Skepticism Quotes - Page 5

• It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.

  Arthur Conan Doyle

  Education, Mistake, Math

  "A Scandal in Bohemia" (1891)

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• Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries.

  Carl Sagan

  Knowledge, Science, Wish

  "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage". Book by Carl Sagan, p. 332, 1980.

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• In science, a healthy skepticism is a professional necessity, whereas in religion, having belief without evidence is regarded as a virtue.

  Paul Davies

  Healthy, Belief, Virtue

  "Taking Science on Faith" by Paul Davies, www.nytimes.com. November 24, 2007.

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• Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history?

  Dan Brown

  Demand, Wonder, Virtue

  Dan Brown (2005). “Angels & Demons”, p.289, Simon and Schuster

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• People are not stupid. They believe things for reasons. The last way for skeptics to get the attention of bright, curious, intelligent people is to belittle or condescend or to show arrogance toward their beliefs.

  Carl Sagan

  Stupid, Believe, Intelligent

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• Old age is the lubricant of belief. When death knocks at the door, skepticism flies out the window. A serious cardiovascular fright and a person will even believe in Little Red Riding Hood.

  Carlos Ruiz Zafon

  Believe, Doors, Age

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• I'm beginning to be skeptical of my own skepticism.

  Lilian Jackson Braun

  Skeptical, My Own

  Lilian Jackson Braun (1990). “The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts”, p.142, Penguin

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• Skepticism is like a microscope whose magnification is constantly increased: the sharp image that one begins with finally dissolves, because it is not possible to see ultimate things: their existence is only to be inferred.

  Stanislaw Lem

  Microscopes, Existence, Magnification

  Stanislaw Lem (1984). “His Master's Voice”, p.205, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• Science is the search for truth - it is not a game in which one tries to beat his opponent, to do harm to others.

  Linus Pauling

  Science, Games, Trying

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• The doctrine of the sacredness of the soul sounds vaguely uplifting, but in fact is highly malignant. It discounts life on earth as just a temporary phase that people pass through, indeed, an infinitesimal fraction of their existence…the gradual replacement of lives for souls as the locus of moral value was helped along by the ascendency of skepticism and reason

  Steven Pinker

  Uplifting, People, Soul

  Steven Pinker (2011). “The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined”, p.170, Penguin

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• The deepest, the only theme of human history, compared to which all others are of subordinate importance, is the conflict of skepticism with faith.

  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  History, Political, Conflict

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• Skepticism is the highest duty and blind faith the one unpardonable sin.

  Thomas Huxley

  Religion, Atheism, Sin

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• I realize that idealism is out of sync with the cynicism of our age. Skepticism has come to be synonymous with sophistication, and glibness is mistaken for intelligence. In such an atmosphere, why bother aiming high? Far too many people don't. I just want to reassure people to have the courage to persevere, to keep following their hearts even when others scoff. Don't be beaten down by naysayers. Don't let the odds scare you from even trying.

  Howard Schultz

  Courage, Heart, Odds

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• It begins with skepticism. The history of human folly, and our own susceptibility to illusions and fallacies, tell us that men and women are fallible.

  Steven Pinker

  Men, Illusion, Folly

  Steven Pinker (2011). “The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined”, p.209, Penguin

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• The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.

  Frank Herbert

  Knowledge, Caring, Discovery

  Frank Herbert (2008). “God Emperor of Dune”, p.150, Penguin

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• What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite.

  Bertrand Russell

  Believe, Science, Opposites

  "Sceptical Essays". Book by Bertrand Russell, Ch. 12: Free Thought and Official Propaganda, 1928.

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• Skepticism literally means a thoughtful inquiry, the looking at a problem in a disinterested spirit, the surveying of a question from many sides. In this sense it is the very essence of philosophy and science.

  Joseph Alexander Leighton

  Philosophy, Mean, Thoughtful

  Joseph Alexander Leighton (1918). “The Field of Philosophy: An Outline of Lectures on Introduction to Philosophy”

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• Men are never convinced of your reasons, of your sincerity, of the seriousness of your sufferings, except by your death. So long as you are alive, your case is doubtful; you have a right only to their skepticism.

  Albert Camus

  Death, Men, Long

  Albert Camus (1964). “The fall, & Exile and the kingdom”, Random House Inc

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• The fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God is the death of wisdom. Skepticism and doubt lead to study and investigation, and investigation is the beginning of wisdom.

  Clarence Darrow

  Doubt, Study, Investigation

  Clarence Darrow (1995). “Why I Am an Agnostic and Other Essays”

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• Sceptics are generally ready to believe anything, provided it is sufficiently improbable.

  Karl Ludwig von Knebel

  Believe, Ready, Improbable

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• A wise skepticism is the first attribute of a good critic.

  James Russell Lowell

  Wise, Wisdom, Criticism

  "Literary Essays, vol. III". Book by James Russell Lowell, 1870-1890.

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• The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holders lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately.

  Bertrand Russell

  Passion, Opinion, Critical Thinking

  Sceptical Essays "Introduction: On the Value of Skepticism" (1961)

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• Faith is the surrender of the mind; it's the surrender of reason, it's the surrender of the only thing that makes us different from other mammals. It's our need to believe, and to surrender our skepticism and our reason, our yearning to discard that and put all our trust or faith in someone or something, that is the sinister thing to me. Of all the supposed virtues, faith must be the most overrated.

  Christopher Hitchens

  Atheist, Believe, Animal

  "Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (Holier Than Thou)". TV Series, May 23, 2005.

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• An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence. Because God can be relegated to remote times and places and to ultimate causes, we would have to know a great deal more about the universe than we do now to be sure that no such God exists. To be certain of the existence of God and to be certain of the nonexistence of God seem to me to be the confident extremes in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty as to inspire very little confidence indeed.

  Carl Sagan

  Atheist, Inspire, Doubt

  "Conversations with Carl Sagan". Book edited by Tom Head, p. 70, 2006.

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• My skepticism is strong, but my curiosity is stronger.

  Veronica Roth

  Strong, Curiosity, Stronger

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