---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be serious about an idea, one must…"
description: "\"“To be serious about an idea, one must push it to its most extreme consequence and conclusion. Are moderns serious about the idea that biology does not..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/mitchell-heisman-36471_materialism_to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-pus_2563952.jpg"
---

#  To be serious about an idea, one must push it to its most…

![“To be serious about an idea, one must push it to its most extreme consequence and conclusion. Are moderns serious about the idea that biology does not matter? Are moderns willing to push economic materialism to its logical conclusion?” quote by Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/mitchell-heisman-36471_materialism_to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-pus_2563952.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/mitchell-heisman-36471_materialism_to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-pus_2563952.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/mitchell-heisman-36471_materialism_to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-pus_2563952.jpg)

> ““To be serious about an idea, one must push it to its most extreme consequence and conclusion. Are moderns serious about the idea that biology does not matter? Are moderns willing to push economic materialism to its logical conclusion?””

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

## About This Quote

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

He challenges the dismissal of biology, urging extreme testing of ideas to reveal their true implications.

**In simple terms:** Test ideas to their extremes.

Key Takeaway

Examine consequences deeply.

Themes

philosophy science critical thinking

Mood

thoughtful provocative

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- academic debate
- policy analysis
- ethical review

Key Concepts

extreme consequence materialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What happens when ideas are taken to limits?
- How to balance theory with reality?

A Different Perspective

Extreme tests can be impractical.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conclusion Moderns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion-moderns-1631128/) [Economic Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-materialism-1631127/) [Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism/) [Materialism Logical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism-logical-1631126/) [Matter Moderns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-moderns-1631129/)

## Related quotes

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“The problem with people today, is, they have religions but they have no spirituality. They go to church but they cannot even manage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/the-problem-with-people-today-is-they-have-religions-but-they-have-no/)

[C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/)

> [ “\[Materialism\] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-simple-state-of-matter-and/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/)

[Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/)

> [I have all but killed myself for Photography. My passion for it is greater than ever. It's forty years that I have fought its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/i-have-all-but-killed-myself-for-photography-my-passion-for-it-is/)

[Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/)

> [ If we do want to do that \[ colonise space to survive, \], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space-to-survive-then-vacuous/)

[Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/)

> [No one has ever laughed at a pun who did not see in the one word a twofold meaning. To materialists this world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/no-one-has-ever-laughed-at-a-pun-who-did-not-see-in-the-one-word-a/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/)

[Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/)

> [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“Science must not degenerate into applied materialistic philosophy. But this is exactly what it does at the hands of today's alchemists, namely, the materialistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/science-must-not-degenerate-into-applied-materialistic-philosophy-but/)

[William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/)

> [Do not be caught up in materialism, one of the real plagues of our generation-that is, acquiring things, fast-paced living, and securing career success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/do-not-be-caught-up-in-materialism-one-of-the-real-plagues-of-our/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/)

[Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/)

> [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [“God speaks of his children shining best in ways that only he can provide. The heavens lift one as a golden child while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/god-speaks-of-his-children-shining-best-in-ways-that-only-he-can/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

