---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Enlightenment was an attempt to…"
description: "\"The Enlightenment was an attempt to liberate myth and base truth claims on evidence, not just dogma. But when science threw out the church, they threw ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/ken-wilber-1886_attempt_the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-libe_1834643.jpg"
---

#  The Enlightenment was an attempt to liberate myth and base…

![“The Enlightenment was an attempt to liberate myth and base truth claims on evidence, not just dogma. But when science threw out the church, they threw out the baby with the bath water.” quote by Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/ken-wilber-1886_attempt_the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-libe_1834643.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/ken-wilber-1886_attempt_the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-libe_1834643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/ken-wilber-1886_attempt_the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-libe_1834643.jpg)

> “The Enlightenment was an attempt to liberate myth and base truth claims on evidence, not just dogma. But when science threw out the church, they threw out the baby with the bath water.”

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Enlightenment sought to replace myth with evidence, but in rejecting dogma it sometimes discarded valuable insights.

**In simple terms:** Science replaced myth, yet sometimes lost useful ideas.

Key Takeaway

Balance evidence with wisdom.

Themes

enlightenment science myth dogma

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- academic research
- policy making
- personal belief systems

Key Concepts

epistemology philosophy critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we retain valuable traditions while embracing evidence?
- What criteria decide which myths are worth preserving?

A Different Perspective

Science can overlook cultural or ethical nuances.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

> [There must be no barriers to freedom of inquiry. There is no place for dogma in science. The scientist is free, and must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer/there-must-be-no-barriers-to-freedom-of-inquiry-there-is-no-place-for-2/)

[J. Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer/)

> [Science has nothing to do with any dogma. Science ceases to exist when there is a dogma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-lehn/science-has-nothing-to-do-with-any-dogma-science-ceases-to-exist-when/)

[Jean-Marie Lehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-lehn/)

> [“There's a place for doctrine and dogma, and science and history and apologetics, but, these things are not Jesus - they are humanly manufactured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-medearis/there-s-a-place-for-doctrine-and-dogma-and-science-and-history-and/)

[Carl Medearis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-medearis/)

> [“Dogma in science really is humiliating when it is recognized as dogma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/dogma-in-science-really-is-humiliating-when-it-is-recognized-as-dogma/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [There must be no barriers to freedom of inquiry. There is no place for dogma in science. The scientist is free, and must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer/there-must-be-no-barriers-to-freedom-of-inquiry-there-is-no-place-for/)

[J. Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer/)

> [“...you go back to liberate the captives and sadly realize, some want to remain tied down in the cave...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-go-back-to-liberate-the-captives-and-sadly-realize-some-want-to/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“Without struggle, success has no value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-lauritsen/without-struggle-success-has-no-value/)

[Aaron Lauritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-lauritsen/)

> [“Liberation from dictatorships ultimately depends on the people's ability to liberate themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/liberation-from-dictatorships-ultimately-depends-on-the-people-s/)

[Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/)

> [What I responded to, on the page, was the way a poem could liberate, by means of a word's setting, through subtleties of timing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gl-ck/what-i-responded-to-on-the-page-was-the-way-a-poem-could-liberate-by/)

[Louise Gluck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gl-ck/)

> [As we now know, cyberspace did not liberate human society from pre-existing socioeconomic hierarchies and power structures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/as-we-now-know-cyberspace-did-not-liberate-human-society-from-pre/)

[Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/)

> [Outer fire we need to cook. Inner fire we need to liberate. God's Fire we need to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/outer-fire-we-need-to-cook-inner-fire-we-need-to-liberate-god-s-fire/)

[Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/)

> [“I can confidently state that the greatest rescues in my life have occurred when I’ve been saved from myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-can-confidently-state-that-the-greatest-rescues-in-my-life-have/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [Liberate yourself from my vice-like grip!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/liberate-yourself-from-my-vice-like-grip/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“From this point forward, you don’t even know how to quit in life.” ~ Aaron Lauritsen, ‘100 Days Drive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-lauritsen/from-this-point-forward-you-don-t-even-know-how-to-quit-in-life-aaron/)

[Aaron Lauritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-lauritsen/)

> [“While religions could not liberate humans from the agony of the human condition…they did provide an invaluable way to withdraw from the brink of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-griffith/while-religions-could-not-liberate-humans-from-the-agony-of-the-human/)

[Jeremy Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-griffith/)

