--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am arguing that faith as such, faith as…" description: "\"I am arguing that faith as such, faith as an alleged method of acquiring knowledge, is totally invalid and as a consequence, all propositions of faith,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/george-h-smith-20207_acquiring-knowledge_i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as_753827.jpg" --- # I am arguing that faith as such, faith as an alleged… ![“I am arguing that faith as such, faith as an alleged method of acquiring knowledge, is totally invalid and as a consequence, all propositions of faith, because they lack rational demonstration, must conflict with reason.” quote by George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/george-h-smith-20207_acquiring-knowledge_i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as_753827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/george-h-smith-20207_acquiring-knowledge_i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as_753827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/george-h-smith-20207_acquiring-knowledge_i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as_753827.jpg) > “I am arguing that faith as such, faith as an alleged method of acquiring knowledge, is totally invalid and as a consequence, all propositions of faith, because they lack rational demonstration, must conflict with reason.” [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith is rejected as a method for knowledge because it lacks rational proof and conflicts with reason. **In simple terms:** Faith lacks rational evidence and clashes with reason. Key Takeaway Rely on reason over unproven belief. Themes faith reason knowledge Mood skeptical analytical Type philosophical argumentative When to use this quote - debates - education - public policy Key Concepts epistemology skepticism philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Can reason address all human concerns? - What role does faith play in society? A Different Perspective Reason alone may not address emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acquiring knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquiring-knowledge/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Demonstration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demonstration/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as acquiring knowledge is the educational goal of schools, educational opportunities will be limited, as they are now, to affluent families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/as-long-as-acquiring-knowledge-is-the-educational-goal-of-schools/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [Man is essentially ignorant, and becomes learned through acquiring knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-khaldun/man-is-essentially-ignorant-and-becomes-learned-through-acquiring/) [Ibn Khaldun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-khaldun/) > [All the knowledge that I have doesn't necessarily make me brilliant, but I love acquiring knowledge and then sharing it with everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/all-the-knowledge-that-i-have-doesn-t-necessarily-make-me-brilliant/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [It is not my prayer and humility that you cause things to go as you wish, but by acquiring a knowledge of natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/it-is-not-my-prayer-and-humility-that-you-cause-things-to-go-as-you/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Learning isn't acquiring knowledge so much as it is trimming information that has already been acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/learning-isn-t-acquiring-knowledge-so-much-as-it-is-trimming/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Your children should have it impressed upon them that their adult life-style will bear very little resemblance to yours and that they should now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/your-children-should-have-it-impressed-upon-them-that-their-adult/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [I'm in the mode of acquiring knowledge and relationships on the business side and it's paramount that you learn as much as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-dinwiddie/i-m-in-the-mode-of-acquiring-knowledge-and-relationships-on-the/) [Spencer Dinwiddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-dinwiddie/) > [The outlines of the needed psychology of becoming can be discovered by looking within ourselves; for it is knowledge of our own uniqueness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-outlines-of-the-needed-psychology-of-becoming-can-be-discovered/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Productiveness is your acceptance of morality, your recognition of the fact that you choose to live-that productive work is the process by which man's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/productiveness-is-your-acceptance-of-morality-your-recognition-of-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [If four things are followed - having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/if-four-things-are-followed-having-a-great-aim-acquiring-knowledge/) [A. P. J. Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/) > [I think it is totally wrong and terribly harmful if education is defined as acquiring knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/i-think-it-is-totally-wrong-and-terribly-harmful-if-education-is/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [Acquiring knowledge is a form of imitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/acquiring-knowledge-is-a-form-of-imitation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Science has to be understood in its broadest sense, as a method for apprehending all observable reality, and not merely as an instrument for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-carrel/science-has-to-be-understood-in-its-broadest-sense-as-a-method-for/) [Alexis Carrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-carrel/) > [“Insight: all evaluation is made from a definite perspective: that of the preservation of the individual, a community, a race, a state, a church,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/insight-all-evaluation-is-made-from-a-definite-perspective-that-of/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by George H. Smith > [I am continually amazed by the credence given to religious claims in the intellectual community; and, as a human being, i am appaulled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/i-am-continually-amazed-by-the-credence-given-to-religious-claims-in/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [When the atheist is told that God is unknowable, he may interpret this claim in one of two ways. He may suppose, first, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/when-the-atheist-is-told-that-god-is-unknowable-he-may-interpret-this/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [“It is my firm conviction that man has nothing to gain, emotionally or otherwise, by adhering to a falsehood, regardless of how comfortable or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/it-is-my-firm-conviction-that-man-has-nothing-to-gain-emotionally-or/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [ The negative way \[of describing God\] is a cardboard prop of Christianity to conceal its unknowable God. When this prop collapses, theistic agnosticism emerges,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/the-negative-way-of-describing-god-is-a-cardboard-prop-of/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [The theist must present an intelligible description of god. Until he does so, god makes no more sense than unie; both are cognitively empty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/the-theist-must-present-an-intelligible-description-of-god-until-he/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [It cannot be emphasized too strongly that Christianity has a vested interest in human misery. Christianity, perhaps more than any religion before or since,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/it-cannot-be-emphasized-too-strongly-that-christianity-has-a-vested/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [As for Christianity's alleged concern with truth, Christian faith is to free inquiry what the Mafia is to free enterprise. Christianity