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Truthfulness under oath is, by now, a matter of our civic religion, our relation to our fellow citizens rather than our relation to a nonhuman power.

— Richard Rorty

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Religion

More quotes by Richard Rorty

To abjure the notion of the "truly human" is to abjure the attempt to divinize the self as a replacement for a divinized world.

Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity (1989)

The usual picture of Socrates is of an ugly little plebeian who inspired a handsome young nobleman to write long dialogues on large topics.

Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity (1989)

National pride is to countries what self-respect is to individuals: a necessary condition for self-improvement.

Philosophy makes progress not by becoming more rigorous but by becoming more imaginative.

There is nothing deep down inside us except what we have put there ourselves.

Consequences of Pragmatism (1982)

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All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.

Albert Einstein Moral Decay (1937)

Science and religion are two human enterprises sharing many features.

Freeman Dyson Infinite in All Directions (1988)

The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.

John Adams A Defence of the Constitutions of Government (1787)

The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.

Thomas Babington Macaulay History of England (1849)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Richard Rorty (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.