--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have this kind of shibboleth which…" description: "\"“We have this kind of shibboleth which says: what wasn’t reasoned into existence can’t be reasoned out. The truth I think is rather much closer to this..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/sam-harris-457_life_we-have-this-kind-of-shibboleth-which-sa_1517791.jpg" --- # We have this kind of shibboleth which says: what wasn’t… ![“We have this kind of shibboleth which says: what wasn’t reasoned into existence can’t be reasoned out. The truth I think is rather much closer to this: that people are making desperate efforts, rather heroic efforts, to be reasonable, to have a coherent worldview, and when those efforts become too…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/sam-harris-457_life_we-have-this-kind-of-shibboleth-which-sa_1517791.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/sam-harris-457_life_we-have-this-kind-of-shibboleth-which-sa_1517791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/sam-harris-457_life_we-have-this-kind-of-shibboleth-which-sa_1517791.jpg) > ““We have this kind of shibboleth which says: what wasn’t reasoned into existence can’t be reasoned out. The truth I think is rather much closer to this: that people are making desperate efforts, rather heroic efforts, to be reasonable, to have a coherent worldview, and when those efforts become too costly or too embarrassing… dogma loses.”” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that people strive to construct rational worldviews, but when the cost of maintaining dogma becomes too high, it collapses. **In simple terms:** People try to be reasonable, but costly dogma falls apart. Key Takeaway Recognize when beliefs become burdensome. Themes reasoning dogma effort worldview Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - personal decisionmaking - political debate - academic discourse Key Concepts cognitive dissonance belief systems rationality Questions to Reflect On - When have you clung to a belief despite evidence? - How do you balance coherence with flexibility? A Different Perspective Dogma can persist despite costs if reinforced socially. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Dogma Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma-loses-5602919/) [Embarrassing Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassing-dogma-5602920/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Shibboleth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shibboleth-5602921/) [Shibboleth Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shibboleth-says-5602918/) ## Related quotes > [“shibboleth. 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By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [Dogma is a powerful way of closing human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marley/dogma-is-a-powerful-way-of-closing-human-mind/) [Peter Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marley/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“The characteristics of this kind of reading are perhaps summed up in the word “orthodox,” which is almost always applicable. 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