Reason excludes faith, " Alessandro responded, watching the blood-red mite as it made a dash for the rim. "It's deliberately limited. It won't function with the materials of religion. You can come close to proving the existence of God by reason, but you can't do it absolutely. That's because you can't do anything absolutely by reason. That's because reason depends on postulates. Postulates defy proof and yet they are essential to reason. God is a postulate. I don't think God is interested in the verification of His existence, and, therefore, neither am I. Anyway, I have professional reasons to believe. Nature and art pivot faithfully around God. Even dogs know that. Mark Helprin
About This Quote

Reason excludes faith" is a quotation from the novel "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. It is an anti-utilitarian argument against belief in God. It appears in Chapter 2, where the character Alex DeLarge, who is trying to rationalize his rape of a disabled man's wife, quotes this line from the writer Samuel Butler to Friar Laurence, who is trying to convince him that God exists. The quote is followed by a discussion of the implications of utilitarianism, which asserts that all actions are morally good or bad based on their effect on the greatest number of people.

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them, " I said." Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway. - John Green
  2. I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don't take them for granted. Friends are part of the... - Jon Katz
  3. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - Anonymous
  4. Sometimes God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves. - Joni Eareckson Tada
  5. Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it. - Rainer Maria Rilke
More Quotes By Mark Helprin
  1. If it weren't for music, I would think that love is mortal.
  2. As long as you have life and breath, believe. Believe for those who cannot. Believe even if you have stopped believing. Believe for the sake of the dead, for love, to keep your heart beating, believe. Never give up, never despair, let no mystery confound...
  3. He moved like a dancer, which is not surprising; a horse is a beautiful animal, but it is perhaps most remarkable because it moves as if it always hears music.
  4. The beauty of truth is that it need not be proclaimed or believed. It skips from soul to soul, changing form each time it touches, but it is what it is, I have seen it, and someday you will, too.
  5. Reason excludes faith, " Alessandro responded, watching the blood-red mite as it made a dash for the rim. "It's deliberately limited. It won't function with the materials of religion. You can come close to proving the existence of God by reason, but you can't do...
Related Topics