'Science kills credulity and superstition, but to the well-balanced mind it enhances the feeling of wonder, of veneration, and of kinship which we feel in the presence of the miraculous universe.' (p.108)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Science removes superstition but makes thoughtful people feel more wonder and respect for the miraculous universe.
- In plain terms
- Science stops silly beliefs but increases wonder for the universe.
- What can you take from it?
- True science leads to more awe, not less.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does learning science make you more or less amazed?
- What do you venerate in the world?
Another view
Some feel science reduces mystery by explaining things away.
More from John Burroughs
'We are here to see and contemplate the great spectacle.' (p.10)
Permalink to quote #8 'In us or through us the Primal Mind will have contemplated and enjoyed its own works and will continue to do so as long as human life endures on this planet.'…
Permalink to quote #10 'Science has fairly turned us out of our comfortable little anthropomorphic notion of things into the great out-of-doors of the universe. We must and will get …
Permalink to quote #7
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