Explanation Quote by Carl Sagan
“For a long time the human instinct to understand was thwarted by facile religious explanations.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Cosmos (TV series) commentary, 1980
Human curiosity is often blocked by simplistic religious answers that prevent deeper understanding.
In simple terms: Religion can hinder true understanding.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions, seek evidence.
Themes
science
curiosity
religion
critical thinking
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- education
- public discourse
- personal belief
- policy making
Key Concepts
epistemology
skepticism
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance faith and inquiry?
- When does belief become a barrier to learning?
A Different Perspective
Religious explanations sometimes provide comfort and community, which can be valuable.
![“The problem with the religious solution [for mysteries such as consciousness and moral judgments] was stated by Mencken when he wrote, "Theology is the effort to explain the unknowable in terms of the not worth knowing." For anyone with a persistent intellectual curiosity, religious explanations…” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/94c/steven-pinker-526_intellectual-curiosi_the-problem-with-the-religious-solution_3141618.jpg)
![“[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion, why do you not believe in materialistic science, which has an unparalleled record of fulfilled prophecy? Consider, for example, eclipses.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/875/carl-sagan-160_belief_when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-a_25095.jpg)
![“They [scientists of centuries past] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations, however, God gets hardly a mention.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b0/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_century_they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-o_12921.jpg)
![“[Barack Obama] will spend long periods of time explaining to people why he won't use it. At the end of the explanation, nobody knows why he still won't use it because the explanation is no good. And I mean, honestly we have a president that in my opinion really doesn't know what he's doing.” quote by Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eb3/donald-trump-18_barack_barack-obama-will-spend-long-periods-of_29283.jpg)
