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21 sats \ 4 replies \ @grayruby OP 18 Feb \ parent \ on: Discuss this Quote- Test post BooksAndArticles
I agree with you. I don't think his intent was to say "science" makes societies weak but just noting that as societies advance they turn more towards science and that makes them doubt the religious "purpose" that once drove them to do the hard things. With an easier life and no purpose they just seek instant gratification.
Turning to science is just individuals adopting new ideas. Them doubting religion is simply them raising questions and analyzing existing ideas through the lens of the new idea.
Religious purpose never drove men to do hard things. Hard things drove them to do hard things. More specifically, wanting to survive under hard things drove men to do hard things. Religious purpose was another ghost created by men to help cope with the harshness of reality. Men can be taught religious purpose and still be weak.
It is our past experiences and the ideas that we adopt that shape us. Those that were torched by fire and flames through the furnace became steel; those that sat around comfortably rusted.
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"Religious purpose never drove men to do hard things. Hard things drove them to do hard things."
Mostly agree with your statement but I don't know if I agree with this quote. I think that was likely true in the early days of humanity when the primary driver of purpose was merely survival and is likely true now. But there is a long history of humanity where rightly or wrongly almost everything humans did was centered in some element of their faith.
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But there is a long history of humanity where rightly or wrongly almost everything humans did was centered in some element of their faith.
Fair point. But their faith or ideas they adopted were only part of the decision making process. You can probably argue that it also cemented their determination to do hard things. But being determined to do something versus being capable of doing something is very different. It is our accumulated knowledge through history and our ability to think and be creative that gives us the capability of doing hard things.
I guess what I'm trying to say is determination matters, but at the same time we must not overlook the importance of knowledge and known how. No matter how determined you are, you are not lifting a big boulder without a lever.
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Agreed
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