Arguing Quote by H. L. Mencken
“The notion that science does not concern itself with first causes - that it leaves the field to theology or metaphysics, and confines itself to mere effects - this notion has no support in the plain facts. If it could, science would explain the origin of life on earth at once - and there is every reason to believe that it will do so on some not too remote tomorrow. To argue that gaps in knowledge which will confront the seeker must be filled, not by patient inquiry, but by intuition or revelation, is simply to give ignorance a gratuitous and preposterous dignity.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Science and Religion, 1915
Science must confront origins, not just effects; gaps should be filled by inquiry, not faith.
In simple terms: Science seeks causes, not just symptoms.
Key Takeaway
Question everything.
Themes
science
philosophy
religion
inquiry
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- research
- education
- public policy
- debates on origins
Key Concepts
causality
empiricism
skepticism
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the limits of scientific explanation?
- How can we balance faith and reason?
A Different Perspective
Science may lack definitive answers now.
![“By profession a biologist, [Thomas Henry Huxley] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences. Absolutely nothing was uninteresting to him. His curiosity ranged from music to theology and from philosophy to history. He didn't simply know something…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f46/h-l-mencken-245_absolutely-nothing_by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-h_5368.jpg)
