“ The wisest man is an ape compared to God, just as the most beautiful ape is ugly compared to man. ”
Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy (1945). copy citation
| Author | Bertrand Russell |
|---|---|
| Source | A History of Western Philosophy |
| Topic | God ape |
| Date | 1945 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/History%20of%20Western%20Philosoph... |
Context
““We must know that war is common to all, and strife is justice.”
Heraclitus repeatedly speaks of “God” as distinct from “the gods.” “The way of man has no wisdom, but that of God has.... Man is called a baby by God, even as a child by a man.... The wisest man is an ape compared to God, just as the most beautiful ape is ugly compared to man.”
God, no doubt, is the embodiment of cosmic justice.
The doctrine that everything is in a state of flux is the most famous of the opinions of Heraclitus, and the one most emphasised by his disciples, as described in Plato’s Theaetetus.”
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