Day by day Quote by Baruch Spinoza
““Experience day by day protested and showed by infinite examples, that good and evil fortunes fall to the lot of pious and impious alike; still they would not abandon their inveterate prejudice, for it was more easy for them to class such contradictions among other unknown things of whose use they were ignorant, and thus to retain their actual and innate condition of ignorance, than to destroy the whole fabric of their reasoning and start afresh. They therefore laid down as an axiom, that God's judgments far transcend human understanding. Such a doctrine might well have sufficed to conceal the truth from the human race for all eternity, if mathematics had not furnished another standard of verity in considering solely the essence and properties of figures without regard to their final causes. There are other reasons (which I need not mention here) besides mathematics, which might have caused men's minds to be directed to these general prejudices, and have led them to the knowledge of the truth.””
About This Quote
Source Philosophical Treatise: Ethics, 1677
Spinoza argues that reliance on divine mystery hinders progress, while mathematics offers clear truth beyond prejudice.
In simple terms: Faith alone can block understanding; math reveals reality.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize reason over blind belief.
Themes
philosophy
science
religion
prejudice
knowledge
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
instructive
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- personal belief systems
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
rationalism
epistemology
mathematics
Questions to Reflect On
- How can reason coexist with faith?
- What limits does mathematics have in moral truth?
A Different Perspective
Mathematics may not address all existential questions.
