Human wisdom Quote by Christopher Hitchens
““Thus it is brought prominently before us, that superstition’s chief victims are those persons who greedily covet temporal advantages; they it is, who (especially when they are in danger, and cannot help themselves) are wont with prayers and womanish tears to implore help from God: upbraiding Reason as blind, because she cannot show a sure path to the shadows they pursue, and rejecting human wisdom as vain; but believing the phantoms of imagination, dreams, and other childish absurdities, to be the very oracles of Heaven. As though God had turned away from the wise, and written His decrees, not in the mind of man but in the entrails of beasts, or left them to be proclaimed by the inspiration and instinct of fools, madmen, and birds. Such is the unreason to which terror can drive mankind! Superstition, then, is engendered, preserved, and fostered by fear.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The End of Superstition” by Christopher Hitchens, 2002
Superstition thrives when people, driven by fear and greed, abandon reason for imagined divine signs, treating irrational beliefs as ultimate truths.
In simple terms: Fear and greed push people toward irrational beliefs, rejecting reason.
Key Takeaway
Question and replace fear‑driven superstitions with rational inquiry.
Themes
fear
greed
reason
superstition
faith
human nature
Mood
critical
reflective
skeptical
Type
essay
philosophical
social commentary
When to use this quote
- personal decision making
- public policy
- education
- mental health counseling
- media literacy
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
psychology of belief
social control
Questions to Reflect On
- How does fear shape our acceptance of irrational ideas?
- What steps can societies take to promote reason over superstition?
A Different Perspective
Rational arguments may not sway those emotionally attached to beliefs.
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