Looking back at the worst times, it always seems that they were times in which there were people who believed with absolute faith and absolute dogmatism in something. And they were so serious in this matter that they insisted that the rest of the world agree with them. And then they would do things that were directly inconsistent with their own beliefs in order to maintain that what they said was true.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Feynman critiques rigid dogmatism, noting how zealots enforce beliefs while acting inconsistently to preserve them.
- In plain terms
- People who insist others share their absolute beliefs often act against those beliefs to protect them.
- What can you take from it?
- Watch for hypocrisy when people enforce dogma over reality.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Where have you seen belief override action?
- How do you react when facts contradict your views?
Another view
Not all strong convictions lead to hypocrisy.
More from Richard Feynman
The first ... has to do with whether a man knows what he is talking about, whether what he says has some basis or not. And my trick that I use is very easy. If…
Permalink to quote #53 The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way someday.
Permalink to quote #55 No government has the right to decide on the truth of scientific principles, nor to prescribe in any way the character of the questions investigated. Neither m…
Permalink to quote #52
Related quotes
History warns us, however, that it is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions; and, as matters now stand, it is hardl…
Thomas Henry HuxleyThomas Henry Huxley quote #23 I do not belive that I have a thinking problem as much as a feeling problem. What I mean is, I know the Christian answer to most quesitons but I do not always …
Don MillerDon Miller quote #24 Science ... commits suicide when it adopts a creed.
Thomas Henry HuxleyThomas Henry Huxley quote #25