Adam Quote by Thomas Hobbes
“But all this language gotten, and augmented by Adam and his posterity, was again lost at the tower of Babel , when by the hand of God, every man was stricken for his rebellion, with an oblivion of his former language.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Leviathan, 1651
Human language, once expanded, can be destroyed by divine judgment as a punishment for rebellion.
In simple terms: Language can be lost when punished by God.
Beware hubris that leads to divine retribution.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- religious preaching
- education
- cultural preservation
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this say about the limits of human knowledge?
- How do we protect language from loss?
It assumes a literal divine intervention, which may not be universally accepted.