## More by Mitchell Heisman

> [“What really happens in the Western countries that adopt feminism and individualism is not the complete end of the human race, but rather, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/what-really-happens-in-the-western-countries-that-adopt-feminism-and/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“If there is no extant God and no extant gods, no good and no evil, no right and no wrong, no meaning and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/if-there-is-no-extant-god-and-no-extant-gods-no-good-and-no-evil-no/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“Death is only relevant to "genetic adaptation" insofar as it relates to the capacity for self-reproduction (what is relevant is not that an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/death-is-only-relevant-to-genetic-adaptation-insofar-as-it-relates-to/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“Americans do not apply egalitarianism to the organization of their individual minds. I have yet to see the American Project for freedom and equality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/americans-do-not-apply-egalitarianism-to-the-organization-of-their/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“Uncertain of uncertainty, skeptical of skepticism, it seems that the most important question is whether there is an important question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/uncertain-of-uncertainty-skeptical-of-skepticism-it-seems-that-the/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“The individualism of the human organism is modern holism. Democracy is an attempt to replicate the political master's social division of labor in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/the-individualism-of-the-human-organism-is-modern-holism-democracy-is/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“To expose the roots of liberal democracy in ethinic conflict is an act of destruction that is necessary to lay the foundations for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/to-expose-the-roots-of-liberal-democracy-in-ethinic-conflict-is-an/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“There is a very popular opinion that choosing life is inherently superior to choosing death. This belief that life is inherently preferable to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/there-is-a-very-popular-opinion-that-choosing-life-is-inherently/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“The human race will possess the technology to create God. Why not build this being? Emerging technologies such as nanotechnological molecular manufacturers will likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/the-human-race-will-possess-the-technology-to-create-god-why-not/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“The land of opportunity", "The American dream", "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness": these are the sounds of the great sucking mechanism of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/the-land-of-opportunity-the-american-dream-life-liberty-and-the/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“What does despair mean to someone who interprets that emotion as a chemical reaction in the brain?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/what-does-despair-mean-to-someone-who-interprets-that-emotion-as-a/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

> [“The Saxon/Norman origin of liberal democracy in the English-speaking world is the key to understanding why the discoveries of sociobiology have appeared to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/the-saxon-norman-origin-of-liberal-democracy-in-the-english-speaking/)

[Mitchell Heisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

[Explore all 13 Mitchell Heisman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/)

## More Materialism quotes

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/)

[Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/)

> [Do not be caught up in materialism, one of the real plagues of our generation-that is, acquiring things, fast-paced living, and securing career success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/do-not-be-caught-up-in-materialism-one-of-the-real-plagues-of-our/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [“Science must not degenerate into applied materialistic philosophy. But this is exactly what it does at the hands of today's alchemists, namely, the materialistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/science-must-not-degenerate-into-applied-materialistic-philosophy-but/)

[William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/)

> [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/)

[Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/)

> [No one has ever laughed at a pun who did not see in the one word a twofold meaning. To materialists this world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/no-one-has-ever-laughed-at-a-pun-who-did-not-see-in-the-one-word-a/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [ If we do want to do that \[ colonise space to survive, \], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space-to-survive-then-vacuous/)

[Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/)

> [I have all but killed myself for Photography. My passion for it is greater than ever. It's forty years that I have fought its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/i-have-all-but-killed-myself-for-photography-my-passion-for-it-is/)

[Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/)

> [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/)

[Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/)

> [ “\[Materialism\] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-simple-state-of-matter-and/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“The problem with people today, is, they have religions but they have no spirituality. They go to church but they cannot even manage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/the-problem-with-people-today-is-they-have-religions-but-they-have-no/)

[C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/)

> [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“God speaks of his children shining best in ways that only he can provide. The heavens lift one as a golden child while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/god-speaks-of-his-children-shining-best-in-ways-that-only-he-can/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

[Browse all 862 Materialism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To be serious about an idea, one must push it to its most extreme consequence and conclusion. Are moderns serious about the idea that biology does not matter? Are moderns willing to push economic materialism to its logical conclusion?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mitchell Heisman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-push-it-to-its-most-extreme/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Materialism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-push-it-to-its-most-extreme/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/mitchell-heisman-36471_materialism_to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-pus_2563952.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/mitchell-heisman-36471_materialism_to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-pus_2563952.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/mitchell-heisman-36471_materialism_to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-pus_2563952.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To be serious about an idea, one must push it to its most extreme consequence and conclusion. Are moderns…” — Mitchell Heisman",
                "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": "Mitchell Heisman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-heisman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To be serious about an idea,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-push-it-to-its-most-extreme/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-heisman/to-be-serious-about-an-idea-one-must-push-it-to-its-most-extreme/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
