My iGoogle quote for the day gave me the following which I thought was so wonderful I was ‘moved to share it’.
I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.
- Umberto Eco
Looked at the quotation site. Looks good. Like the quote. It would be good if you felt able to share with us why it moved you in any specific way. Why it excited you which clearly it has.
onethoughtfulwoman
I suppose I was impressed/amused by the notion that the whole world is simply a harmless puzzle that has been made harmful by the attempts of people (especially religious people) to give it meaning. It was the novelty of the idea that the world just is - without needing explanation - and the wit of the idea juxtaposed with it, that the very people who are most dogmatic about giving it explanation are not only missing the point, but ruining it for the rest of us. I thought that idea was ‘neat’.
One can see you have studied philosophy with your answer which is very eloquently put. I like your interpretation. Would I add anything else to what you have said? You have summed it up quite neatly indeed. I just wonder what process occured in the author’s mind that influenced his conclusion. Was he thinking of religion when he wrote this or of anything else which could influence mankind’s thinking of the world and the way we see it?
That’s a great quote. I like your take on it, too.
Interesting viewpoint - and the author of course is amazing - however, I don’t think I buy into the ‘universe is innocently random’ school of thought. Nicely put,though.
WC