Bertrand Russell - Howard Jacobson - Nicolai Berdyaev - Karel Capek - T E Hulme - Robert M Pirsig - Pierre-Joseph Proudhon - Robert Anton Wilson - Christopher Hitchens - Noam Chomsky - James Burke TV - Richard Dawkins -
41,290. Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality. (Absolutism & Rational) Bertrand Russell, Am I an Atheist or an Agnostic? A Plea For Tolerance in the Face of New Dogmas 1947
9,104. Dogmatism and scepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance. (Philosophy & Dogma & Sceptic & Absolutism & Certainty & Knowledge & Ignorance) Bertrand Russell
41,284. Let’s confront the absolutists: though who absolutely believe, and those who absolutely don’t. Howard Jacobson, The Bible: A History
41,285. There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen in its attitude to the sovereignty of the state and to every form of state absolutism ... The religious truth of anarchism consists in this, that power over man is bound up with sin and evil, that a state of perfection is a state where there is no power of man over man, that is to say, anarchy. The Kingdom of God is freedom and the absence of such power the Kingdom of God is anarchy. (Absolutism & Anarchy) Nikolai Berdyaev, in Slavery and Freedom 1939 p147
41,286. Relativism is not indifference; on the contrary, passionate indifference is necessary in order for you not to hear the voices that oppose your absolute decrees ... Relativism is neither a method of fighting, nor a method of creating, for both of these are uncompromising and at times even ruthless; rather, it is a method of cognition. Karel Čapek, On Relativism 1925
41,287. In the light of absolute values (religious or ethical) man himself is judged to be limited or imperfect, while he can occasionally accomplish acts which partake of perfection, he, himself can never be perfect. (Absolutism & Perfection) T E Hulme, Speculations 1924
41,288. Socrates is not just expounding noble ideas in a vacuum. He is in the middle of a war between those who think truth is absolute and those who think truth is relative. He is fighting that war with everything he has. (Absolutism & Truth) Robert M Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance 1974 ch29
41,289. All parties without exception, when they seek for power, are varieties of absolutism. (Absolutism & Power) Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
41,291. Only the madman is absolutely sure. (Absolutism & Madness) Robert Anton Wilson
41,292. George Bush made a mistake when he referred to the Saddam Hussein regime as ‘evil’. Every liberal and leftist knows how to titter at such black-and-white moral absolutism. (Absolutism & Bush) Christopher Hitchens
41,293. Responsibility I believe accrues through privilege. People like you and me have an unbelievable amount of privilege and therefore we have a huge amount of responsibility. We live in free societies where we are not afraid of the police; we have extraordinary wealth available to us by global standards. If you have those things, then you have the kind of responsibility that a person does not have if he or she is slaving seventy hours a week to put food on the table; a responsibility at the very least to inform yourself about power. Beyond that, it is a question of whether you believe in moral certainties or not. Noam Chomsky
67,330. There are no absolutes ... Buddhism is all about that. You know - no absolutes, no centre to the universe, nothing but er nothingness. (Civilisation & Absolutism & Nothing & Buddhism) James Burke, Connections III 1997 s3e3: Drop the Apple
95,743. Not all absolutism is derived from religion. Nevertheless, it is pretty hard to defend absolutist morals on grounds other than religious ones. (Good & Morality & Absolutism) Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion p232
95,766. Such absolutism nearly always result from strong religious faith, and it constitutes a major reason for suggesting that religion can be a force for evil in the world. (Religion & Absolutism) ibid. p286