the quote of the day

"The sleep of reason produces monsters"
Francisco de Goya (1799)

This is not actually a quote but the title of a Goya's illustration. However in this case I think that the title is worth much more than the picture.

This quote/title summarizes the spirit of the Enlightenment: reason is a treasure owned by us humans and, when we don't let it rule our thinking, problems start. Some people during the Enlightenment started to liberate themselves from the irrational set of beliefs which had governed their lives till then.

This people decided to analyze the generally accepted truths from a critical perspective. Was it rational to believe all those stories about Jesus Christ? And what about the idea that kings ruled because that same Jesus and his divine father decided it should be so? Wow! the Enlightenment was really exciting.

Meanwhile, more than two centuries later, in the middle of a revival of religious fundamentalism (Evangelicalism, Islamism), when some groups in America are putting pressure on the authorities to teach Intelligent Design instead of Evolution Theory at schools, and when the uncritical belief in new age stuff enjoys perfect health, Goya's remark is still young.

Thanks Goya!