--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most institutions demand unqualified…" description: "\"Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the institution of science makes skepticism a virtue.\" — Robert K. Merton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/robert-k-merton-49370_demand_most-institutions-demand-unqualified-fai_1678219.png" --- # Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the… ![“Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the institution of science makes skepticism a virtue.” quote by Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/robert-k-merton-49370_demand_most-institutions-demand-unqualified-fai_1678219.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/robert-k-merton-49370_demand_most-institutions-demand-unqualified-fai_1678219.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/robert-k-merton-49370_demand_most-institutions-demand-unqualified-fai_1678219.png) > “Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the institution of science makes skepticism a virtue.” [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science encourages questioning and evidence, while many institutions ask for blind belief. **In simple terms:** Science values doubt; institutions often demand faith. Key Takeaway Embrace skepticism in learning. Themes science faith institution skepticism Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - academic research - religious practice - policy making - education - public discourse Key Concepts sociology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance trust and doubt? - When is skepticism harmful? A Different Perspective Blind faith can hinder progress if not balanced with critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody's part of the greater whole and skepticism and virtue are a part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-webb/everybody-s-part-of-the-greater-whole-and-skepticism-and-virtue-are-a/) [Marc Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-webb/) > [Skepticism is a virtue in history as well as in philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/skepticism-is-a-virtue-in-history-as-well-as-in-philosophy/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The rule of law is about people's faith in the institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/the-rule-of-law-is-about-people-s-faith-in-the-institution/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [The marriage of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honored in all cultures and by every religious faith. It's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-miller/the-marriage-of-a-man-and-woman-is-the-most-enduring-human/) [Jeff Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-miller/) > [Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/skepticism-has-become-a-virtue-cynicism-and-demand-for-proof-has/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Parking Reform Made Easy provides both a theoretical framework and practical methods for reforming parking requirements. 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I could care less what he says about me. I'm going to respond when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-never-respond-to-donald-trump-s-personal-insults-about-me-i-could/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the community should govern the conduct of those to whom they intrust the management of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-republican-principle-demands-that-the-deliberate-sense-of-the/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [I am mainly concerned with unqualified knowledge, by contrast with the varieties of expert knowledge: scientific knowledge of various sorts, legal knowledge, medically expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/i-am-mainly-concerned-with-unqualified-knowledge-by-contrast-with-the/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Christian love draws no distinction between one enemy and another, except that the more bitter our enemy's hatred, the greater his need of love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/christian-love-draws-no-distinction-between-one-enemy-and-another/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The reason to preserve wilderness is that we need it. We need wilderness of all kinds, large and small, public and private. Wee need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-reason-to-preserve-wilderness-is-that-we-need-it-we-need/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Ethics is in its unqualified form extended responsibility to everything that has life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/ethics-is-in-its-unqualified-form-extended-responsibility-to/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) ## More by Robert K. Merton > [Science is public, not private, knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-merton/science-is-public-not-private-knowledge/) [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) > [The purely abstract theorist runs the risk that, as with modern decor, the furniture of the mind will be sparse, bare, and uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-merton/the-purely-abstract-theorist-runs-the-risk-that-as-with-modern-decor/) [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) > [The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-merton/the-self-fulfilling-prophecy-is-in-the-beginning-a-false-definition/) [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) > [We thus begin to see that the institutionalized practice of citations and references in the sphere of learning is not a trivial matter. While…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-merton/we-thus-begin-to-see-that-the-institutionalized-practice-of-citations/) [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) > [Max Weber was right in subscribing to the view that one need not be Caesar in order to understand Caesar. But there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-merton/max-weber-was-right-in-subscribing-to-the-view-that-one-need-not-be/) [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) > [Only when he has published his ideas and findings has the scientist made his contribution, and only when he has thus made it part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-merton/only-when-he-has-published-his-ideas-and-findings-has-the-scientist/) [Robert K. Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) [Explore all 7 Robert K. Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-merton/) ## More Demand quotes > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [My dogs can't do anything--and what a relief. I don't make any demands of them, and I don't try to shape them or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/my-dogs-can-t-do-anything-and-what-a-relief-i-don-t-make-any-demands/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. 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Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/) > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Money should be ones demand and command one should not become slave of money..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/money-should-be-ones-demand-and-command-one-should-not-become-slave/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/most-enjoyable-activities-are-not-natural-they-demand-an-effort-that/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) [Browse all 3,809 Demand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the institution of science makes skepticism a virtue.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert K. 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