-necessary-pa_3107609.png) > ““\[W\]e conceive the Devil as a necessary part of a respectable view of cosmology. Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer. It is as impossible for most men to conceive of a morality without sin as of an earth without 'sky'. Since 1692 a great but superficial change has wiped out God's beard and the Devil's horns, but the world is still gripped between two diametrically opposed absolutes. The concept of unity, in which positive and negative are attributes of the same force, in which good and evil are relative, ever-changing, and always joined to the same phenomenon - such a concept is still reserved to the physical sciences and to the few who have grasped the history of ideas.”” [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human understanding divides concepts into good and evil, but true unity sees them as aspects of one force, a view limited to science and few scholars. **In simple terms:** Good and evil are two sides of the same coin. Key Takeaway Recognize the interconnectedness of opposites. Themes philos duality unity Mood intrigued provocative Type philosophical theoretical When to use this quote - theological debate - ethical discussions - scientific research - personal worldview Key Concepts metaphysics philosophy history of ideas Questions to Reflect On - Can we accept moral relativity without losing ethical clarity? - How does this view affect religious belief? A Different Perspective Such unity can be unsettling, challenging deeply held moral frameworks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Conceive Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceive-devil-5414291/) [Cosmology Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmology-divided-5414289/) [Devil Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil-necessary-1355192/) [God Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-opposites-5109793/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Lucifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucifer/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“Thank God opposites attract. Which means I’m officially nothing,” I choke up on a sob, “because you are everything. 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