Philosophy Quote by Sam Harris
““The problem of vindicating an omnipotent and omniscient God in the face of evil (this is traditionally called the problem of theodicy) is insurmountable. Those who claim to have surmounted it, by recourse to notions of free will and other incoherencies, have merely heaped bad philosophy onto bad ethics. Surely there must come a time when we will acknowledge the obvious: theology is not little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The End of Faith, Sam Harris, 2004
The quote argues that attempts to justify an all-powerful, all-knowing God despite evil fail, and that theology is essentially a form of ignorance.
In simple terms: Theodicy fails; theology is just ignorance.
Key Takeaway
Recognize limits of theological explanations.
Themes
theology
philosophy
ethics
religion
ignorance
Mood
skeptical
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- debates on evil
- academic discussions
- personal belief crises
- interfaith dialogues
Key Concepts
theodicy
free will
epistemology
metaphysics
Questions to Reflect On
- Can we find a moral framework without divine authority?
- How does acknowledging ignorance affect faith?
A Different Perspective
Critics argue that some theological frameworks address evil without incoherence.
![“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)
![“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions of phantasmatical seeming philosophy." [William Petty]” quote by Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e5a/carl-zimmer-16331_knowledge_i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted_1770.jpg)
