Alive Quote by Sam Harris
“A person who believes that Elvis is still alive is very unlikely to get promoted to a position of great power and responsibility in our society. Neither will a person who believes that the holocaust was a hoax. But people who believe equally irrational things about God and the bible are now running our country. This is genuinely terrifying.”
About This Quote
Source Article: “The Danger of Irrational Beliefs,” 2020
Believing irrational things about God or the Bible is now common among leaders, which is terrifying.
In simple terms: Leaders believing irrational religious ideas is frightening.
Key Takeaway
Promote rational critical thinking in leadership.
Themes
politics
irrationality
leadership
Mood
concerned
urgent
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- policy making
- education
- media literacy
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
secularism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we address irrational beliefs without alienating believers?
- What role should reason play in public policy?
A Different Perspective
Not all irrational beliefs are harmful; some provide comfort.
![“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern world. [...] The first thing to observe about the moderate’s retreat from scriptural literalism is that it draws its inspiration not from scripture but from…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b44/sam-harris-457_bible_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_6967.jpg)
