The older Puritans had trampled down all fleshly impulses; these newer Puritans trampled no less self-righteously upon the spiritual cravings. But in the increasingly spiritistic inclination of physics itself, Behaviorism and Fundamentalism had found a meeting place. Since the ultimate stuff of the physical universe was now said to be multitudinous and arbitrary “quanta” of the activity “spirits”, how easy was it for the materialistic and the spiritistic to agree? At heart, indeed, they were never very far apart in mood, though opposed in doctrine. The real cleavage was between the truly spiritual view on the one hand, and the spiritistic and materialistic on the other. Thus the most materialistic of Christian sects and the most doctrinaire of scientific sects were not long in finding a formula to express their unity, their denial of all those finer capacities which had emerged to be the spirit of man. Olaf Stapledon
About This Quote

In the quote from “The Personality of Man,” the author is pointing out that just because a scientist is really smart, it does not make them any less blind. The more intelligent and knowledgeable people become, the more they begin to think and believe in things which are dogma and superstition. A person who truly understands the scientific process understands that there is no scientific proof to support religion or superstition. They understand that while there may be many different explanations for things, they will never be able to prove one over another.

However, some people continue to believe in these things and refuse to accept the truth. The more intelligent people become, the more they begin to think and believe in things which are dogma and superstition.

Source: Last And First Men

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