---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is it that makes a person insist…"
description: "\"What is it that makes a person insist passionately on the existence of metaphysical realities that can be neither demonstrated nor refuted? (176)\" — St..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/stephen-batchelor-5328_atheism_what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-pa_700056.png"
---

#  What is it that makes a person insist passionately on the…

![“What is it that makes a person insist passionately on the existence of metaphysical realities that can be neither demonstrated nor refuted? (176)” quote by Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/stephen-batchelor-5328_atheism_what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-pa_700056.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/stephen-batchelor-5328_atheism_what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-pa_700056.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/stephen-batchelor-5328_atheism_what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-pa_700056.png)

> “What is it that makes a person insist passionately on the existence of metaphysical realities that can be neither demonstrated nor refuted? (176)”

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

## About This Quote

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

People cling to metaphysical ideas despite lack of evidence because they fulfill emotional or existential needs.

**In simple terms:** People hold onto unprovable beliefs for comfort.

Key Takeaway

Question why you need unproven ideas.

Themes

belief existence philosophy uncertainty

Mood

inquisitive skeptical

Type

philosophical provocative

When to use this quote

- personal crises
- academic debate
- spiritual practice
- daily decision making

Key Concepts

faith psychology meaning-making

Questions to Reflect On

- What need does this belief fulfill?
- Can you live without it?

A Different Perspective

Such beliefs can hinder critical thinking and open dialogue.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Metaphysical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-metaphysical-5144674/) [Insist Passionately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insist-passionately-5544079/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Metaphysical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysical/) [Metaphysical Realities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysical-realities-5144673/) [Passionately Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionately-existence-5544078/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/)

## Related quotes

> [“What is it that makes a person insist passionately on the existence of metaphysical realities that can be neither demonstrated nor refuted? I suppose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-passionately-on-the-existence-2/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [ \[Mindfulness\] is not concerned with anything transcendent or divine. It serves as an antidote to theism, a cure for sentimental piety, a scalpel for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/mindfulness-is-not-concerned-with-anything-transcendent-or-divine-it/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [Kant certainly was sympathetic with the metaphysical tradition of rational theology that he criticized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-certainly-was-sympathetic-with-the-metaphysical-tradition-of/)

[Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/)

> [The bed is a metaphysical piece of furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-rodrigues/the-bed-is-a-metaphysical-piece-of-furniture/)

[Nelson Rodrigues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-rodrigues/)

> [Make something, a kind of object, which as it changes or falls apart (dies as it were) or increases in its parts (grows as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/make-something-a-kind-of-object-which-as-it-changes-or-falls-apart/)

[Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/)

> [“My dream is to create something so beautiful that it encourages people to present the best version of themselves to me everywhere I go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/my-dream-is-to-create-something-so-beautiful-that-it-encourages/)

[Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/)

> [A high place of honor, although doubtless one to be obtained only after enduring the pangs of a prolonged crucifixion, awaits that philosophical biologist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-trumbull-ladd/a-high-place-of-honor-although-doubtless-one-to-be-obtained-only/)

[George Trumbull Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-trumbull-ladd/)

> [“Try to think of it as though we are rewriting history––the first time this experience occurred you and I never kissed in this Dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/try-to-think-of-it-as-though-we-are-rewriting-history-the-first-time/)

[Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/)

> [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [“...It was then, for the first time, that she understood above all her virtues what was in command was the vanity of a metaphysical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/it-was-then-for-the-first-time-that-she-understood-above-all-her/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [In reality no food is valued solely for its nutritive power and no garment or house solely for the protection it affords against cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-reality-no-food-is-valued-solely-for-its-nutritive-power-and-no/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [“To control your life, control your mind. To control your mind, control your breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/to-control-your-life-control-your-mind-to-control-your-mind-control/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [“The struggle didn't leave a scar; it left a geography.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-lynn/the-struggle-didn-t-leave-a-scar-it-left-a-geography/)

[Brandi Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-lynn/)

