Witches Quote by Steven Pinker
““Egged on by its revelations, and inspired by the injunction in Exodus 22:18 “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” French and German witch-hunters killed between 60,000 and 100,000 accused witches (85 percent of them women) during the next two centuries.21””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature, 2011
Historical witch hunts were driven by religious edicts and fear, resulting in massive gendered persecution.
In simple terms: Religious fear led to large-scale witch persecution.
Key Takeaway
Question harmful doctrines and protect vulnerable groups.
Themes
history
gender
religion
Mood
cautionary
serious
Type
historical
analytical
When to use this quote
- legal reform
- education
- gender equality
- human rights activism
Key Concepts
Mass hysteria
social control
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we prevent modern equivalents of witch hunts?
- What role does education play in combating fear?
A Different Perspective
Some argue witch hunts were isolated incidents, not systemic.
![“An undergraduate researching the "witch hunt" cases asked for evidence that there had been more than one hundred cases, noting that the major lists of such cases added up to about fifty. There was no reply that provided documentation to support the claim.[34] The members of the list were generally…” quote by Ross Cheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8f0/ross-cheit-50134_activists_an-undergraduate-researching-the-witch-h_1655545.jpg)