## More by Ken Wilber

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Gaia's main problems are not industrialization, ozone depletion, overpopulation, or resource depletion. Gaia's main problem is the lack of mutual understanding and mutual agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/gaia-s-main-problems-are-not-industrialization-ozone-depletion/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [If Spirit has any meaning, it must be omnipresent, or all-pervading and all-encompassing. There can't be a place where Spirit is not, or it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/if-spirit-has-any-meaning-it-must-be-omnipresent-or-all-pervading-and/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Evolution occurs in the world of time and space and form, whereas Spirit's primordial nature is finally timeless and Formless, prior to the of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/evolution-occurs-in-the-world-of-time-and-space-and-form-whereas/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [The most striking feature of the perennial philosophy/psychology is that it presents being and consciousness as a hierarchy of dimensional levels, moving from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-most-striking-feature-of-the-perennial-philosophy-psychology-is/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Is this a topic whose time has truly come? The integration of science and religion? Or have I just written a clever book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/is-this-a-topic-whose-time-has-truly-come-the-integration-of-science/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [In other words, the real problem is not exterior. The real problem is interior. The real problem is how to get people to internally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/in-other-words-the-real-problem-is-not-exterior-the-real-problem-is/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Authentic spirituality... does not render the self content, it renders it undone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-does-not-render-the-self-content-it-renders-it/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [When it comes to spiritual teachers, there are those safe, gentle, consoling, soothing, caring; and there are the outlaws, the living terrors, the Rude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/when-it-comes-to-spiritual-teachers-there-are-those-safe-gentle/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Conscious means "having an awareness of one's inner and outer worlds; mentally perceptive, awake, mindful." So "conscious business" might mean, engaging in an occupation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/conscious-means-having-an-awareness-of-one-s-inner-and-outer-worlds/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [I believe that evidence shows that there is a real spirit, a real Beach, but it is beneath no pavement whatsoever, for all pavements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/i-believe-that-evidence-shows-that-there-is-a-real-spirit-a-real/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Furthermore, it is not that Spirit is present but you need to be enlightened in order to see it. It is not that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/furthermore-it-is-not-that-spirit-is-present-but-you-need-to-be/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Authentic spirituality is revolutionary. It does not legitimate the world, it breaks the world; it does not console the world, it shatters it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-is-revolutionary-it-does-not-legitimate-the/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [What's my philosophy? In a word, integral. And what on earth — or in heaven — do I mean by integral? The dictionary meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/what-s-my-philosophy-in-a-word-integral-and-what-on-earth-or-in/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Matter begins evolving back to Spirit and, when it's reached, the whole process begins over again for the billionth time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/matter-begins-evolving-back-to-spirit-and-when-it-s-reached-the-whole/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

[Explore all 200 Ken Wilber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

## More Attempt quotes

> [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

> [I'm not technically proficient enough to attempt all kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-m-not-technically-proficient-enough-to-attempt-all-kinds-of-music/)

[Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/)

> [Realizing that they can't get their agenda across: against religious liberty, against a culture of life, they can't get those issues across through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-parsley/realizing-that-they-can-t-get-their-agenda-across-against-religious/)

[Rod Parsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-parsley/)

> [It is sometimes a mistake to climb. It is always a mistake never even to make the attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-sometimes-a-mistake-to-climb-it-is-always-a-mistake-never-even/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I will never attempt to even begin to make excuses for what I did in football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-storey/i-will-never-attempt-to-even-begin-to-make-excuses-for-what-i-did-in/)

[Peter Storey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-storey/)

> [“We all perish in our last attempt to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/we-all-perish-in-our-last-attempt-to-live/)

[Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/)

> [There was an attempt on my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovenel-moise/there-was-an-attempt-on-my-life/)

[Jovenel Moise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovenel-moise/)

> [The publishing of a book is a worldwide event. The attempt to suppress a book is a worldwide event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-publishing-of-a-book-is-a-worldwide-event-the-attempt-to-suppress/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Advocacy groups in the USA, as in other countries, may not be able to silence this hateful, cowardly and deceitful attack upon people’s humanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/advocacy-groups-in-the-usa-as-in-other-countries-may-not-be-able-to/)

[Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/)

> [There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-are-many-things-that-seem-impossible-only-so-long-as-one-does/)

[Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/)

> [For purposes of marketing, writers are designated as poets, novelists, or something else. But writing is about matchmaking, an attempt to marry sensations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/for-purposes-of-marketing-writers-are-designated-as-poets-novelists/)

[Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/)

> [It's my first sort of commercial attempt, but it made sense for me because I'm not that kind of guy and I'm not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/it-s-my-first-sort-of-commercial-attempt-but-it-made-sense-for-me/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [In all civilizations we've studied, all cultures that we know of across the Earth and across time have invested some kind of attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-all-civilizations-we-ve-studied-all-cultures-that-we-know-of/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It is sometimes a mistake to climb. It is always a mistake to never make the attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-is-sometimes-a-mistake-to-climb-it-is-always-a-mistake-to-never/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [My explanation remains the same: It was an attempt to make the point that anyone who opposed the war can achieve their objective by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-moran/my-explanation-remains-the-same-it-was-an-attempt-to-make-the-point/)

James P. Moran

Browse all 516 Attempt quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Enlightenment was an attempt to liberate myth and base truth claims on evidence, not just dogma. But when science threw out the church, they threw out the baby with the bath water.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ken Wilber"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-liberate-myth-and-base-truth/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attempt"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-liberate-myth-and-base-truth/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/ken-wilber-1886_attempt_the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-libe_1834643.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/ken-wilber-1886_attempt_the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-libe_1834643.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/ken-wilber-1886_attempt_the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-libe_1834643.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Enlightenment was an attempt to liberate myth and base truth claims on evidence, not just dogma. But…” — Ken Wilber",
                "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": "Ken Wilber",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Enlightenment was an attempt to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-liberate-myth-and-base-truth/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-enlightenment-was-an-attempt-to-liberate-myth-and-base-truth/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