may be represented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/as-for-christianity-s-alleged-concern-with-truth-christian-faith-is/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [If acorns start growing into theologians, or if women begin turning into pillars of salt, then we may wish to hypothesize about a supernatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/if-acorns-start-growing-into-theologians-or-if-women-begin-turning/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [“Religion has had the disastrous effect of placing vitally important concepts, such as morality, happiness and love, in a supernatural realm inaccessible to man’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/religion-has-had-the-disastrous-effect-of-placing-vitally-important/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [Atheism is the absence of a belief in a god, nothing more. If the theist wishes to draw monumental implications from this lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/atheism-is-the-absence-of-a-belief-in-a-god-nothing-more-if-the/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [The leap of faith is a strategic impasse that confronts every Christian in search of converts; and, as he sees the matter, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/the-leap-of-faith-is-a-strategic-impasse-that-confronts-every/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [One can be committed to conformity or one can be committed to truth, but not both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/one-can-be-committed-to-conformity-or-one-can-be-committed-to-truth/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [Christianity has nothing to offer a happy man living in a natural, intelligible universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/christianity-has-nothing-to-offer-a-happy-man-living-in-a-natural/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [Christianity cannot erase man's need for pleasure, nor can it eradicate the various sources of pleasure. What it can do, however, and what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/christianity-cannot-erase-man-s-need-for-pleasure-nor-can-it/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) > [It is my firm conviction that man has nothing to gain, emotionally or otherwise, by adhering to a falsehood, regardless of how comfortable or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/it-is-my-firm-conviction-that-man-has-nothing-to-gain-emotionally-or-2/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) [Explore all 31 George H. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) ## More Acquiring knowledge quotes > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Science has to be understood in its broadest sense, as a method for apprehending all observable reality, and not merely as an instrument for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-carrel/science-has-to-be-understood-in-its-broadest-sense-as-a-method-for/) [Alexis Carrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-carrel/) > [Acquiring knowledge is a form of imitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/acquiring-knowledge-is-a-form-of-imitation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think it is totally wrong and terribly harmful if education is defined as acquiring knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/i-think-it-is-totally-wrong-and-terribly-harmful-if-education-is/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [If four things are followed - having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/if-four-things-are-followed-having-a-great-aim-acquiring-knowledge/) [A. P. J. Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/) > [Productiveness is your acceptance of morality, your recognition of the fact that you choose to live-that productive work is the process by which man's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/productiveness-is-your-acceptance-of-morality-your-recognition-of-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The outlines of the needed psychology of becoming can be discovered by looking within ourselves; for it is knowledge of our own uniqueness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-outlines-of-the-needed-psychology-of-becoming-can-be-discovered/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm in the mode of acquiring knowledge and relationships on the business side and it's paramount that you learn as much as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-dinwiddie/i-m-in-the-mode-of-acquiring-knowledge-and-relationships-on-the/) [Spencer Dinwiddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-dinwiddie/) > [Your children should have it impressed upon them that their adult life-style will bear very little resemblance to yours and that they should now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/your-children-should-have-it-impressed-upon-them-that-their-adult/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [Learning isn't acquiring knowledge so much as it is trimming information that has already been acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/learning-isn-t-acquiring-knowledge-so-much-as-it-is-trimming/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [It is not my prayer and humility that you cause things to go as you wish, but by acquiring a knowledge of natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/it-is-not-my-prayer-and-humility-that-you-cause-things-to-go-as-you/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All the knowledge that I have doesn't necessarily make me brilliant, but I love acquiring knowledge and then sharing it with everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/all-the-knowledge-that-i-have-doesn-t-necessarily-make-me-brilliant/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [Man is essentially ignorant, and becomes learned through acquiring knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-khaldun/man-is-essentially-ignorant-and-becomes-learned-through-acquiring/) [Ibn Khaldun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-khaldun/) > [As long as acquiring knowledge is the educational goal of schools, educational opportunities will be limited, as they are now, to affluent families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/as-long-as-acquiring-knowledge-is-the-educational-goal-of-schools/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [“Insight: all evaluation is made from a definite perspective: that of the preservation of the individual, a community, a race, a state, a church,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/insight-all-evaluation-is-made-from-a-definite-perspective-that-of/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) [Browse all 43 Acquiring knowledge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquiring-knowledge/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am arguing that faith as such, faith as an alleged method of acquiring knowledge, is totally invalid and as a consequence, all propositions of faith, because they lack rational demonstration, must conflict with reason.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George H. Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as-an-alleged-method-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acquiring knowledge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as-an-alleged-method-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/george-h-smith-20207_acquiring-knowledge_i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as_753827.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/george-h-smith-20207_acquiring-knowledge_i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as_753827.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/george-h-smith-20207_acquiring-knowledge_i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as_753827.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am arguing that faith as such, faith as an alleged method of acquiring knowledge, is totally invalid and…” — George H. Smith", "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": "George H. Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am arguing that faith as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as-an-alleged-method-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/i-am-arguing-that-faith-as-such-faith-as-an-alleged-method-of/#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 } } ] } ```