> [Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. Whenever the Westerner hears the word “psychological,” it always sounds to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/metaphysical-assertions-however-are-statements-of-the-psyche-and-are/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [ “\[T\]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. \[...\] The point is, perhaps, that I am not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no-meaning-even-though-it-seems/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

## More by Stephen Batchelor

> [“Gotama did for the self what Copernicus did for the earth: he put it in its rightful place, despite its continuing to appear just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/gotama-did-for-the-self-what-copernicus-did-for-the-earth-he-put-it/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“We perceive the world in a particular way and confidently expect it to conform to its appearance. But we fail to recognize that certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/we-perceive-the-world-in-a-particular-way-and-confidently-expect-it/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“Anxiety, alienation, loneliness, emptiness, and meaninglessness are the fruits of living as an isolated subject admist a multitude of lifeless objects. Although our scope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/anxiety-alienation-loneliness-emptiness-and-meaninglessness-are-the/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“... We have to constantly confront our deepest anxieties, our emptiness, our despair, our doubts; and there is nowhere for us to escape and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/we-have-to-constantly-confront-our-deepest-anxieties-our-emptiness/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“There is nothing one can have that one cannot fear to lose. Instead of living life in order to have more abundantly, live life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/there-is-nothing-one-can-have-that-one-cannot-fear-to-lose-instead-of/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [Buddhism, I think, is probably facing the single most difficult transition from one historical epoch to another, which is really the transition to modernity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/buddhism-i-think-is-probably-facing-the-single-most-difficult/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [ \[Mindfulness\] is not concerned with anything transcendent or divine. It serves as an antidote to theism, a cure for sentimental piety, a scalpel for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/mindfulness-is-not-concerned-with-anything-transcendent-or-divine-it/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [The art of dharma practice requires commitment, technical accomplishment, and imagination. As with all arts, we will fail to realize its full potential if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/the-art-of-dharma-practice-requires-commitment-technical/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [The denial of "self" challenges only the notion of a static self independent of body and mind-not the ordinary sense of ourself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/the-denial-of-self-challenges-only-the-notion-of-a-static-self/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [While 'Buddhism' suggests another belief system, 'dharma practice' suggests a course of action. The four ennobling truths are not propositions to believe; they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/while-buddhism-suggests-another-belief-system-dharma-practice/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“The inner aim of thought is never fully realized until it ripens into vocal utterances through which others can have access- albeit indirect- to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/the-inner-aim-of-thought-is-never-fully-realized-until-it-ripens-into/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“Our religion, with its beliefs, rituals, and dogmas becomes another segment among all the other segments that constitute our linear and fragmented existence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/our-religion-with-its-beliefs-rituals-and-dogmas-becomes-another/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“For others, however, the significance of anxiety in disclosing a fundamental insight into human existence is grasped. At this point their consciences will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/for-others-however-the-significance-of-anxiety-in-disclosing-a/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“Wisdom that neglects method leads to excessive introversion and an inability to effectively communicate with others. Method without wisdom can produce well-intentioned but naive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/wisdom-that-neglects-method-leads-to-excessive-introversion-and-an/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [So the Buddha is presenting awakening not as a single mystical experience that may come upon us at some meditation, some private moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/so-the-buddha-is-presenting-awakening-not-as-a-single-mystical/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

[Explore all 101 Stephen Batchelor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

## More Atheism quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/)

[Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/)

[Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/)

> [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/)

[Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/)

> [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/)

[Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/)

> [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

[Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What is it that makes a person insist passionately on the existence of metaphysical realities that can be neither demonstrated nor refuted? (176)",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Batchelor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-passionately-on-the-existence/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Atheism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-passionately-on-the-existence/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/stephen-batchelor-5328_atheism_what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-pa_700056.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/stephen-batchelor-5328_atheism_what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-pa_700056.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/stephen-batchelor-5328_atheism_what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-pa_700056.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What is it that makes a person insist passionately on the existence of metaphysical realities that can be…” — Stephen Batchelor",
                "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": "Stephen Batchelor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What is it that makes a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-passionately-on-the-existence/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/what-is-it-that-makes-a-person-insist-passionately-on-the-existence/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
