Quotes About Dogmatism

There are certain segments of society that will never lend an ear to a new idea. They squat in a certain place and will not budge from it. They will find many reasons to maintain a way of life that is comfortable to them. They'll cling to old religions; they'll fasten with the grip of death on ethics that were dead, without their knowing it, centuries before; they will embrace a logic that can be blown over with a breath, still claiming it is sacrosanct.

People who believe in The Truth often read one book or a group of books all their lives. For them the last word has been uttered by, say, Thomas Aquinas or Adolf Hitler or Friedrich Nietzsche. Hence they stick to their particular Bible and wear it to shreds. Such readers are almost always psychopaths. A one-book man is a dangerous man and should be taken in hand and taught how to diversify his literary investments.

Fundamentalism - of any variety - is a form of illiteracy, in that it asserts that it is necessary to read only one book.

In scientific subjects, the natural remedy for dogmatism has been found in research.

Behind the incongruity between actual and perceived reality, there always lies an element of intellectual arrogance, of intellectual rigour and dogmatism. 'It is I, not they, who know what poor people can afford', the Japanese industrialist in effect asserted. 'People behave according to economic rationality, as every good Marxist knows,' as Khrushchev implied. This explains why the incongruity is so easily exploited by innovators: they are left alone and undisturbed.

If we seek the truth without realizing how far we are from it, we will be dogmatists. If we realize how far we are from the truth but do not seek it, we will be skeptics. If we both seek the truth and realize how far we are from it, we will be wise.

Considering that the modern and contemporary literature taught in most universities is largely bleak, cynical, morbid, pessimistic, misanthropic dogmatism, often written by suicidal types who sooner or later kill themselves with alcohol or drugs, or shotguns, Professor Takuda was a remarkably cheerful man.

Like a new nation, Wikipedia inspires not only fanatic loyalty but also moral and civic dogmatism. Just as the U.S. uses its "Peace Corps" to rehabilitate imperial depredation with a bushy-tailed front group who teach ancient cultures how to take a dump, Wikipedia gives the radio-active bacteria mound of the Internet a fresh coat of paint.

Self righteousness belongs to narrow-minded.

Zealous men often confuse purity with intolerance, particularly when they're young.

Mistakes can be corrected by those who pay attention to facts but dogmatism will not be corrected by those who are wedded to a vision.

The skeptic, being a lover of his kind, desires to cure by speech, as best he can, the self-conceit and rashness of the dogmatists.

Remember that a man may be mistaken on this subject, but yet be a holy child of God. It is not the slumbering on this subject that ruins souls, but the lack of grace! Above all, avoid dogmatism and overconfidence, especially when dealing with symbolic prophecy. It is a sad truth, but a truth never to be forgotten, that none have injured the doctrine of the second coming more than its overzealous friends.

There is nothing I dislike so much in prophetic inquiry as dogmatism or overconfidence. Much of the discredit that has fallen on prophetic study has arisen from the fact that many students, instead of expounding prophecy, have turned into prophets themselves.

When people are least sure they are often most dogmatic. We

Arrogance pedantry and dogmatism are the occupational diseases of those who spend their lives directing the intellects of the young.

But one thing the New Age folks and those who pursue alternative spiritual visions need to be aware of is how easily we can become and at times in my experience are like the religious right.

Fundamentalism - of any variety - is a form of illiteracy, in that it asserts that it is necessary to read only one book.

Those who suppose they have found truth are called Dogmatists; those who think it incomprehensible are the Academics; those who still seek are the Skeptics

If intellectual life involves a certain amount of self-awareness about alternative interpretations or a certain amount of tentativeness in exploring the connection between evidence and conclusions, it was hard to find any encouragement for the intellectual life in the self-assured dogmatism of fundamentalism.

When the fanatic is confronted with facts, statistics, history, experience, ethics, faith, or what have you, it is of no consequence. He has found his calling and he will not be dissuaded from it. Again, "the cause" is greater than all things.

Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed!

Supposing that Truth is a woman ---well, now, is there not some foundation for suspecting that all philosophers, insofar as they were dogmatists, have not known how to handle women?

What we eventually run up against are the forces of humourlessness, and let me assure you that the humourless as a bunch don't just not know what's funny, they don't know what's serious. They have no common sense, either, and shouldn't be trusted with anything.