A great swindle of our time is the assumption that science has made religion obsolete. All science has damaged is the story of Adam and Eve and the story of Jonah and the Whale. Everything else holds up pretty well, particularly lessons about fairness and gentleness. People who find those lessons irrelevant in the twentieth century are simply using science as an excuse for greed and harshness. Science has nothing to do with it, friends.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Vonnegut argues that science has not made religious values obsolete, only some literal stories. He suggests dismissing moral lessons like fairness and gentleness is an excuse for greed.
- In plain terms
- Science disproves some old stories but not the good lessons they teach.
- What can you take from it?
- Do not use science to justify being cruel or greedy.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does science truly contradict religious morality?
- Are moral lessons dependent on their stories?
Another view
It assumes religious moral lessons are inherently superior to secular ethics.
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