Certainty Quote by Milan Kundera
“The very beginning of Genesis tells us that God created man in order to give him dominion over fish and fowl and all creatures. Of course, Genesis was written by a man, not a horse. There is no certainty that God actually did grant man dominion over other creatures. What seems more likely, in fact, is that man invented God to sanctify the dominion that he had usurped for himself over the cow and the horse.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera, 1984
The passage suggests that humanity’s claim to rule over nature may be a self‑created justification rather than a divine mandate.
In simple terms: Human dominion may be a human invention, not a god‑given right.
Key Takeaway
Question the basis of our authority over other species.
Themes
authority
human nature
mythmaking
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
ethical
analytical
When to use this quote
- environmental policy
- animal rights activism
- education curricula
- religious discourse
Key Concepts
theology
anthropocentrism
power dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence supports or refutes the idea of divinely granted dominion?
- How does this view affect our treatment of animals?
A Different Perspective
The claim of divine authority is historically contested and culturally variable.
![“[I]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics, in so far as disposed through it we are able to reach certainty in other sciences and truth by the exclusion of error.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/roger-bacon-15067_able_i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-a_24209.jpg)