Image via Wikipedia
“It is the greatest incumbency of a philosopher and becomes most seldom found anyway to be consistently …” Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) wrote. If one connects this with his remark: “A religion, which makes humans dark, is wrong…” – then one has to brood, how consistent people have to behave versus a gloomy religion opinion. Since “September Eleven” one asks not only how to react versus the Islamistic fundamentalism, but also how to act against obstinately Christian crusade reflexes…” Kant behaved with pleasure quite rationally vs. common religiousness: “Metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores or lighthouse, strewn with many a philosophic wreck.” Kant trusted in the strength of the law, trusted in the conscience, inherent to every human being. But looking actually to Syria, it seems that there will be no end to the continuous clash of religions, finishing in military massacres…
related:
https://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/immanuel-kant-1724-1804/
https://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/christianity/
https://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/10-philosophers/
Flickr Comments 
Well said again. Historically, religion has and will continue to feed fanaticism.
LikeLike
Very thought provoking indeed.
LikeLike
Regretfully, it appears you may be right. And that is beyond sad.
LikeLike
It’s true the world does not cleanse itself of wars, does not wash off the blood, does not get over its hate. It’s true. Yet is is equally true that we are moving toward a realization the violent ones are reflected in the mirror of the world, and their faces are not pleasant to look at, not even to themselves. And I go on believing in the possibility of love.
I am convinced that there will be mutual understanding among human beings, achieved in spite of all the suffering, the blood, the broken glass.
– Pablo Neruda
LikeLike
thank you for the wise Pablo Neruda quotation!
LikeLike
perhaps religion is running out of steam, it is the death throes of fanaticism we are seeing, soon we optimists feel the world will be filled with fresh understanding that love, respect and peace are the way forward….
LikeLike
too much fanaticism in some religious communities, that’s the problem …
LikeLike
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/08/07/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-church-attack.html?_r=1
LikeLike
“For the belief in a single truth is the root cause for all evil in the world” Max Born.
LikeLike
Sadly, power – be it religious, social or political (or a firestorm of all three), always manages to seize a vacuum in order to dominate.
What would Kant make of human progress and events after all these years?
LikeLike
a power firestorm of all three: religious, social or political – too often we can find this – the latest extreme (no, not Putin, harder): the Islamist in Russia, who kept his 70 followers under the earth – the children never saw the day-light nor had any medical support; patriarchism often has this climax …
LikeLike
How great it would be if we could all CALM DOWN and think deeply and introspectively and rationally like Kant about many situations in our world today!
LikeLike
LikeLike
Pingback: KANT + Snowden | Flickr Comments