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About this quote

What does it mean?
Darwin acknowledges the uncertainty surrounding an afterlife, urging individuals to form their own judgments based on incomplete evidence.
In plain terms
No one knows for sure if life continues after death so you have to decide yourself.
What can you take from it?
Form your own beliefs about the unknown when evidence is vague.

Where it applies

  • end of life discussions
  • theological debate
  • existential questions

Putting it to work

  • encouraging independent thought
  • respecting diverse views

Questions to consider

  • What guides your belief in an unknown future?
  • Can you make decisions without proof?

Another view

The quote assumes everyone has the capacity to judge probabilities which may not be true.

More from Charles Darwin

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  2. Believing as I do that man in the distant future will be a far more perfect creature than he now is, it is an intolerable thought that he and all other sentien…

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