Boxes Quote by H. L. Mencken
“Science is unflinchingly deterministic, and it has begun to force its determinism into morals. On some shining tomorrow a psychoanalyst may be put into the box to prove that perjury is simply a compulsion neurosis, like beating time with the foot at a concert or counting the lampposts along the highway.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The American Language, 1919
Science's certainty is encroaching on moral judgments, reducing ethical choices to deterministic explanations.
In simple terms: Science makes morals seem deterministic.
Key Takeaway
Question the deterministic view of ethics.
Themes
philosophy
ethics
science
determinism
morality
Mood
skeptical
critical
Type
philosophical
provocative
When to use this quote
- legal policy
- medical ethics
- education
- public discourse
Key Concepts
free will
moral responsibility
scientific reductionism
Questions to Reflect On
- Can morality exist without free will?
- What are the limits of scientific explanation?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify complex human values.
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