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About this quote

What does it mean?
Not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence.
In plain terms
Insufficient proof makes belief untenable.
What can you take from it?
Require adequate evidence before accepting claims.

Where it applies

  • religious debate
  • scientific claims
  • legal standards

Putting it to work

  • demand proof
  • avoid premature conclusions

Questions to consider

  • What counts as sufficient evidence?
  • How do we handle claims lacking proof?

Another view

Some matters may be beyond empirical verification.

More from Bertrand Russell

  1. I resolved from the beginning of my quest that I would not be misled by sentiment and desire into beliefs for which there was no good evidence.

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  2. The true spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than Man, which is the touchstone of highest excellence, is to be found in mathematics as s…

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  3. I cannot believe - and I say this with all the emphasis of which I am capable - that there can ever be any good excuse for refusing to face the evidence in fav…

    Permalink to quote #61

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